Sara's Promise (29 page)

"Couldn't miss my big sister's artistic debut," Sam said, smiling. It didn't matter how accomplished he was in school or on the golf course, Sam was still the warm-hearted guy he'd always been.

Sandy turned back to her dad and Annie. "Well, we're keeping the Multnomah Falls painting for sure," she said, smiling over at Annie. "I promised it to you, Annie, and I want you and Dad to have that one."

Annie nodded. "We can hang it over the fireplace in our bedroom," she said. "Then it will always remind me of our special day." The summer after Annie and William had reconciled, they were married in a small ceremony on Benson Bridge at Multnomah Falls. Sandy, Sam, Cherise, and William's parents were the only people in attendance, but it was the most beautiful day of Annie's life. Afterward, they'd eaten dinner and celebrated at the lodge at the falls, and it had been a wonderful time for them all. A year later, their little Elizabeth was born. Both William and Annie had wanted a child together, and they never regretted their decision. Lizzie added so much joy to their life that they didn't care that they were a bit old to start a new family. 

After the wedding, Sandy had added a small glimmer of a translucent rainbow in the Multnomah Falls painting. "So we always remember the colors," she'd told Annie. To them, it was the perfect reminder of how far they had both come.

Another guest approached Sandy, and soon she was off again to mingle with guests and discuss her beautiful paintings. Caterers circulated in the crowd, offering hors d'oeuvres, wine, and champagne. Annie chose small foods that Lizzie could nibble while William and Sam wandered through the crowd. Annie saw a familiar face come through the door and waved to Andrew as he searched the crowd for Sandy. He smiled over at her, then after spotting Sandy, he headed straight for her. Seeing him, a warm smile crept up on Sandy's face as she beamed at her fiancé.

It had actually been a blessing that Sandy had taken off a semester of college after the accident. By the time she returned, everyone she'd been sharing art classes with before had moved on, and she met a whole new group of art students. In that group, she met Andrew, a handsome guy with blonde hair and a warm smile. He didn't drink or do drugs, and he was always a gentleman, which was exactly what Sandy needed after her years of partying. They were engaged a year later and planned to get married soon, now that both had graduated college.

As Annie balanced Lizzie and the plate of food in her arms, she thought about how blessed she was. After years of being alone, she now had a loving husband, a family, and a career she loved. Over the past three years, her photography business had transitioned from architecture magazines to travel photography. She traveled all over the country, taking photos of prominent places where people vacationed, and she loved every minute of it. In fact, she had become so in demand, she could now pick and choose her jobs, so she could spend more time with Lizzie. And William was wonderful about the travel, often accompanying her with Lizzie in tow. His own business was so successful that he could also handpick his projects, so he worked less now and spent more time with family.

Annie caught sight of William across the room and once again a smile touched her lips. He loved her, this she knew. Once he had let go of Sara completely, he was able to open his heart to her fully. The day after they'd reunited on the beach, as William had gazed into Annie's eyes, a strange look had crossed his face.

"What's wrong?" Annie had asked him.

"Your eyes. They're different."

Annie had run to a mirror and looked at herself. No longer were blue-green eyes staring back at her. Her eyes were hazel blue.

"They've changed back," Annie had said, amazed.

"Back?" William asked.

"My eyes were hazel before my surgery and then turned blue-green afterward. Now they're back to their original color," Annie had explained.

William looked confused. "How could that happen?"

Annie had walked back over to William and looked up into his eyes. "It was Sara. She must have known you would notice me if my eyes were the same as hers. Now that you've let her go, they've changed back."

William had gazed down at her a long time, digesting what she'd said. When Annie couldn't stand the silence between them any longer, she'd asked in a soft voice, "Do you mind that my eyes are no longer like Sara's?"

William slowly shook his head, then smiled. "No, not at all. I think your eyes are beautiful. They are exactly how they should be. It's you I love, Annie. And everything that makes you who you are."

It was at that moment that Annie knew for certain William had let Sara go completely, and loved only her.

Annie looked up, brushing away her thoughts and saw Cherise come through the door, looking beautiful in a dress the color of a sunset. She waved her over and gave her friend a hug.

"Hey sweetie," Cherise said to Lizzie, tickling her side. The little girl giggled, then went back to eating her treats.

"Wow, what a crowd. Sandy's showing is a success," Cherise said. She'd seen the paintings earlier, when she'd delivered the desserts for the caterers to pass around later in the evening. "You must be so proud of her," Cherise added. "The paintings are phenomenal."

Annie nodded as the two women gazed around the room at the crowd of people. Cherise accepted a glass of wine from a server, and after taking a sip, she pointed toward a man across the room. "Hey, who's that guy? Do you know him?"

Annie looked in the direction Cherise pointed. Standing beside William was a man about the same height with short, auburn hair, strong shoulders, and wearing a dark tan suit. "That's Jeff," she said matter-of-factly. When Cherise looked at her with a confused frown, she added, "Jeffrey Hanover, William's partner. Haven't you ever met him before?"

Cherise shook her head. She'd been to many family dinners and evenings out with Annie and William, but she had never met William's partner before. "Married?" she asked.

"Divorced," Annie answered. "Several years now."

"Kids?"

"No kids."

"Bitter?" Cherise asked.

