For the Love of a Seal
Hearts of Valor #3
by Dixie
Lee Brown
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Pub Date: 4/9/2019
The security company that former SEAL Blake Sorenson works for helps him
stay in fighting form—physically and mentally. He has little time
for distractions of the female variety, which is fine with him. His
fickle ex-wife taught him that love and loyalty don’t mix. Which is
why he should eighty-six the rookie reporter he finds in his
helicopter. The sexy stowaway in red stilettos is sure to be trouble. . .
A single mom, Tori Michaels can’t afford to lose her job because of an impossibly
arrogant ex-sailor. But hitching a ride with Blake puts her right in
the middle of a conflict brewing between the law and a dangerous hate
group. When suspicions are raised over which side Tori is on, Blake
has to choose whether to trust in her innocence or lose her. But in
choosing to protect her, he’s making himself vulnerable to a desire
he thought he’d never feel again—and an enemy he doesn’t see coming. . .
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Honor Among Seals
Hearts of Valor #2
Working for a security
company with his brothers-in-arms has given former
SEAL Matt “MacGyver” Iverson a reason to get up every morning.
But keeping a runaway bride from harm isn’t in his job description . . .
Former Marine Kellie
Greyson is in over her head. A cold-hearted ultimatum leaves her no
choice but to wed mob boss Tony Palazzi. But when she overhears his
deadly plans for her after she says ‘I do,’ Kellie flees his
casino, only to wind up in a seedy Vegas bar. The next thing she
knows, she’s waking up beside a protective powerhouse of a man . . .
Though Kellie’s body
kickstarts his into high gear, MacGyver is all business trying to
convince her that they need each other. Both are looking for missing
people—and all roads lead to Palazzi. MacGyver will have to lay all
his cards on the table to get Kellie to trust him in a game they
might not survive . . .
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Heart Of A Seal
Hearts of Valor
#1
They’re brothers in arms, Navy SEALS risking their lives
for their country .
. . and the women they love. This is Luke Harding’s story.
Six months in a desert hellhole taught Navy SEAL Luke Harding things he
never wanted to learn about life and death. Only tender memories of
the beautiful brunette he met a few weeks before his deployment
helped get him through the torturous days and nights. Back in the
States after a perilous rescue, physically and emotionally damaged,
Luke’s about to plunge into a new kind of war. In a seemingly
bucolic Idaho town, Sally Duncan faces real—and
unpredictable—danger.
All Sally ever wanted was a safe place to raise her nine-year-old
daughter. Her identity hidden behind a façade of secrets and lies,
can she trust Luke—a man she barely knows—with the truth? Even as
they give in to long-denied passion, a killer with a personal
vendetta is setting an ambush that will leave them praying for a
miracle and fighting for the future they may not live to see.
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Dixie Lee Brown
lives and writes in Central Oregon, inspired by
gorgeous scenery and three hundred sunny days a year. Having moved
from South Dakota as a child to Washington, Montana and then to
Oregon, she feels at home in the west. She resides with two dogs and
a cat, who are currently all the responsibility she can handle. Dixie
works fulltime as a bookkeeper. When she’s not writing or working,
she loves to read, enjoy movies, and if it were possible, she’d
spend all of her time at the beach. She is also the author of the
Trust No One romantic suspense series, published by Avon Impulse.
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White-knuckled, heart-pounding, mind-numbing fear had a choke hold on her throat. Tori
hated helicopters. She definitely hadn’t thought this through when she followed Blake and jumped in
with him as he was about to take off. Her brain had misfired at the prospect of losing her job and the
trickle-down effect that would have on her life…and the life of her six-year-old son.
Having been a stay-at-home mom since Isaiah was born, proud owner of a journalism
degree but no work experience, it’d been unimaginably difficult to land a job. Within weeks of
discovering the untenable financial position she’d been left in when her husband died, the bank had
foreclosed on her house. Options were a thing of the past. She’d needed a job, even a temporary
one. It didn’t matter that her new boss had a preset interview list or that he would accept nothing
less, because there was a chance, however small, she’d be hired on in a permanent position if she
performed in a manner that exceeded her boss’s expectations.
