What Happens Next , livre ebook

Baker Publishing Group - Suzann Nelson Christina

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205 pages

English

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"Everyone has a story, and maybe everyone needs a little help toward healing."Popular podcaster and ex-reporter Faith Byrne made a name for herself telling stories of greatness after tragedy--but her real life does not mirror the stories she tells. While her daughters spend the summer in Hawaii with her ex-husband and his new wife, she must manage life on her own. All of that changes when she's asked to spotlight her childhood best friend's missing person case on her podcast.Dora Crane has never accepted that her younger daughter could be dead, keeping her home looking the same as when her daughter disappeared. But when her husband leaves her and her older daughter intervenes, she agrees to counseling and to pack up her missing daughter's belongings under one condition: Faith Byrne comes to Deep Valley and sheds light on the cold case.As the long-abandoned investigation moves forward, old wounds and long-buried secrets are exposed. Will these two women, whose lives have never been the same, finally get the answers they need to reconcile the past and the future?"This heartbreaking story will keep you guessing--and hoping--with the turn of every redemptive page."--ERIN BARTELS, award-winning author of The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water

Informations

Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	17 janvier 2023
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781493440689
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	4 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0408€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Half Title Page
Books by Christina Suzann Nelson
More Than We Remember
Shaped by the Waves
The Way It Should Be
What Happens Next
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2023 by Christina S. Nelson
Published by Bethany House Publishers
Minneapolis, Minnesota
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2023
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-4068-9
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Cover design by LOOK Design Studio
Cover image by Blue Collectors / Stocksy
Old bike image by Marta Locklear / Stocksy
Author is represented by Books & Such Literary Agency.
Baker Publishing Group publications use paper produced from sustainable forestry practices and post-consumer waste whenever possible.
Dedication
To Jodie Whose friendship has been one of the greatest blessings along my writing journey.
Contents
Cover
Half Title Page
Books by Christina Suzann Nelson
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
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About the Author
A Special Sneak Peek of The Vanishing at Castle Moreau
Back Ads
Back Cover
1 Faith
NOW
Faith Byrne’s carefully laid plans took advantage of unplanned distractions and skipped town, never to be seen again. She stood outside her comfortable suburban home, one hand on the mailbox, the other holding a thick envelope from her attorney. Her line of sight did a dance around the yard as if one of her neighbors might be watching and somehow witness this moment of humiliation. Faith didn’t have to open the seal to know what the package contained. Inside would be her copy of the final divorce decree. She hadn’t wanted the dissolution of their vows, so she certainly didn’t need to read through the corrosive words—again.
Tucking the mail under her arm, she straightened her posture and walked past the tulips just beginning to open in the early spring weather. With Easter only four days past, their appearance should have been predictable, but like those who witnessed the death of Jesus, she wasn’t prepared for life to return after tragedy.
A horn honked behind her, startling Faith from her pathetic comparison between crucifixion and being dumped by Neil.
She turned to find Kendall, a friend she’d made through Neil but managed to keep in the settlement. The side door of Kendall’s green minivan slid open, with Harlow and Ava piling out and lunging toward her.
“Mom, I can’t believe you’re okay with this. Thank you!” Ava hopped up on her toes, still not stretching quite to Faith’s chin. She clutched the phone that Neil had purchased for her, even though they’d decided the girls could wait until their thirteenth birthday for that kind of responsibility. Apparently in his mind, divorce gave her a nine-month advancement in age. “This is going to be the best summer ever.”
Faith kissed the top of Ava’s head. “I’m sure it will be.” She shifted her gaze to her fourteen-year-old. Harlow was skilled at nonverbally cluing her mother in on all things Ava, and what Faith was getting from her older daughter sparked flames in her chest.
The delight melted from Harlow’s face. “Stop, Ava. He didn’t ask Mom.”
Ava’s mouth hung open as her body stilled. “So, we’re not going to Hawaii for the summer?”
Hawaii? For the summer? Faith’s stomach became a jagged boulder. Thanks a lot, Neil. “Daddy and I are still working through a few details about your vacation. Let us talk, and I’m sure we’ll get everything worked out.”
Ava’s eyes filled with tears.
“Don’t be such a little kid,” Harlow snapped.
