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Michael is on the brink of achieving his dreams as a pro athlete — until a drunken night in Vegas leaves him married to Angie, a woman he’s never met! Can he undo his mistake before he falls for his new wife?
“Another great read…an unusual romance, with characterizations that are top notch!” ★★★★★ Susan1, Amazon Customer
Newly Released
Have you read my latest release? THE RETURN OF THE O’CONNELLS (The O’Connells, Book 11) is now available everywhere!
Will life ever return to normal?
That’s the question everyone in the O’Connell family has asked since their lives were turned upside down by a murder charge. With their father now back from the dead, the O’Connells are coming to grips with the idea that justice isn’t equal. But despite the pending arrival of a new grandchild, and the fact that the family is settling into a new identity, trouble seems to always be one step away. This time, it could come from within, as a shadowy new enemy has found its way into the close-knit family and could ultimately destroy the bond the siblings share, forcing them to finally cut their losses and walk away from one another.
Click here to see my titles currently available in audiobook!
And did you know… if you already own one of my eBooks on Kindle, you can pick up the audiobook at a reduced price with Whispersync? Whispersync allows you to both read and listen, and you can even switch back and forth between reading the book on Kindle and listening to the book on Audible without losing your place.
Was there ever a time in your life when you weren’t given credit for something you did? I was reminded of a time over this past week. Even without watching the news, you can’t help hearing when issues that have been silenced for a long time come up. One of them is the reality that when you’re a strong, successful woman, you become a target for personal attacks. This has nothing to do with a woman’s ability, and it’s been downplayed and ignored for far too long.
What happened to our leading doctor during this pandemic? She spoke out this past week about the abuse she’s been on the receiving end of, from personal attacks about her character, to comments on her shoes, to threats of violence, rape, and death. Yet her male counterpart, who stood up with her every day, received nothing.
Is it a surprise to anyone that this type of systemic harassment and abuse against women is ongoing? The thing is that women just don’t talk about it, and all I can think is that this is because women have been conditioned to just shake it off and move on. Don’t talk about it, because then you’re seen as whining and complaining. Women and men are different, and men have always been seen as leaders, going back to the beginning of time, whereas women’s roles were always…what?
Being a successful author gives me a platform of respectability that I didn’t always have. Should it be that way? Absolutely not. Everyone should be treated with the same respect and dignity and given the same opportunities, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, and social status. But we still have a long way to go. I’m very aware that I’m often talked down to until people know who I am—and not just by men. More often than not, I’m talked down to by other women.
There was a particular incident, and it wasn’t that long ago, in the public education system. When we were living on one of the other Gulf Islands, and I won’t say which one, I attended parent advisory meetings. The district decided to bring in a speaker who received funds from a bill the previous government had implemented, which basically pulled an enormous amount of money, and I’m talking an incredible amount, from the public school system. This took away from much-needed support for special needs in the name of funding independent schools, who served as gatekeepers to break the unions here. Now, was this bill worded as a union breaker? No. It was carefully worded, and the average person out there has no idea it exists.
Now, to be clear, I’m not necessarily a union supporter, but I am an equal rights supporter.
One of the independent schools the bill funded was talking about an alternative learning concept, which was fantastic, except the problem was that access would be limited to those they saw as acceptable. This wasn’t clear my first time listening to the man speak. But during my second interaction with him, at another meeting, he spoke more about the new program, entirely funded by the government in place at the time. As I was sitting in the front row, he started on about the destruction of families and how children were suffering from broken homes and the mental health crisis we were causing.
HUH?
I stared at him, and he stared right down at me. He knew who I was, and he knew I could tell that this new program was not an alternative learning concept. It was about keeping families together—you know, a husband and a wife, whereas us single mothers are basically destroying our kids. He knew I was a single mother, considering the number of messages I’d left at the alternative school, looking for a program for my autistic child. I needed a school that would actually work with his consultant to create an education program that would give him the skills to find a future as a contributing member of society. But I never received one call back or any response, and there was a point, after a dozen messages, where I was literally banging my head against the wall.