If she didn’t find a way to change Blake Sorenson’s mind, she could kiss that possibility
goodbye. Even her temporary position would be in danger, with small likelihood she’d land other
employment before she was evicted from her rental house, putting her and Isaiah out on the street.
She couldn’t let that happen.
The helicopter leveled off, and Tori’s stomach finally caught up to the rest of her. She
swallowed hard, willing her breakfast to stay down as she focused on the horizon. They were
headed east, into the morning sun, and if the miles of dense timber below were any indication, they
were somewhere over the Siskiyou National Forest.
Suddenly, the gravity of her situation hit her full force. She had no idea where they were
going…or how long they’d be there. The man she was with was a total stranger, and first
impressions hadn’t exactly won her a place in his heart. What if he’d allowed her to stay onboard
only to teach her a lesson? Would he drop her at his first stop, abandoning her to find another way
home? Perhaps it was what she deserved, and she wouldn’t really blame him, but the realization she
was at his mercy put a damper on her determination.
Uncertainty ratcheting her tension, she glanced toward him, only to find him facing her, his
jaw set in a hard line. The sunglasses he wore hid whatever he was thinking, except for the serious
frown creasing his
forehead. Tori caught her bottom lip between her teeth as she swung toward the front again.
Blake’s warm chuckle came through her headset. “Are you all right? You’re looking a little
green. You’re not going to puke on me, are you?”
Oh God, I hope not. “I don’t think so. I’m sorry. Not a fan.”
“Of what? Flying?” This time he issued a full belly laugh. “You could have fooled me.” He
leaned toward her until she looked at him. “You do remember coming along on this flight was your
idea, right?”
“Yeah, that decision might have been just a tiny bit too spontaneous.” Tori couldn’t help
laughing. When she looked toward him again, a grin teased his lips. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I
was thinking.” Seemed she couldn’t stop apologizing either. In fact, since the second she’d laid eyes
on the exceptionally attractive Blake Sorenson, her brain had failed to engage before opening her
mouth. Resisting the urge to slap her palm to her face, she shrugged. “You could have kicked me
out. Why didn’t you?”
“Could have, I guess. Too late now, though. This is a round trip—in case you were
wondering.”
Though she couldn’t see his eyes behind his dark glasses, something about his rugged
features kept her from looking away. His words, and the sincerity with which he’d uttered them,
eased her uncertainty, but she was still curious. “You didn’t answer my question. Why’d you let me
tag along?”
It sounded like he might have sworn as he returned his attention to the controls. “I make it a
rule to get to know every woman I come across wearing red stilettos.”
Returned
Circle of the Red Scorpion Book 4
by Charlene Johnson
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Broderick and Elise were finally rekindling their relationship after
being
apart for decades when she is taken from the balcony of their family
home. He suspects Elijah, an ancient Mayan vampire is the one who
took her. He is the vampire who found her in the forest after her
transformation and taught her everything she needed to know about her
new vampire life.
Finding out any information about Elijah has proven to be
problematic.There
is no written record of his existence.
A series of shocking revelations brings Broderick and his team closer
to finding Elijah and Elise.
But Elise is not the only one who has been taken. Weres from across
multiple were communities are also missing.
The fate of Elise and the missing weres comes down to the self-
sacrifice
of a single were-jaguar.
Will the love story Broderick and Elise fought so hard for end here?
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Dawned
Circle of the Red Scorpion Book 3 (Prequel)
From the Circle of the
Red Scorpion series, is the love story that started it all.
Deep in the
forest, Broderick Devereaux found her so unexpectedly and was instantly
mesmerized.
He was the
dark, handsome stranger Elise Munro dreamed of but never thought she’d
find.
Despite their differences,
Broderick and Elise started a life together and thought
they had it all. But internal demons and secrets threatened to
destroy their happiness.
While Elise
was becoming a celebrated artist, Broderick tirelessly fought to put
Solomon Blackwell, a ruthless sociopath and wealthy businessman who
befriended his wife behind bars. Putting Solomon in prison
became Broderick’s obsession as his relationship with his wife
imploded. Was Solomon behind the chasm that separated them?
Broderick and
Elise loved each other but was their love enough?
