Ink for the Beloved by R C Barnes

Author:R C Barnes [Barnes, R C]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stick and Poke Press
Published: 2019-12-01T22:00:00+00:00

SALLY’S STORY

Terry heard the tinkle of the star chimes when the door opened from the street, but she didn’t look up to watch the person who had entered the studio. It had been a quiet morning with little traffic coming in. Dusty was due to arrive any minute, and Terry was glad her business partner hadn’t seen her throwing up in the bathroom when she had gotten to the shop after her argument with Bess. Nerves, that’s what it was. Nerves and emotions had made her nauseous. Now she was enjoying her cup of coffee and the crossword puzzle on her lap. If the person had questions, they would ask.

At the moment, the crossword puzzle was taxing her into a mental frenzy. These were answers she should know. The subject matter was centered on mermaids, and she was quite familiar with the breed as she had inked enough of them to last her lifetime and the lifetime of her daughters, and probably their daughters as well. Still, she found herself taking too long to answer questions like “Hans” for the four-letter spot asking, “Danish author of Little Mermaid” or “Manatee” as the seven-letter response for “sea cow.”

So often, she could see the answer dangling in front of her, taunting and teasing, but not coming into focus enough for her to grasp the answer. Her brain was foggy. She wasn’t sleeping enough. Terry took a sip of her coffee and reflected on the fact that even with the current lack of sleep, her life was good. She was happy. Yes, she was damned happy. Business was booming, as they say, she had a man in her life, and her children were healthy - thriving even.

The next question, eight down, was not making sense. “Location of little mermaid statue.” The answer was Copenhagen. Terry had been there, she had seen the statue herself, touched it. But the space would only allow seven squares. Christ, this wasn’t making sense.

Bess would know this, but Bess wasn’t really speaking to her. Especially considering the blow-up, they just had.

Terry sighed, exasperated at the estrangement that was growing like thorns between herself and her oldest daughter. If only Bess could move past Luther and put him in the rearview mirror where he belonged.

She listened to the footsteps as the patron roamed over by the counter, showcasing Dusty’s ability to create ghastly spiders and lightning bolts that appeared to sizzle off the skin. Listening to the person’s movements, Terry realized the individual was wearing high heels, but there was no click on the floor. This person’s soft steps were measured and mature. Terry stole a glance at the customer’s footwear and confirmed a very stylish pair of Jimmy Choos were adorning the end of a sculptured leg. That was surprising. Jimmy Choos didn’t usually step into Cosmic Hearts.

The polished older woman was still examining Dusty’s work but had moved over to the biotech display. Terry was now brimming with questions, but she waited to see if the woman chose to engage.

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.