They did not want special needs kids, but I realized as I was listening to him talk that the lack of response might not entirely have been because my son had special needs. I listened in horror to this new programming about mental health and broken homes, wishing I hadn’t sat in the very front row. He then addressed the principal, who was there as well, about this urgent crisis, and the principal’s only response was that he was aware of it and was working on it. Now my head was spinning. Aware of what? Working on what? Had we suddenly gone twenty years back in time, where women and kids were acceptable only if they came with a marriage and a whole family?
My kids were not scarred or damaged goods. They were happy. Yet, as I thought about it then, was there an assumption that they might not be? Those were the kinds of barriers that had existed for too long. Growing up in the seventies and early eighties, I heard my parents talk about divorced women as if they had done a terrible thing. How long ago was it that women had to fight those closed doors, being passed over for jobs because there were men waiting in the wings instead? Then there was the reality of staying in a bad marriage, being subjected to verbal and physical abuse. Or, God forbid, if you suddenly found yourself pregnant and single, you were shunned by society. Forget having a career you loved! Even if you were more qualified than your male counterpart, you as a woman would never have that job, and even if you did the same job as a man, he out-earned you. The opportunities just weren’t there.
Thankfully, we’ve come a long way from that, but how long ago was it? Not that long.
Now, as for the school council meetings, that was the end for me. As far as the funding and that bill, you may be surprised, but the money is still out there, and things don’t just go away once they’re implemented. What is the answer? Well, how about not going backwards? Those kinds of archaic views have no place in society and certainly not in our schools. I was talking to an elderly woman this week who said the only kind of leader there can be is a well-spoken man, and I did a double take. I had to check in with my kids, who, thankfully, don’t understand that way of thinking.
My daughter brought something to my attention, which I’ll leave you with. Recent census data on racial and gender pay gaps reveals that right now, women still earn 82 cents for every dollar earned by white men. Asian women earn more than white women, who earn more than black women, who earn more than Native American women, who earn more than Latina women.
But here is a happy note: If you look back on where we’ve come from, and I remember the eighties and nineties, you see that progress has been made. But we still have a long, long way to go.
Sneak Peek
THE RETURN OF THE O’CONNELLS will be released in two days, but you can read Chapter 4 now!
Raymond had never been one for ballcaps, yet there he was, wearing one, along with rimless glasses that looked real. The beard he’d started to grow was a mix of white and dark, and the name on his passport was Jake Peters.
What surprised Iris more than anything was how easy it had been for him to make a call to get what he needed, step into a new identity, and become someone else. Should she ask for more details about how he had access to the money he did? His only response had been that it was his emergency retirement stash. What that meant, exactly, she had no idea.
“They answer you yet?” he asked.
She didn’t know he’d been watching her from where they stood at the airport, waiting for their luggage to slide down the carousel. He had taken up a spot against the back wall and seemed to blend right in.
“I called Marcus and left a message to let him know we were on our way,” she said. “Then I called Karen, but she didn’t answer, and I didn’t leave a message. Owen picked up, and he hadn’t heard anything from Marcus, so I have no idea where things are with Charlotte and the baby. She could’ve had the baby by now, for all I know.” She breathed out the last part, keeping her voice low, knowing Raymond was watching everything and everyone, even though it appeared he wasn’t.
She took in the man she’d married, the father of her children, and she wondered, if he walked out of her life now, would she be okay this time? As soon as Marcus had texted that Charlotte’s water broke and they were on their way to the hospital, Raymond had packed everything and gotten them on the first flight back home, a red-eye, which was likely why she felt miserable now. Who in their right mind would pick a late-night flight anywhere? The only sleep she’d had, sitting upright, had been a few hours leaning against Raymond’s shoulder.
Sometimes it felt like she was talking to herself when he didn’t answer, as he was doing now. She heard the whir and clunk as their luggage appeared and slid down the conveyor, and he walked over with the luggage cart, reached for her two large suitcases, and tossed them onto the cart as if they weighed nothing. Then he reached for his smaller brown canvas bag and nodded toward her, already walking.
“You tell Owen we’re back?” he said, his voice low.