Goodreads * Amazon
Avenged
Circle of the Red Scorpion Book 2
Broderick Devereaux receives an invitation to his son, Drake’s wedding, and
he decides to make a last-ditch effort to repair their broken relationship.
When Solomon Blackwell, the Rogue vampire who was instrumental in
destroying his life two decades ago, sets his sights on Drake’s
wife, Ebony; he vows not to allow history to repeat itself. He knows
better than anyone that Blackwell will stop at nothing to possess her.
To protect her and his son, Broderick must tell Drake the shocking
family secret he’s withheld from him his whole life.
Drake and Ebony are living the life they both dreamed of until Ebony
vanishes. As Solomon initiates his daring plan, Broderick, Drake, and
the Circle of the Red Scorpion race against time to find Ebony and
stop the Rogue vampire from destroying Drake’s life.
A fierce battle between the two factions comes to a surprising end, and
the shocking conclusion of Avenged brings Broderick to his knees. Can
his team help him stop the new menace threatening to destroy the world?
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Shattered
Circle of the Red Scorpion Book 1
Beneath the
flashing lights and the throbbing beat of the music in an LA
night club, Drake Devereaux admits he’s grown tired of his playboy
lifestyle and vows to change it. Haunted by a devastating tragedy in
his past, he’s never dated a woman he could love.
Ebony Jordan lives a mundane life but longs for the hot, steamy nights
she
writes in her romance novels. She can write happy endings in her
stories but never one herself.
Drake and Ebony meet by chance and know it is more than a casual fling.
Their attraction is immediate and all consuming. They share a
passionate kiss and an unforgettable night of sex. When he opens the
door to her innermost fantasies, she starts to believe in the
impossible. When Drake allows his fears to separate them, Ebony must
face the stark reality – happily ever after only happens in fairytales.
Solomon Blackwell, a powerful Rogue vampire, sees Ebony and is
stunned by her
resemblance to the woman he loved and lost decades ago. Ebony rouses
his bloodlust and her sexy body sets him on fire. He will stop at
nothing to claim her soul.
When an unexpected tragedy brings Drake and Ebony back together,
Drake is
given a second chance. He must to face the consequences of his
actions and protect the woman he loves from a dangerous man who has
set his sights on her. Will Drake and Ebony’s love survive or will it
be shattered by an obsessed vampire who threatens to tear their world apart?
In a high rise above the city, Broderick Devereaux holds clandestine
meetings to formulate a plan to protect his only son and the woman
his son loves from the Rogue vampire he’s pursued unsuccessfully for
more than two decades. The same cruel, sadistic vampire who also
destroyed his life. Will history repeat itself?
Goodreads * Amazon
Charlene is a
Waynesburg, Pennsylvania native. She went to Waynesburg High
School and graduated Cum Laude from Waynesburg College with a
Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts. Currently lives in Sacramento,
California where she spent the last 33 years working at Northrop Grumman.
Books have always been her passion. She started reading at an early age
and
progressed to full-length books by age nine. The first supernatural
book series she read was Dark Shadows, and it sparked her interest in
all things paranormal, with a spicy touch of romance mixed in for
good measure. She also started writing poetry in grade school and
continues to do so today.
Being an avid reader, the consummate daydreamer and an incurable
romantic
with a Cinderella complex, she started creating her own characters
and story lines because she realized she had her own stories to tell.
She is married to John, who believes she can do anything. She has a son,
Ty; a daughter, Danika; and four beautiful grandchildren, Aries,
Victoria, Maya, and Tobias.
Besides reading and writing, she also enjoys photography, travel, music,
and
great movies.
Website *
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The Last Day for Rob Rhino
by Kathleen O’Donnell
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Mystery
Claire’s a rich widow on a mission, who partakes with abandon from the
pharmacy stored in her Prada purse. Rob’s an aging,
hygiene-challenged porn star and reality show celebrity.
Stuck on the same flight, bound for the
same eccentric town, she hates him
on sight. She thinks she knows all there is to know about him but is
dying to find out more. He’s disinterested but somehow still sees
right through her. But they’ve both got big problems. Hers is in
the Louis Vuitton carryon in the overhead. His is in his pants.
