Happy New Year, everyone. Welcome to my post on WIP IT UP WEDNESDAY. If you are new to this hop or are just now deciding that joining this hop would be a great idea, visit the WIP IT IP WEDNESDAY blog home page at: http://wipitupwednesday.blogspot.co.uk/ to read the sign-up instructions. Also on that page, you will find links to other wonderful authors and their WIP.
Today I’ll be continuing to share an excerpt from my novella, Saying Goodbye. This novel is now on sale for $1.99.
The following snippet comes right after the last snippet I posted. In this scene, Erica is trying to get through Michael’s burial.
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An hour or so later—when she felt as if she had calmed down enough to move—he made her stand. Bugs covered the plate of food he had brought her, so they dumped the food, rinsed the plate in the creek, and walked down to the house.
Most of Michael’s extended family was gone by the time they got back. Her mother took one look at her and nearly burst into tears. Pushing her toward the bathroom to wash her face, her father took her mother in his arms and pulled her into another room, whispering in her ear something Erica couldn’t hear.
Erica managed to cool down the redness and lighten the puffiness around her eyes enough to be presentable before seeing his parents. She found them in the kitchen. Her father’s words, that she had to eat or she would have to see Dr. Haddock, were stuck in her head, so she had gone in there in search of food.
The second she entered the large kitchen, Caroline shoved a plate into her hands and told her to eat. Erica did as the woman ordered, noticing that she wasn’t eating. When John noticed Erica worriedly watching her, he smiled at her in a way that told her he was taking care of her. Erica gave him a half-hearted smile back and took a few bites of the tasteless food.
Erica’s parents came into the kitchen a few minutes later, and an aunt and uncle of Michael’s, whom Erica couldn’t name, left. The room was quiet for a long time as Erica’s mother and Caroline washed a few dishes while her dad and John watched them.
Throwing a hand towel over her shoulder, Caroline turned to Erica’s mother, and said, “Rachel, would you and Erica be kind enough to help me clean Michael’s apartment next week.”
Erica stopped eating. Her dad stepped behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. Her mother froze, hands shoved into the hot water.
“Caroline, honey, we can talk about this later,” John said, stepping up beside her.
“I know, but since we have them here, I figured I would ask in person and not over the phone. I don’t care about his security deposit, but I won’t have people thinking he was a slob. Besides, I’m sure there are lots of things there that Erica would like to keep. She has more memories there than we do. It was practically her apartment too.”
“Yes, but…” John started to say.
“We would love to help you, wouldn’t we, sweetheart?” Erica’s mother said, looking to her.
Erica could only stare at Michael’s mother. She didn’t know how she felt about her question. She hadn’t thought about having to clean out his apartment. It was his apartment. His stuff should stay there.
Slowly, Erica nodded.
“Unless you would like to move in there. I’m sure the landlord could arrange something,” Caroline said.
“Caroline…” John started. “Rachel, Sam, I’m…”
“No,” Erica said a little too loudly, cutting him off since she hadn’t heard him speak. “No.” The second ‘no’ came out more softly. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”
“I understand. Believe me. We have the rest of the month to clear it out, but I think the sooner the better,” Caroline said and went back to washing dishes.
“We’ll meet you over there Wednesday, how does that sound?” Erica’s mother said.
“That’s fine.”
“Sam, I’m sorry. She’s just…” she heard John say to her father as the two men left the kitchen. She didn’t follow. She didn’t listen to her mother and Caroline discuss their plans either. She tuned everything out and slowly chewed a tiny ham and cheese sandwich.
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That’s it for today. I hope you enjoyed it.
***Saying Goodbye, a paranormal love story, is LIVE. $1.99***
Childhood sweethearts, Michael and Erica, thought they would have the prefect life together—the career, the house, the kids, the grandkids, the dying old holding each other’s hands. What they hadn’t planned for was for a car accident to take Michael’s life and leave Erica to face her future alone.
However, after discovering that Michael’s spirit has the ability to occasionally interact with the human world, they begin to wonder if they can’t make his presence on Earth permanent.
Although, with so many years gone by, can they reignite the flame that had fueled their teenage romance and more importantly can they live with the sacrifices they must make in order get back the future they lost?