She walked with him, keeping up with his pace, which was fast and cautious as they strode to the rental car carousel. “No, I didn’t say anything, just asked about Charlotte. Marcus is the only one I told, but I didn’t tell him when, just like you asked, even though I don’t understand the need for secrecy with the kids.”
He said nothing else as they stopped at the counter and filled out paperwork. She took in his California driver’s license, also in the name of Jake Peters, as well as his credit card. She should ask him how, but there were things about all of this that she really didn’t want to know. How easy had it been for him to acquire the kind of ID that a legitimate person had to jump through hoops to get?
“Thank you,” he said to the rental car clerk as he took the keys, then tilted his head to Iris.
They started walking out of the airport, and the cold hit her. She pulled at her early fall sweater, taking in the cabs and cars parked, unloading, and the busyness of two lanes of one-way traffic driving past, all trying to find a spot to pick up waiting people.
They crossed to the concrete parkade, where the fleet of rentals were, and past the traces of cleared snow and patches of ice. She said nothing, as she could feel how much closer she was to her kids again. It was an ache she hadn’t shared with Raymond, because this was the first time she’d been away from her kids, all of them, in forever.
“Here it is,” he said, then pressed the fob of a boring brown Malibu. The lights blinked, and he opened the trunk and tossed in the bags before closing it and looking around, back and forth.
She stood there in front of the car, watching as he parked their luggage cart, still looking right and left again.
“Get in,” he said as he went to the driver’s side, and he had slid behind the wheel and started the car before she’d even fastened her seatbelt.
“You know, you never answered me inside,” she said.
He was driving out of the parkade, and as he maneuvered into traffic, she could feel the excitement of Montana, being back home, counting the minutes until she could see her kids. Then there was the baby. If it had been born, she didn’t want to miss one moment.
“Best no one knows too much about where we are at any time,” he said. “We never know who’s listening. Careful is careful, as I told you before. We need to be vigilant. Even though I’m officially dead, you know it takes just one second of carelessness, someone saying something or questioning things, just one person talking to the wrong person, to blow my cover.”
She knew what he was saying and why he was living the life of a man who’d always look over his shoulder. But here she was now, feeling very much an accomplice for the first time. “Okay, I get it.”
“Just making sure you do,” he said. “Should we go over it again? Who am I?”
The way he said it brought her back to the lessons, the way he’d grilled her while packing about where they’d met, who he was, and how she needed to be careful not to slip.
“You’re Jake,” she said. “We met at the beachside bar in Barbados, the Blue Fin. I was drinking a lime margarita. You ordered a beer, Corona with lime. You commented on our lime fondness, and we struck up a conversation and a friendship. You’re retired—”
“Self-employed,” he shot back. “Come on, Iris. You can’t mess up on this.”
“Right, sorry.”
What was it, again? Right, a car wash and fast-food joint under a franchise in California.
“Buddy’s Burgers and a car wash down in San Diego,” she said. “You’re hands-off now, but you check in. Look, I know it’s important. I get the name and everything, but do I have to know the business? And why a car wash and fast-food place? Why not just say you’re retired? It’s easier.”
“And it wouldn’t work,” he said. “People need to imagine me as someone else, and Jake from California, who owns a car wash and fast-food restaurant, is different than Raymond O’Connell, who’s supposed to be dead. So come on, remember. This is important because of what we’re walking back into. Even though the family is there, I need there to be no questions. You met someone new. He’s an entrepreneur. When the identity of that new person is in people’s minds, they won’t question it when you leave. They’ll just assume we’re back in California, and you’re traveling back and forth between my life and yours.”
She took in the icy highway, the heavy clouds that promised more snow. That was one of the things she’d missed out here, the snow, the winter, and the cold, even though it had been nice to spend the time she had with Raymond on a sandy beach in the warm sun. Home was home.
“Yeah, so, about that,” she said. “You know this is the first time I’ve been away from the kids. Seven weeks is a long time. I’m not too anxious to leave again. Can we just settle for a bit and catch our breath?” She clutched her small purse, which was resting on her lap. With her sweater on, at least she was comfortable now in the car, where the heat was blasting.