To Claire’s dismay, Rob turns up everywhere she goes, yet they form
the unlikeliest of friendships. He cares for her in ways she’s
never known before. He could be the best thing in her life—or the
worst.
In a place full of secrets, including their own, they
help each other find answers they didn’t even know they were
looking for, yet some questions linger. What happened to Rob’s
first wife? What happened to Claire’s husband? Will they live
through the answers?
The Last Day for Rob Rhino
is a dark,
tragic, and funny novel about the bonds of family and friendship. If
you’d love a Gillian Flynn, Paula Hawkins, or Stieg Larsson novel
with a humorous twist, this would be it.
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Kathleen O’Donnell is a wife, mom, grandmother and a recovering blogger.
She currently lives in Nevada with her husband. She is a two time
Book of the Year finalist for her debut novel The Last Day for Rob
Rhino. You can find short stories and blog posts on her website.
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CHAPTER ONE
“I bought you the hat because you’re scary bald.”
Claire held the phone away from her ear, nostrils flaring. “I wouldn’t wear a hat if Philip
Treacy sailed it over himself on the QE2.” She strolled the gateway to watch the planes take off
through the windows. Her reflection in the glass mirrored back, her head shiny, embryonic.
Her stepdaughter let out a puff of breath. “Claire, you know how much his hats cost. It’s
just lying here on the floor.”
“I don’t give a flying—” Claire caught herself, counted to five. Annabelle meant well. “I
don’t do hats. I do bald. It is what it is.”
“Listen, why don’t you take a vacation?” The wheedling commenced. “Instead of going
wherever, to do whatever, you could go to that place I told you about in Hawaii.” Annabelle
spoke
in run-ons. “They have a state-of-the-art meditation center.”
A woman wearing sweats gawked going by, smiling, nodding. Claire’s condition elicited
the sympathy of strangers. Maybe it was terminal. Whatever it was it looked bad.
“That place where I can sit around all day touching myself?”
“You can get in touch with yourself, Claire.”
“I’m halfway to Pennsylvania where I want to go.” Claire’s free hand pushed against the
window. “Me and my bald head.” Airport foot traffic hurried behind her in both directions.
“Well, you look like crap. Please reconsider Hawaii. It’s a luxurious place, the—”
“The ashram?”
“It’s not an ashram. It’s a—”
“Loony bin?” A harried traveler knocked her purse sitting by her feet. The pill bottles at
the bottom rolled and shook, cha, cha, cha, a druggist’s maraca.
“It’s a retreat center. Andrew sent Meg there for her birthday. He said she loved it.”
“Um-hum.”
“Are you listening?”
Claire suffered in silence as loud as she could.
Annabelle tried a different way. “I’m worried about you. Jordan is too. Dad—”
Claire’s sudden tears annoyed her. She stabbed her phone off with one rigid finger, rammed
it into her purse. Enough of that nonsense. You can cry yourself a river, but you can’t cry your
hair
back, or your life the way you wanted it.
Claire stared at the homeless looking guy sleeping on the airport floor and brushed the tears
from her lashless eyes.
She looked around. There were serious looking men in expensive suits waiting for their
flights. Most poking at their iPhones. Liam used to think every man who crossed her path
wanted
to sleep with her. Now if they saw her at all she repulsed them. Claire had been a beauty until
she
wasn’t. An emerald-eyed, fair-haired princess, her dad used to say. A long, tall, drink of water.
Before she’d been stared at, smiled on, envied. Now she was just stared at. Sometimes laughed
or
pointed at and almost always pitied.
The wreck on the floor moved. Propped up on his scaly elbows, nodding off, his mouth
open, eyes closed. Even in his unwashed state he looked familiar. Like someone who used to
be
famous. Claire scanned the crowded O’Hare terminal but didn’t notice anyone else looking at
him.
Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he was just another loser. She looked at her Rolex and
wondered
how late the flight was going to be. She couldn’t remember now what the voice said on the
announcement. Between the noise and the sedatives it was hard to keep up.
