Reckoning (Ashes #2) by Kelly Cozy

Author:Kelly Cozy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: suspense, revenge, revenge drama, revenge and redemption
Publisher: Kelly Cozy

Chapter Twenty-two

One of the keys to a successful marriage, Monique believed, was division of labor. After Michael parked the car, he played with the GPS and listened to the traffic reports on the radio while she went into the coffee house for caffeinated beverages.

She'd figured the place would be packed, and it was; full of people in comfortable travel clothes, getting the necessary fuel for holiday car trips to New York, to Boston, to Norfolk. She and Michael were on their way to his sister Angie's vacation rental in North Carolina, where they'd join assorted relatives for a holiday feast. The car was loaded up with presents for the nieces and nephews, and with gift baskets crammed full of foodie treats — English tea and biscuits, chocolate and biscotti, balsamic vinegar, smoked salmon, and French wine. Somewhere in the jumble of luggage and gifts was a wheel of Stilton Michael had bought on his last jaunt across the pond, and Monique had dusted off the fondue set they'd gotten as a wedding present, vowing that on this trip they'd finally use it.

In the past, Monique had never been much on holidaytime family get-togethers, mostly because her family was fractious enough for gatherings to be tense, tiresome affairs. All would be well for a few hours, then inevitably Brigitte, her San Francisco liberal sister, would accuse Monique of selling out, and the cousins would start arguing politics. Usually around dessert, her mother would start wringing her hands and complaining that neither of her daughters had produced children. The last time Monique had attended one of the Pavour holiday meals, it had been during the high-powered, high-stress time between Sean's departure from her life and Michael's entry into it — she'd finally snapped, stood on a dining room chair, and declared that she was not going to get knocked up just so her mother could go shopping at Baby Gap.

Michael's family, by contrast, didn't care about politics, or at least could discuss the subject in a civilized fashion. His parents had plenty of grandkids and never pestered Michael and Monique for more. Also, sister Angie was smart enough to rent a place big enough for everyone to stay out of each other's hair, with the beach a few sand dunes away and easily accessible for wandering. Monique was looking forward to pleasant conversation, abundant food, and plenty of time on the balcony listening to the surf and reading through the stack of Travis McGee novels she'd brought.

The line for coffee crept along. Just as Monique was regretting not bringing Darker Than Amber with her to read in line, it was her turn. She gave her order to the harried-looking barista, who showed visible relief that her order was simple — two medium cappuccinos. The order taken, the money paid, she inched her way over to the pickup station.

She was able to look out the window and see Michael. He seemed to have figured out the right route — at least, he wasn't fiddling with GPS any more.

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.