Raymond said nothing, still wearing the glasses and ballcap, looking out the window and passenger side. For a minute, she didn’t think he’d answer, but he did. “You have to have a separate life from the kids. They’re grown, and we can’t stay here all the time. I have to keep up a front. We can come back, but it’s important to keep moving.”
She could see the familiar sights of Livingston and felt the urgency of getting home, her home, and being near her kids. She had to talk to them, to see them, to find out if Charlotte had had the baby.
“You’re not saying anything, Iris,” he said. “This can’t be a long visit.” Then he glanced her way again, and she took in the O’Connell blue eyes of a man who’d broken her heart so badly that she’d wondered for a long time whether she’d ever be whole again.
“Don’t rush me, Raymond.”
“Jake.” He cut her off. “Start calling me that now. I can’t have you slipping.”
“Jake, seriously? I want to see the kids, everyone. I want time with my grandchildren, and don’t forget you still need to make things right with Brady. You’ve never talked to him, and the only things you know are what Marcus and Karen have said. He’s had only the kids to lean on, to talk to. When this all went down, it was too long before he knew the truth, just like I did, that you weren’t dead. I can tell you that thinking you were dead gutted me. What did it do to him? You need talk to Brady and settle things with him, as well.”
Raymond tapped the steering wheel and dragged his hand over the new beard he’d started, a motion she was starting to realize meant he was trying to figure something out. But then she realized he was always thinking, always considering, always planning. “I hear you, Iris, and I will, but as you said, Brady is doing well. He’s got Karen and Jack when Luke is gone, and he’s with Luke when he’s home, and…”
“And I know very well, Raymond O’Connell, a.k.a. Jake,” she added quite sharply as she slid around in her seat, seeing how close they were to being home, “that you’ve been checking in on everyone, all the kids. Where you’re getting your information from, I’m not sure I want to know, but I know you haven’t shared everything about them. As I said to you, I’m not spying on the kids. I’ll call them and ask them. You getting information from afar is different than having an actual conversation with them, sitting down with them face to face, so they know you actually care and are part of their lives…”
“I hear you, Iris,” Raymond said, cutting her off again. “But remember, for eighteen years, that was the only way I could know what was going on with all of you. It was the only way I could know if there was something wrong, a problem with the kids or with you, so I could handle things and fix them from a distance. So yes, I’ll keep spying and checking, because at least I can do that.”
She hadn’t missed how defensive he sounded. As she glanced out the windshield again, looking straight ahead, seeing downtown, she knew they were only blocks from Owen’s old house. She found herself reaching over and resting her hand on Raymond’s thigh, patting it, knowing she’d been given the greatest gift, one she’d never thought she’d have: the chance to grow old with the love of her life, who she thought had been taken from her. At least they had that now, in this odd, undercover hiding kind of way.
“Don’t be so testy,” she said. “And if you don’t mind, let’s go home first so I can change, and then I’ll call Marcus again. Depending on where things stand, we’ll have the kids over tonight, and you can sit down and have some one-on-one time with Brady.”
He dragged his gaze over to her and then back to the road as he settled his hand over hers. It was his touch, their closeness, that she loved about him. “Fine, but it has to be low key, Iris. Seriously, don’t get too comfortable being home, because as soon as you see the kids and meet the baby and be the mother bear you are, making sure they’re okay, we’ll be leaving again.”
Right, on the move, and then what?
Instead of answering, she looked straight ahead and linked her fingers with his. If there was one thing she knew about Raymond O’Connell, it was that he tended to come up with plans and implement them before she had any idea something was in the works, so if he caught on that she wasn’t on the same page as him and wouldn’t be going along with his plans, he wouldn’t stop until he convinced her that his way was the only way.
What he didn’t realize was that Iris was smarter than that. Right now, she was seeing her kids, and she had no intention of leaving again until she was good and ready.
The O'Connells
The O’Connells of Livingston, Montana, are not your typical family. Follow them on their journey to the dark and dangerous side of love in a series of romantic thrillers you won’t want to miss.
Click here to see my titles currently available in audiobook.