When she walked back to her gate the boarding had already started. She hadn’t heard the
announcement. Again. The man lying on the ground was gone. Maybe security’d shooed him
away. She noted her seat number and got in line. Sweat broke out over her upper lip. Sweating
was a problem with no hair. An added humiliation. She hoped they didn’t dilly-dally too long with
the drinks on the plane. Thank God for the three-hour jump in time going east.
She boarded then hunted for her seat—8B. She really needed to get some glasses. The
plane was a small commuter with three seats across, a single on one side of the aisle, a double
on
the other. Claire found aisle 8 and was about to sit in her seat, one of the doubles, on the aisle,
when she saw him.
The dirty hobo from the airport slumped in the window seat, 8C. Right next to her.
He sprawled out over both seats, looking fatter up close, and older, late sixties at least,
despite the desperate dye job and combover. A bushy moustache like a squirrel’s ass wasn’t big
enough to cover his pock-marked face. His gut hung over his thighs. He looked either asleep or
passed out. He reeked.
“This is a mistake.” Claire stopped, twisted around in search of a flight attendant. She
couldn’t see one. The teeming line of travelers behind her tried to keep her going. “This can’t be
right. I can’t possibly sit here,” she said like an Astor in steerage on the Titanic.
The Asian man behind her smiled, moved his head up and down.
She was about to indulge in a hurricane force panic attack when she heard, “This is a full
flight. Please find your seats. Make sure your carry-ons are stored below your seat or in the
upper
bins.”
Claire swung her Louis Vuitton bag into her seat hitting the filthy hobo’s fat leg hard. He
jiggled up with a snort and scooted over to his side. She heaved her matching carry-on into the
overhead bin, sat down, dug a little blue pill out of her bag then swallowed it dry. She made a
big
show of settling into her seat so she could turn her head to see what he was doing without
seeming
obvious. He leaned against the window, eyes closed, mouth open. She could hear him snoring.
Claire stuffed her bag under the seat in front of her then fastened her seat belt with a click.
When he opened his milky blue-gray eyes he looked at her with eyelids that appeared too heavy
for him. All of a sudden he had the hearing of a dog. One side of his mouth lifted in a lopsided
half
smile. He leaned forward to make sure his ragged backpack was still there, fiddled with the
seatback
pocket, readjusted his seatbelt. Satisfied that all was as it should be in his area, he gave Claire
another look, one that seemed to urge her to give hers another check just to be safe. She did. In
seconds he slept again.
It occurred to Claire her unwanted traveling companion hadn’t noticed he sat next to a
hairless woman. He didn’t look her up and down and then quickly look away like most people.
Nor did he insist on politically correct earnestness, meaningful, direct eye contact. Her grubby
neighbor seemed to care only that seat trays were upright, all electronic devices were turned off,
and appropriately stored until takeoff. Claire shook her bald head. Whatever drugs he was
taking
she had to get some.
The plane was almost full. Claire looked up to see a man about her age. One of the impatient
ones in a pricey suit in the aisle next to her seat. Staring. Oh no. She could feel the color begin
to
climb up her neck.
“Hey, aren’t you that guy?” the man in the suit said.
Claire exhaled. She turned to her right, startled.
“Yeah, you’re the guy from that reality show, aren’t you?” The suit wasn’t budging without
an answer.
“Uh-huh… yeah, I’m him.” Claire’s seatmate slurred, barely stringing the words together.
His double chins fell forward on his chest.
“Rob,” the suit said.
“Yeah, Rob.”
The flight attendant came up behind the man prodding him forward. “I knew it,” he
muttered before moving toward his seat.
That’s where she’d seen him. What’d he say his name was again? She turned toward him.
Asleep again. “Hey,” she elbowed him. “I thought you looked familiar. You were in a reality
show.
What else would I have seen you in?” She hardly ever watched reality television—at least not
on
purpose.
He eyed her Rolex and ten-carat diamond ring. “Nothing.”
“I thought you were someone famous when I saw you in the airport.” She knew she was
right. She almost always was. “What else are you famous for?”
His head swiveled toward her, jowls sagging.
The Gap Year
Angela’s Epistles Book 1
by Rita Kruger
Genre: SciFi Action, LGBT Romance
Angela Wright might have everything her father’s money can buy, but that
meant nothing to her on the night of her twenty-eight birthday. She
is angry and a little bit drunk as she flees the scene of a fight
with her mother.
