Water from Stone - a Novel (39 page)

“No, it’s not. I hate you. I really do. But I’m so goddamned grateful. I don’t want to be grateful to you. I want to hate you.”

“You’ve got a lot of time to do both. I’m not going anywhere.”

She gets to her feet. Smiles at the sound of her father’s whoop of joy. She digs her hands deep in her pockets and looks at the ground between his feet. “Can you go away now, please?” she whispers. “For awhile? Can you please just let us get used to this? Please.”

He nods. “Of course. How about if I stop by tomorrow?”

“You’re going to bring the papers, right?”

“I think we can probably get the judge to sign them right away. They’ll have to be filed to be real, but I’m sure he’ll sign them right away.”

“And she lives with me?”

“Yes.”

“OK, you can come by tomorrow, but you have to bring the papers. Even if they’re not filed yet.”

He nods again. “I can do that.”

“OK. Good.”

***

Jack stands there another moment, looking at her. She has her eyes closed and is rocking back and forth on her bare feet. 

“Jack,” she breaks into his thoughts.

“What?”

“Go. Now. Please,” she adds.

“Yeah, OK. Tomorrow, then.”

She nods. “Tomorrow.”

After Mar has gone back in and closed the door, he hears her scream of delight. He grins. It hurts his face. The woman may be small, but she sure packs a mean punch. He’ll have to remember that in the future. On the way back to the rental car, he finds himself admiring the soaring strength of the Front Range. It is a beautiful sight, one he feels pretty damn good about. He remembers Boosie. He’d forgotten to leave the blanket with Lizzie. He shrugs. Somehow, he doesn’t think she’ll need its comfort tonight.

Damn. Life is good. Jack thinks he just might go buy himself a pair of boots.

The end.

AN OFFER TO READERS:

As you may know, in today’s publishing world reviews matter a great deal. Because I want to encourage readers to review this book and to thank them for doing so, I am offering a free copy of my upcoming eBook,
The Stages from Grace - a Novel
(to be released on November 15, 2013) to any reader who leaves a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads and who sends me an email via [email protected] to let me know once it is posted.

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Katherine

DEDICATION

To my mother, Elizabeth. You taught me to dream big and to follow through. I will always be grateful that I won the parental lottery with you.

To my son, Derek. You are my joy and my pride, and I feel forever blessed to be able to witness your amazing journey.

And, finally, to my husband, Tim.

You, always you.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

Writing a book is a very solitary endeavor. The day eventually comes, though, when you have to let it go, to release it to the world. That’s scary.

Happily, I am blessed to have a group of funny, warm and talented friends (and writers) who generously offered me a “soft” release. That is, they were my beta readers. They pointed out my mistakes and, occasionally, questioned my judgement. Because of them, this novel is so much better.

First, I would like to thank Diane Breton. Diane is not only a writer, but she is also a professional editor. No matter how careful I am, Diane cleans up after me, which saves me a lot of embarrassment. Thank you, Diane, for your skill, your guidance and your good sense.

Along with Diane, Heather Maurice-Stirnweis, KD Pryor, Karen Stivali and Trudy Gendron acted as my sounding board as I worked my way through this story. It was their continuous encouragement, in fact, that convinced me to finally release this book. Thank you, ladies. The next round of coffee at A&E is on me!

Heartfelt thanks and gratitude, as well, to Margarita Barresi - your kindness and generosity of spirit are inspiring.  And to Holly Johnson, Ande Mariaca, Audrey Tyler Cook, Nicole Austin, Liz Mariaca, and Maryann Brennan, thank you, thank you, thank you.

And, finally, to the incomparable Mia Mariaca who lent her book to this story and whose image graces its cover - thank you!

A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER:

If you have enjoyed
Water from Stone
by Katherine Mariaca-Sullivan, please take a moment to leave a review of the book on
Amazon.com.
As you may know, reader reviews are one of the best ways to encourage other readers to discover new authors.

If you would like to be a beta reader or a book reviewer for other books published by
Madaket Lane Publishers
, please send an email to us at [email protected] with “Reviewer” as the subject. We’ll send you information about this program.

Thank you,

Madaket Lane Publishers

www.MadaketLanePublishers.com

THE STAGES of GRACE - a Novel

Coming November 15, 2013

A coming of age comedy that would be a tragedy if it wasn’t so funny...

DENIAL

After fifteen years of marriage, cartoonist Gracie Carpenter discovers her husband is a serial cheater. Not only that, but she is trying to save her career, to care for her widowed father who has Alzheimer’s, to find a way to re-connect with her teenage son, and to help her best friend through her latest crisis. And just when things reach a breaking point, she meets the ghost of the daughter she never had.

NEGOTIATION

Gracie wants nothing more than for her life to return to the way it was. Even with everything that is going on, she thinks her daughter’s sudden appearance is a sign that she and her husband should try again.

DEPRESSION

As her life falls apart, Gracie discovers that the root of so much pain may lie in a terrible mistake she made as a young girl-a mistake that left a boy dead.

ANGER

To save herself, her son and her life, Gracie must confront her husband. And her past.

ACCEPTANCE

Can Gracie find the strength to overcome her past? Can she start over and forge a new life-one built on strength and love and acceptance? Can she, in fact, find grace?

ALSO BY KATHERINE MARIACA-SULLIVAN:

The Stages of Grace - a Novel

coming November 2013

The Complication of Sisters:

Collected Stories & Drawings

When a Loved One Dies: The Complete Guide to Preparing a Dignified & Meaningful Goodbye

Author! Author! Write, Publish & Market a Buzz-Creating How-To Book

Author! Author! Use Book Promos & Discounts to Create BUZZ for Your Book

Author! Author! Format Your Word Document for the Kindle

Ruby Jane - Is She REALLY a Pain?

(with Heather Maurice-Stirnweis)