And did you know… if you already own one of my eBooks on Kindle, you can pick up the audiobook at a reduced price with Whispersync? Whispersync allows you to both read and listen, and you can even switch back and forth between reading the book on Kindle and listening to the book on Audible without losing your place.
Who wants another sneak peek of THE RETURN OF THE O’CONNELLS? The next installment in The O’Connells series will be released this week, but you can read Chapter 2 now!
Charlotte’s cheeks had really plumped out. Marcus wasn’t sure why he noticed that today, maybe because he could see her discomfort in the way she walked with her hand on her lower back before sliding onto a stool at the island. He heard Alison on the stairs with Eva, evidently going up, and moved around to his wife.
“You okay there, babe?” he said, surveying the jicama and red peppers, her favorites of late, along with sour cream, oranges, and sardines. He picked up the knife and took in the broccoli and cauliflower, as well, knowing she wanted it all chopped.
“Yeah, just cramping, is all, and my feet are aching. Not sure this is much better. I’m tired and just damn uncomfortable. Sorry, don’t mean to complain.” She made a face, letting out a breath that took some effort. But then, everything had been taking more effort lately: sleeping, getting up, moving, even driving, as she couldn’t seem to get close enough to reach the pedals anymore.
“You get to complain,” he said. “You know I’d carry the baby for you, but it’s not possible. Just sit there, and I’ll finish this. You should really stay home tomorrow. I’ll put Colby on the phones and get him to look after things, and I’ll have a talk with Alison about her doing more over here for you, helping with Eva, doing the laundry.”
Charlotte lifted a brow, and he took her in. She had her hair pulled back and was wearing one of his white and blue T-shirts, considering they had passed the point where she could even button up her deputy shirt. She was moving a lot slower, and he wasn’t sure he wanted her in the office at this point.
“When the baby comes, you know you can’t get by with just Colby,” she said. “I know we haven’t talked about this, but we need to discuss bringing someone in temporarily.”
The way she said it, he knew she was getting to the heart of the discussion he’d been putting off.
“About that,” he said, not missing the way she stiffened, “we haven’t really talked about the next step, likely because of everything that’s happened with the family. Seems it’s been one disaster averted after another. But we need to.” He made a point of setting the knife on the wooden cutting board and leaned on the island, hearing a car pull up outside and knowing they’d be invaded by his family any moment.
“Marcus…”
He reached over and touched her arm, then ran his hand up, over her shoulder, and back down before pulling back and picking up the knife again. “No, let me finish. We need to talk about this now because this baby is coming soon, very soon, and you’re going to be home here—and maybe that doesn’t need to be temporary.”
The way she hesitated, he could see she wasn’t about to take this well.
“Charlotte, I need you to listen to me, okay? You know I need to bring someone in now to handle everything you do, and you’re right that I’ve put off talking to you about this because of everything that’s been going on, but I can’t anymore. I’m the sheriff, and the city council have also put it out there.”
He thought back on his discussion with the mayor and council members, who had said with no political correctness whatsoever that it was time to hire a woman to take over for Charlotte, because she was pregnant and would need to stay home. Actually, it had been Jessa, whom Suzanne had once been friends with at school, now married with her own kids, who’d come right out and said Charlotte needed to stay home with her baby so a job could go to someone who needed it. He was still stunned that had slipped past her lips, and two of the men on the council had even flushed red. He’d make sure that part never got back to Charlotte.
“Put what out there, exactly? What are you talking about? I love my job and working…”
“I know, and it’s not forever, but you want to be home with the baby after it’s born, right?” he said. Why was it that they’d never really taken a moment and talked about this? “And there’s Eva, too. With Mom gone and us not knowing when she’s coming back…”
“Well, of course I’m not planning on going right back to work, but I never planned on staying home. Eva is in school right now, and Alison can still pick her up like she’s been doing. It’s not unworkable. You know I love my job and working with you…”
“Yeah, but, Charlotte, with the upcoming election, anything could happen. I could suddenly not be sheriff anymore. It’s a possibility, so there’s that, too.”