Annie turned, looked at her dearest friend, and laughed. "No, he's not bitter. It just didn't work out. He's actually a very nice man. Why? Are you interested?"

Cherise rolled her big, brown eyes, which made Lizzie laugh. "Do you even have to ask? You've been hiding this cute guy from me for years, and you want to know if I'm interested?"

Annie laughed. "Would you like me to introduce you to him?"

"Are you kidding? Of course, I want you to introduce him to me." Cherise grabbed hold of Annie's arm and began dragging her toward Jeff. "It's time we start working on my happily ever after, don't you think?"

Annie looked up at William across the room and locked eyes with him. They both smiled. Happily every after did describe their life perfectly. Annie had never believed in fairy tale endings, or soul mates, or even fate and destiny before she met William. But now she believed in it all. She was living a fairy tale life, thanks to Sara, and she sent up a little prayer thanking her again for leading her to not the perfect ending but the perfect beginning.

-End-

About the Author

Deanna Lynn Sletten writes women's fiction novels that go beyond the basic romance novel. Her stories dig deeply into the lives of the characters, giving the reader an in-depth look into their hearts and souls. Deanna has also written one middle-grade novel that takes you on the adventure of a lifetime.

Deanna is married and has two grown children. When not writing, she enjoys walking the wooded trails around her northern Minnesota home with her beautiful Australian Shepherd or relaxing in the boat on the lake in the summer. 

Connect with Deanna

Blog:
http://www.deannalynnsletten.com

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/DeannaLSletten

Twitter: @DeannaLSletten

Books by Deanna Lynn Sletten

Memories

Women's Fiction/Romance

Widow, Virgin, Whore

Women's Fiction/Family Drama

Outlaw Heroes

Children's Fiction

Please enjoy the following excerpts from Deanna's novels

Maggie's Turn and Memories

Please enjoy the follow excerpt from my upcoming novel
Maggie's Turn

Coming Summer 2013

Maggie's Turn Copyright 2012 Deanna Lynn Sletten

"Roll Me Away" Copyright Bob Seger 

Bob Seger's Greatest Hits 1994 Copyright Capitol Records, Inc.

Maggie's Turn

Deanna Lynn Sletten

Book Description

Maggie is the perfect mother and wife, completely devoted to her family until one day she drives away, leaving behind an indifferent husband and two sulking teenaged children. As Maggie goes off on a quest of self-exploration and enjoys adventures meeting new people and learning new things about herself, her husband, Andrew, begins some self-exploration of his own, slowly beginning to understand what drove Maggie away. Is it too late to resolve their differences and save their marriage or will Andrew lose Maggie for good?

Maggie's Turn

Deanna Lynn Sletten

"Roll Me Away"

by Bob Seger

"Roll, roll me away,

won't you roll me away tonight

I too am lost,

I feel double-crossed,

And I'm sick of what's wrong and what's right

We never even said a word, we just walked out and got on that bike

And we rolled,

And we rolled clean out of sight."

Chapter One

It had not been a good morning at the Harrison household. At least not for Maggie. Her nineteen-year-old son, Kyle, had awoken late which meant he was late showering and would be late to one of the four college courses he was intent upon failing. His lateness in the bathroom meant her fourteen-year-old daughter, Kaia, was later than usual getting ready for school, meaning Maggie's husband, Andrew, was rushed to shower for work. And of course, Maggie was running late because she was always the last person to use the bathroom.

Kaia was pouting and stomping around because she had wanted to get to school early to 'hang' with her friends. Kyle rolled his eyes as he went out the door to his rusted pick-up truck, mumbling that it really didn't matter if he made it to class or not. And Andrew ran through his schedule as he rushed out the door to work.

"Remember, I have a seven o'clock meeting tonight, so make sure dinner is on time so I'm not late," he instructed Maggie and was gone a second later.

All Maggie had time for was one long sigh as she slipped a light sweater over her head and pulled on khaki pants, grabbed her short wool jacket and her purse and ran out the door, hoping, praying, that Kaia wouldn't be late for school.

Maggie stole a glance at her sulking daughter as she maneuvered her minivan through the morning traffic. She was a pretty girl with her long, thick auburn hair and deep blue eyes; her skin clear and still lightly tanned from summer vacation. Well, she'd be even prettier, Maggie thought, if she'd smile once in a while. Maggie couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Kaia smile. Or joke, or tease. It seemed in an instant she had gone from a happy girl to a sulking teenager. But Maggie couldn't complain. Despite Kaia's obvious constant irritation with her, she was a good student and caused no trouble at school or anywhere else. Maggie knew she was lucky in that. Both her children had turned out to be decent people, if not a little confused about life. But who wasn't confused at their ages? Fourteen and nineteen weren't easy. Maggie tried to understand and give them room to figure things out, but sometimes it was so difficult. Kyle had gone from a high school honor graduate to a flunking college student and he didn't seem to care one bit. All he enjoyed was his part-time job at the local motorcycle shop. Seven-fifty an hour seemed fine to him; he had no financial obligations other than keeping gas in his pick-up and going out with friends. Maggie sometimes wondered how he thought he'd make it on his own without a decent education, but she forced herself not to obsess over it. She had so many other things she could choose to worry about.