“None of that.” It would serve her husband—ex-husband—right to have an entire summer with the girls. They’d hit ages where they seemed to forget they were sisters, not mortal enemies. “Head into the house and get started on homework. I’ll be there in a minute.”
As they shuffled inside, their nasty whispers back and forth met Faith’s ears. She’d had such a different vision for her children, her family.
Kendall pushed the passenger door of her van open a few inches. “Hey.” She patted the seat. “Take a load off.”
A quick look in the back seat verified that Kendall’s middle school-aged son was in a nearly hypnotic state as he poked and swayed with his video game. She couldn’t blame him. Being in the van with her girls could be a bit much. Kendall’s offer to bring them home each day after school so Faith could get more time to work was a sacrifice for him too. Plopping onto the seat, Faith let her ponytail drop against the headrest. She breathed out a stale sigh.
“I take it you didn’t know about Hawaii.” Kendall turned to face her.
“Two weeks. That’s what I was told. They’d have the wedding , then the girls could spend some time with Neil’s parents. They don’t get to the mainland very often anymore, and the girls miss them. Maybe there was a miscommunication.”
The gentle touch of Kendall’s fingers on her arm nearly undid her. Faith let her head loll to the side. There was no mistake. Neil was being Neil, all I’m in charge here Enneagram eight, and not a healthy eight. Neil only knew one way—his way—and everyone was expected to move over and let him by. But Faith didn’t have to bend to his wishes anymore. That was for Wendy to deal with.
“I’d love to give that man a few of my thoughts.” Kendall’s lips formed tight lines.
“It wouldn’t do any good. He hears what he wants to hear and tosses the rest.” Faith patted the package on her lap. “And he’s free to do almost anything he wants. The kids are the only area he can’t control, so he pulls stuff like this, getting them all excited so I’m the bad guy by saying no.”
“The girls will get over it. You’re the one who’s steady in their lives. You’ve never let them down.”
“They’re teenagers, or nearly. We’re in the midst of the Mom-ruins-everything stage. And don’t forget, he’s marrying an attorney. He’s reminded me a hundred times how lucky I am that I have joint custody.” She shrugged. “Listen, I don’t want to be one of those moms who talks bad about my kids’ father. He’s a good dad, and he loves the girls. I’m glad he wants them around, even as he starts his new family. None of this is their fault, and they shouldn’t be punished for our problems.”
Kendall rubbed the back of her neck. “You are a far better woman than I am.”
If her thoughts were out on display, Faith doubted anyone would see her as holy. How could he take this away from her without a discussion? Harlow and Ava were her kids too. He had no right to give them fantasy-worthy hopes for a summer full of adventures that she couldn’t dream to produce for her children. Neil knew better than anyone else that eventually she’d crack.
“Mom.” Ava hung out the front door. “I’m starving.”
———
Faith must have checked her Fitbit a thousand times throughout the evening while time ticked away like it was struggling through waist-high tar. After the final plate was stacked in the dishwasher and it hummed with spraying water, she went down the hall, listening at each of her girls’ bedroom doors.
Ava stomped around all evening, as if her preteen power play would get her the results she was after, while her sister had taken to her room as soon as she could get away. Both reactions were like punches to Faith’s heart. She hadn’t chosen the divorce, but there were plenty of things she’d said and done along the way that had served to hurt her kids. Touching their doors, she said a silent prayer for peace, especially for the call she was about to make to Neil.
But when she unlocked her phone, there were four missed calls—from him. She wrinkled her brow. Once again, she’d forgotten to unmute after finishing a podcast recording session. The last few weeks had been crazy, with Faith trying so hard to get extra episodes researched and ready to air so she’d have the summer to focus on her girls.
Grabbing the stack of mail from the counter, she stepped into the garage. She dropped the envelopes on the washer and plugged in her earbuds, stuffing one in her ear so hard, she felt the air pressure push against her eardrum.
Before she could tap his name in her contacts, the phone buzzed. It was Neil. Great. He even got the prize for making the first move.
“Hello.” Her voice was flat. She wouldn’t scream at him, but she certainly wouldn’t let him off easy either.
“About time.”
“Excuse me?” Faith flung the dryer open, the hinges screaming out their abuse.
“Be careful with that machine. It will cost a fortune to fix it.”
Her jaw throbbed with the tension. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
Faith searched her mind for a smart comeback, but he’d silenced her with these words so foreign from his vocabulary.
He cleared his throat. “Listen. I wanted to call and apologize. Wendy thought we’d talked when she mentioned the summer plans to the girls.”
“I was fine with two weeks. Why do you need to have them all summer? Neil, that’s a long time.” Loneliness seeped into her bones even now, weeks before the scheduled departure.
“It’s my dad. He’s not doing well. He’s got cancer in his bones,