That was the other thing they hadn’t talked about. He wondered if it was something she’d been thinking about, by the way she hesitated and let out another breath.
“You’re being ridiculous,” she said. “You’re a shoo-in, and everyone who knows you around here knows you’re the best for the job.”
All he could do was shake his head. “So much has happened to create doubts in everyone’s minds. Come election day, with other names on the ballot, people could be voting for someone else just because that candidate doesn’t come with the same baggage. After the scandal, people here are still wondering what the O’Connells are hiding, thinking there has to be something there. I may very well be home with the baby,” he teased.
She didn’t pull her gaze or smile. “Don’t joke about something like that, Marcus. Besides, the election isn’t for a while yet, and if anything, this year has been one of a lot of changes and surprises. I shouldn’t have to tell you not to jump all the way to the worst-case scenario. Do you want me to stop working and stay home? Is that what you’re saying?”
The way she asked, he had to remind himself this was dangerous territory. Just then, he heard the front door and footsteps, and then Brady walked in, went right to the fridge, and opened it and pulled out a beer before twisting off the cap.
“Hold that thought,” was all he said to Charlotte as he turned to Brady. “That’s as far as that goes, young man.” He reached for the beer and took it, seeing something in his younger brother’s expression that he recognized all too well.
“I’m eighteen,” Brady said. “You know this is ridiculous. Luke lets me have a beer.”
From the way Brady said it, with that teenage attitude, Marcus predicted that he was likely going to point out that he was legally an adult next.
“Really? Now, why don’t I believe that?” Marcus said before he lifted the beer, took a swallow, and set it on the counter by the cutting board in front of him. Charlotte was staring long and hard at Brady and then him.
“It’s true,” Brady said. “Seriously, what’s the big deal, anyway?”
What was he supposed to say? When he was Brady’s age, he’d been drinking and getting into the kind of trouble he still couldn’t believe he’d escaped unscathed. “It is a big deal,” Marcus finally said. “So, considering I’m the sheriff and the legal drinking age is twenty-one, try helping yourself to a soda instead. Seriously, Brady—and what’s with the face? Something happen today?”
He heard the door and more footsteps, then a thunk, before he spotted Karen, barefoot in a short-sleeved dress. Jack appeared behind her, and he was sure Suzanne and Harold were there now, too.
“Nothing. It’s fine,” was all Brady said before walking out of the kitchen without helping himself to a soda.
Jack said something to Charlotte, and Karen was in his fridge, pulling out a bottle of white that he hadn’t known was in there.
“Hey there, Marcus, can you open the oven?” Suzanne said as she strolled in behind them, carrying a roasting pan covered with tinfoil. “I’ll pop this in to warm again.” She still wore her heavy bomber jacket, and her hair was hanging long and loose.
“Sure. What is that?” He opened the oven for his sister, spotting Harold, too. His deputy jutted his chin to him and gestured to the living room, where Brady had gone. Maybe he’d have a word with the kid and figure out what was going on with him.
Karen was pouring a big glass of wine, and Jack was still talking to Charlotte, though without pulling his gaze from his wife. Evidently, there was something amiss between the two of them. It had been a while since his sister had had a drink.
“Made lasagna,” Suzanne said. “Well, I decided to be creative and made a vegetarian kind. The noodles are zucchini.”
“And no meat?” Marcus said, taking in his sister, who he knew had way too much time on her hands.
She pulled a face, and he could hear more voices from the front door—Owen, Tessa, and Ryan, he thought. Suzanne shrugged out of her coat. “Lasagna doesn’t always have to have meat in it, you know. Besides, it will be good. There’s lots of mushrooms and cheese. You’ll never miss it.”
“Miss what?” Owen said, and Marcus wondered what he’d say, considering he was mister barbecue, in charge of that part of dinner, which had to always be meat.
“Suzanne made lasagna for us, vegetarian,” Marcus said.
The way Owen dragged his gaze from him to Suzanne was almost comical. “Not funny, Suzanne,” was all he said.
She just waved her hand and wandered to the fridge before pulling it open and taking out a beer. “Be adventurous, Owen. We don’t always have to eat meat.”
