All of Me by Sheryl Lister

Author:Sheryl Lister
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2014-09-25T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Karen had just finished cleaning the bathroom when the phone rang again. Every time it rang, she tensed, thinking Andre might be on the other end. He’d called several times wanting to talk, but she always let it go to voice mail. She toyed with changing her number but didn’t want to deal with the hassle. Smiling, she answered the phone.

“Hey, girl,” she said to Janae.

“Happy birthday!”

“Thanks.”

“What are you doing today?”

“Nothing much. I’m cleaning right now.”

“Girl, that’s no way to celebrate your birthday. You should be living it up.”

She laughed. “Melissa was busy and my best buddy ran off, got married and moved to the other side of the state. So who am I supposed to be living it up with?”

“I know. I’m sorry I deserted you,” Janae said contritely.

“I guess I could make the drive to my parents’, but I’ll be seeing them next week.”

“Or you could do the next best thing.”

“What’s that?” Her doorbell rang. “Hang on, Janae. Someone’s at my door.” Karen walked down the short hallway leading to her front door and peered through the peephole but didn’t see anyone. The bell rang again, but she couldn’t see the person. Irritated, she snatched the door open. Her mouth dropped.

“The next best thing would be for your best friend to fly up and spend your birthday with you,” Janae said, spreading her arms wide.

Karen screamed, and the two women laughed and hugged and cried. “Come in. Oh, my God! I can’t believe you’re here. I’m so happy to see you. Where’s Terrence?” she asked, leading Janae into the living room and offering her a seat on the couch. She started to ask how Janae got in but remembered Janae had the gate code.

“He’s at home. He sends birthday greetings.”

“How long are you staying?”

“Just until this afternoon.”

“I wish you were staying longer.”

Janae nodded. “Me, too. Now, you need to change clothes. We’re going out.”

“Where?”

“Don’t worry about it, Ms. Nosy. We’re going to celebrate. Just dress casually.”

Karen changed into jeans and a navy scoop-neck tee. She slid her feet into black ballet flats, picked up her purse and met Janae in the living room. “I’m ready. Did you rent a car?”

“Something like that,” Janae said with a secret smile.

She followed Janae out to the parking area and stood speechless when she saw a limousine. “I don’t believe it,” she whispered.

Janae grinned. “Terrence thought your day should be special, and I agree.”

Karen shook her head. “I’m so glad I dragged you to that concert.”

“So am I.”

On the way, Janae told Karen about her appointment with the art gallery director.

“How did it go?”

“She said she was excited about my work. She has a show coming up in December with the theme Great Escapes, and I have some pieces that would fit.”

“Oh, my goodness!” Karen screamed. “That is fantastic. I knew she would love them. So, how does it feel?”

“Exciting, amazing, overwhelming. I’m scared to death.”

“I’m so proud of you, Janae. You know I’m coming. How many pieces is she allowing?”

“Since I’m a new artist—five, with another five available just in case.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.