A Man of Character by Margaret Locke

Author:Margaret Locke [Locke, Margaret]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Locked On Love Publishing

Chapter 17

Catherine stood rooted to the spot. A story? She’d sent her mother a story? She could feel the blood drain from her face.

Her mother didn’t seem to notice. “You wrote about wanting your own Prince Charming to sweep you off your feet,” she continued, “lavish you with great things, and treat you like a princess. You called it Caterella. I remember the title because it was so you: half-humor, half-literary. I figured the rest of it was your way of wading through the grief after the loss of your dad, by creating this fantasy of a man who could whisk you away from all the pain, out of reality and into the glamorous life.”

Grace set her cup down on the nightstand. “It never sounded like the real you, that pining for a man. I’d forgotten about it—but I remember saving the email because you also told stories about your dad that I wanted to hold on to. I think it’s out with the photo albums. Maybe you girls can find it.”

Cat’s breathing accelerated and her heart pounded. Was this what a heart attack felt like?

Grabbing her elbow, Marie pulled her into the hallway. “Relax,” she whispered. “Seriously. You don’t need to freak Mom out.”

Cat clutched her elbows, holding her arms against her stomach. She attempted to breathe in and out, in and out, but the air wouldn’t come.

Marie walked to the back end of the hallway and bent down. She thumbed through the old albums housed on a bookshelf there. A moment later she held up a piece of paper. “Found it.”

Cat approached her sister, taking the paper with a trembling hand. She scanned it, blanching further. “Oh my God. I said his name was Will. Marie, I said his name was Will!”

Marie grabbed the paper, reading for herself. “C’mon. You said he’d be named something wealthy and noble sounding, like William or Harry or Edward. You didn’t say he was William. You must have been thinking of the British royal family.”

They heard the sound of their mom’s wheelchair and looked up to see her wheeling herself slowly down the hallway. Cat yanked the email back from her sister and stuffed it in her pocket.

“Did you find it?” Grace called.

“No,” Cat said, as Marie raced to their mother’s side. “Mom!” she chided. “You shouldn’t be out of bed.”

Grace waved her off. “You guys were taking too long; I had to see what the problem was. I could’ve sworn it was in there.”

She looked back and forth between her daughters, a perplexed expression on her face. “What’s going on? Cat, you look a little green.”

“It’s nothing, Mom. She just needs something to eat. Can I make you a sandwich, Cat?” Marie asked in an extra cheerful voice, giving Cat a pointed look.

Realizing she didn’t need to freak her mother out any more than she was freaking herself out, Cat forced herself to agree. “Yeah, Mom, nothing, I’m just tired. And thinking about Dad. I always miss him this time of year.

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.