Ryan and Jenny came in next, and everyone seemed to linger in the kitchen. When he met Jack’s eyes, the other man nodded toward the living room.
“Here, take over,” Marcus said, handing the knife to Ryan, who only looked at it for a second before Jenny shook her head and stepped in.
“Ryan’s useless,” she said. “Here, let me.”
Marcus stepped away, around Ryan and Charlotte. Everyone was talking, though the voices of his family faded as he walked out of the kitchen, following Jack into the living room, where Brady and Harold were sitting across from each other, deep in discussion.
“Everything okay?” Marcus said.
Jack appeared dressed down, and Marcus wondered about the new shaggy look he had going on. What was that about, a big case? He didn’t think so. Either way, shaving seemed to have been put on the back burner.
“Look, I wanted to give you a heads-up, is all,” Jack said. “I just told Karen that I got a call, and my name’s been put out there for governor. I knew it was coming, and soon. So there it is—and there’s something else.”
He just stared down at Jack, who was a few inches shorter than him, knowing he’d made a deal with the devil, so to speak, to save their asses. “I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry, considering we had a serious part in this. So the favors have been called in.”
“Knew it would come,” Jack replied. “At the same time, Karen just dropped a bombshell on me before we walked in. I need to get her out of here. We have something to deal with. Can you keep Brady for the night?”
He heard the sound of a car but couldn’t see who it was, as the inside door was closed. “Yeah, Brady can stay. Should I be worried about something between you and my sister?”
Jack hesitated.
Just then, Marcus’s phone started ringing, and he pulled it out, seeing an unknown number.
Jack touched his arm. “Take your call,” was all he said, then started back to the kitchen, obviously not wanting to talk.
“Marcus here,” he said.
Harold looked over to him expectantly and gave him everything from where he sat, likely because one of them could need to head out now.
“It’s Mom,” Marcus finally said, shaking his head at Harold, hearing the voices from the kitchen. He leaned against the stairway railing. “Hey, was thinking about you,” he said. “How are you and…?”
There was something strange about knowing his mom was with their dad, but he hadn’t shared with anyone how unsettled he was about it.
“And your dad, you mean?” she said. “I’m sorry I haven’t called, but I wanted to let you know that we’re coming back.”
He hadn’t expected that. Just then, the front door opened, and there was Luke—with a woman who had brown hair and wore a dark coat. It seemed as if it had been one thing after another as of late. Marcus reached over and punched his brother’s shoulder playfully, then gestured to the woman before turning away.
“Like now, you mean?” he said. “Are you sure it’s okay?” He took in the dark railing going upstairs, knowing Alison and Eva were up there.
“You know what, Marcus? I miss all of you, and Charlotte’s due anytime now. I want to be there. I told your dad I was planning on coming myself, but your dad said he was coming, too. Through it all, he misses all of you, and I know he still wants to make so much right. He said he knows how to be careful, to hide, so what am I to say to that?”
He thought he heard something in the background. “Okay, so when? I’ll let everyone know.”
“No, don’t tell anyone. I want it to be a surprise. Listen, that’s your dad calling me. I’ve got to go. Your dad’s just working out logistics now, as he said, but I’m hoping a few days, two at the most. Any problems on his end, and I’ll come myself.”
It would be great to see his mom, but not telling anyone was something he didn’t want to do. This family couldn’t handle more secrets.
“A surprise, really?” he said. “Don’t you think we’ve had enough? I have to tell Charlotte, at least…”
His mom sighed. “Okay, fine, just don’t make a big deal about it.”
“So I can tell everyone?”
“Yes, just not the kids, Brady, Alison, Eva. I want to surprise them, and your dad still has some things to work out with Brady because of how everything went down. He still hasn’t talked to him.”
Right, and then there was that. “No promises,” Marcus said. “Call me when you know.”
Then he hung up, and he could hear Luke in the kitchen, introducing whoever the woman was.
He had to think about Karen and Jack and whatever was going on with them, too. Maybe now wasn’t the time to tell his siblings that their mom was planning on coming back. Luke had brought someone home, Karen and Jack had a problem, and then there was Brady, who’d likely be staying with him and Charlotte that night.
