Read Online Kiss and Tell by Cherry Adair - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Cherry Adair
Tags: Fiction, General, Romance, Contemporary, romantic suspense, Romantic Suspense Fiction, Special Forces (Military Science), Adventure fiction, California; Northern, Women Computer Scientists, Special Forces (Miliatry Science)
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welled within her chest. She sat on a mossy rock nearby, chin cupped in her hands, and took in the devastation.
The tree didn't look nearly as large by daylight as it had in the dark. Nevertheless, it had crushed the little one-room house. Vision blurred, Marnie bit her lip.
Her grandmother's death in her sleep at the age of eighty-eight had hit her hard, forcing her to question her lifestyle and the choices she'd made.
Grammy's death had been a turning point.
There had been nothing the old woman had been afraid of. Nothing she hadn't dared. Nothing she hadn't ventured. And while Marnie had always considered them kindred spirits, after Grammy's death she'd suddenly had the rude awakening that they weren't alike at all.
She didn't take chances. She never risked anything. Her life had fallen into a rut without her being aware of it. She'd always taken the path of least resistance because it was easy and trouble free.
She worked for her father because he'd wanted her close and she didn't want to hurt him. And although her love of drawing and painting fulfilled her, she'd always considered it a hobby.
It was painfully ironic that Grammy had to die before Marnie could at last hear what her grandmother had been trying to tell her.
Live life to the fullest.
The tightness in her chest threatened to double her over. She bent over her knees to press her fists tight against her chest. It hurt to breathe.
"I'm going to do it, Gram. I'm going to do it."
Marnie didn't know how, when, or even what. But God help her, she was going to make her life a life Grammy would have been proud of. Not just for her adored grandmother, but for herself. Because twenty-seven wasn't too old to change.
There was enough of Martha Washburn in her to know there was hope. She wanted life with a capital L . She wanted to paint and draw; she wanted to taste excitement and grab life with both hands.
She wanted to live , not just exist.
A sob ripped through her.
She wanted it all, everything she'd missed by allowing herself to follow the path of least resistance. By taking the easy way out. By allowing herself to believe other people's reality of who and what she was.
Another choked sob tore through her.
She missed her grandmother. She needed her grandmother. She wanted her grandmother.
She and Grammy had shared their love of the outdoors, family, and all things traditional. Maybe they shared the same dash of daring, too.
The landscape blurred as the tears came – heavy and painful, and from so deep the well seemed bottomless.
She didn't try to stop them.
Grammy had been mother and best friend to her all her life. Marnie couldn't imagine life without her. She swallowed a sob, then let them come, one after the other. The tears, falling unchecked, felt hot on her icy cheeks. This was the first time in five weeks she'd been able to cry. The loss had just been too great, too deep. She made up for it now.
She'd always cried easily. A sappy commercial, a baby, or a beautiful sunset could make her misty-eyed. But when she cried for real, it wasn't pretty. She sobbed and hiccuped and blubbered; her nose ran and her face got red and puffy. She was thankful only a squirrel was witness to her outpouring of grief.
She cried long enough to give herself a stuffy nose and swollen eyelids. Feeling slightly better when she finished, she rose and walked around the crushed walls, trailing her fingertips along the wood siding, remembering the laughter, the words of wisdom, the lessons she'd learned inside these four walls. It was almost impossible to continue being sad when the memories were so happy. She said her final goodbye – but just to the place. Grammy would be in her heart forever.
Feeling as though she'd been through some sort of rebirth, Marnie trudged back up the hill.
Returning to Jake's, she considered what her grandmother would have thought about him. Grammy had a soft spot for strays. She would have pulled him into the circle of their home and
The tree didn't look nearly as large by daylight as it had in the dark. Nevertheless, it had crushed the little one-room house. Vision blurred, Marnie bit her lip.
Her grandmother's death in her sleep at the age of eighty-eight had hit her hard, forcing her to question her lifestyle and the choices she'd made.
Grammy's death had been a turning point.
There had been nothing the old woman had been afraid of. Nothing she hadn't dared. Nothing she hadn't ventured. And while Marnie had always considered them kindred spirits, after Grammy's death she'd suddenly had the rude awakening that they weren't alike at all.
She didn't take chances. She never risked anything. Her life had fallen into a rut without her being aware of it. She'd always taken the path of least resistance because it was easy and trouble free.
She worked for her father because he'd wanted her close and she didn't want to hurt him. And although her love of drawing and painting fulfilled her, she'd always considered it a hobby.
It was painfully ironic that Grammy had to die before Marnie could at last hear what her grandmother had been trying to tell her.
Live life to the fullest.
The tightness in her chest threatened to double her over. She bent over her knees to press her fists tight against her chest. It hurt to breathe.
"I'm going to do it, Gram. I'm going to do it."
Marnie didn't know how, when, or even what. But God help her, she was going to make her life a life Grammy would have been proud of. Not just for her adored grandmother, but for herself. Because twenty-seven wasn't too old to change.
There was enough of Martha Washburn in her to know there was hope. She wanted life with a capital L . She wanted to paint and draw; she wanted to taste excitement and grab life with both hands.
She wanted to live , not just exist.
A sob ripped through her.
She wanted it all, everything she'd missed by allowing herself to follow the path of least resistance. By taking the easy way out. By allowing herself to believe other people's reality of who and what she was.
Another choked sob tore through her.
She missed her grandmother. She needed her grandmother. She wanted her grandmother.
She and Grammy had shared their love of the outdoors, family, and all things traditional. Maybe they shared the same dash of daring, too.
The landscape blurred as the tears came – heavy and painful, and from so deep the well seemed bottomless.
She didn't try to stop them.
Grammy had been mother and best friend to her all her life. Marnie couldn't imagine life without her. She swallowed a sob, then let them come, one after the other. The tears, falling unchecked, felt hot on her icy cheeks. This was the first time in five weeks she'd been able to cry. The loss had just been too great, too deep. She made up for it now.
She'd always cried easily. A sappy commercial, a baby, or a beautiful sunset could make her misty-eyed. But when she cried for real, it wasn't pretty. She sobbed and hiccuped and blubbered; her nose ran and her face got red and puffy. She was thankful only a squirrel was witness to her outpouring of grief.
She cried long enough to give herself a stuffy nose and swollen eyelids. Feeling slightly better when she finished, she rose and walked around the crushed walls, trailing her fingertips along the wood siding, remembering the laughter, the words of wisdom, the lessons she'd learned inside these four walls. It was almost impossible to continue being sad when the memories were so happy. She said her final goodbye – but just to the place. Grammy would be in her heart forever.
Feeling as though she'd been through some sort of rebirth, Marnie trudged back up the hill.
Returning to Jake's, she considered what her grandmother would have thought about him. Grammy had a soft spot for strays. She would have pulled him into the circle of their home and
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