All her life she has done the right thing.
But she is tired of living
under her mother’s shadow. How can she ever compete with Margaret
Wright, the first Human judge on the Intergalactic High Court?
Within the space of a few days, Angela drops out in the last semester at
Intergalactic Bureau of Investigation Academy, signs a bounty hunting
contract to find the top ten criminals in the galaxy, and kisses
Brenda, her best friend since childhood.
She might be late, but at last she is blooming.
**only .99 cents!**Add to GoodreadsAmazon * B&N * Kobo * Books2Read
Rita Kruger lives in Vereeniging,
South Africa. She is wife,
granddaughter, daughter, mother, and grandmother. Most of childhood
happened within the pages of books. Stories conspired to carry her
away from the world she knew. The places and people books introduced
her to were much more exciting than her boring existence.
Currently married to her personal MacGyver, she surrounds herself with what
enriches her body, mind and soul. Family. Friends. Nature. Great
food. Good wine. Mountains of books. She writes novels challenging
major themes of her life in the genres of fantasy and gothic horror,
which she loves.
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Bookbub * Goodreads
“Prof. Linden!” Angela exclaimed, reaching out to shake his hand. “I didn’t realize
you were here too.”
“That’s because the red head over there basically hi-jacked me,” he slightly tilted his
head to the left, and Angela scanned the room slowly to see who he was talking about.
The red head was in fact her next door neighbour, Mrs. Jingleheimer-Smith, a cougar
by profession. Angela almost burst out laughing at the idea of the two of them together.
“And,” she asked. “Is this part of your escape strategy?”
“Hell no,” he said with a giggle, “this is me coming up for air. She is sizzling hot.
Any man trying to escape her is a fool.”
“You are older than her usual… friends,” Angela said.
“She tells me I move like an ally cat,” he said with a frown and another giggle.
“Whatever that means.”
“It means loose and limber,” Angela teased. “Like a dancer, or an ally cat.”
“I still hit the gym every day.”
“I wonder what she has planned for you,” Angela said with a wink.
“I hope it’s hot and saucy,” he whispered, leaning closer.
“You know she doesn’t come with strings,” Angela said. “No hope of tying her down
anywhere.”
“Goodness yes,” he told her. “I’m in need of some fun without attachments.”
“Well then,” she said with a wink, “get ready because your party in a box is on her
way over here.”
“Darrrrrling,” Mrs Jingleheimer-Smit said with her heavy Russian accent. “This is
such a dearrrr parrrty.”
“It is so nice of you to come,” Angela said.
“Well, I’m glad I did, or I might have missed this,” and she hooked her arm through a
beaming Prof. Linden’s, “ally cat waiting to be picked up.”
Angela reached over, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and then excused herself
from the sight of Prof. Linden’s red blushing face. They made an odd couple, but then, both
are looking for only fun.
Picking up a beer, she made her way to a quiet corner to rest. The partygoers were
either dancing, or munching on snacks that Sarah and Bren just carried out of the kitchen.
Her mother’s absence was the only spoiler to the event. Bren had gone out of her way
to invite people, some whom Angela had not seen in years. Others, like Mrs. Jingleheimer-
Smit and the staff from the academy, which she would never have invited herself. The room
was filled with old and young, highly educated and barely able to read. Yet they all danced,
ate, drank, laughed and chatted as if they had known each other for years. This is the kind of
party her mother would never try, and neither would she. But Bren pulled it together, and
here it was, working like a charm.
Except for Margaret. “Guess she was serious about disowning me,” Angela
whispered.
A sadness tugged at her heart, and for a few long moments she felt truly alone in the
world. But then the music changed, the people all cheered, and she watched them all scurry
off to find a place on the dance floor. Under great jubilation the gyrated hips and hopped in
one place.
It was as she watched them that she knew she’d be just fine. Even without family. All
these people came to send her off into a new adventure. She never even thought that so many
people would come. But they did.
Not for Margaret, but for her.
So she finished the beer, and joined the thong of people on the floor. Things will be
fine. She was surrounded by people who cared for her. Thomas and Sarah and Bren.
Especially Bren.