Right, just another evening with the O’Connells.
When he started back to the kitchen, he heard Charlotte say, “I think my water just broke.”
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Andy Friessen has packed up everything and moved his family two states away to protect his wife, Laura, his newborn babies, and his stepson, Gabriel, from the threats of his mother. What Andy doesn’t know is that they’ll soon face a new threat, one he never saw coming…
“…an emotional exploration of what family and unconditional love is all about. I will read this one again and again and again!” ★★★★★ Bigedsgirl1, Amazon Reviewer
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Can’t wait till release day? Book 11 in my newest romantic suspense series is coming soon, but you can grab a sneak peek of THE RETURN OF THE O’CONNELLS today!
Will life ever return to normal?
That’s the question everyone in the O’Connell family has asked since their lives were turned upside down by a murder charge. With their father now back from the dead, the O’Connells are coming to grips with the idea that justice isn’t equal. But despite the pending arrival of a new grandchild, and the fact that the family is settling into a new identity, trouble seems to always be one step away. This time, it could come from within, as a shadowy new enemy has found its way into the close-knit family and could ultimately destroy the bond the siblings share, forcing them to finally cut their losses and walk away from one another.
There was something about secrets: They had a way of making themselves felt long before anyone even learned of them. The O’Connells kept secrets, and they were good at that. It seemed they always had—from others, from each other. But secrets had a way of slipping out explosively, scandalously, and never without repercussions. That left the kinds of battle scars the average person couldn’t see.
The O’Connells had two kinds of secrets. There was the kind they wanted to keep, but there was also the kind they wouldn’t dare tell a soul, the kind that had to stay secret forever.
Now Karen had another secret of her own as she sat quietly in the passenger side of Jack’s Mercedes, anything but the dutiful and obedient wife.
“You’ve said not two words since we left the office,” Jack said. There was something about the way he spoke to her, the edge, like an alpha. The way he watched her at times, she knew he wondered what she was keeping from him.
She took in the barren trees of another season settling upon them, the frigid dirty white packed at the sides of the freshly plowed roads, the exhaust from the vehicles ahead of them. She’d seen it all thousands of times before, except now it was as if she were seeing everything for the first time.
What was different?
Everything. The phone call.
She pulled in a breath and glanced over to Jack, reminding herself that she needed to tell him, but again the words wouldn’t come. “Have a lot on my mind,” she replied.
He only nodded, but she could feel the weight of something being held back. Was it her, or was it him? She forced herself to glance back to Brady, who was staring out the side window. His dark hair needed a cut. He glanced back down to his phone, thumbing over the screen. There was something on his mind, too.
“Brady, you to haven’t said much, either,” Jack said, lifting his gaze to the rear-view mirror as he pulled up to the lights. “How was school today?”
“School’s school,” he replied. “What do you want me to say? I was given the option to take some elective courses to finish the school year with the other kids, because the only class I wanted is full, but I said hell no. I’m finishing the required math, and then I have enough credits and I’m out of there.” He swiped his hands together. Could she blame him? “Is Luke coming back?”
Right. That was the other call she’d had.
Karen turned back to looking straight ahead, out the windshield, seeing the street she knew like the back of her hand, feeling the comfort of her husband’s vehicle despite how different everything seemed. “Yes, he called this morning.”
“And what did he say, again? That he’s bringing someone?” Jack said.
She needed to pull in another breath, feeling the tightness in her chest and the heaviness that settled inside her again. “He said it was an accidental kiss with consequences, and he wants us to meet her, which is apparently his way of saying he met someone he really likes and is bringing her home with him to meet the family. This should be interesting.”
“And he’s going to be at Ryan’s?” Brady said, a hopeful note in his voice.
She made herself look back at him, seeing something else in his expression. Right, Luke was his buddy, the brother he leaned on to keep his head straight, even though he was the one who was often gone at a moment’s notice.
“No, Marcus’s,” she said, then realized maybe she’d forgotten to relay that text.
Jack shook his head. “You forgot to mention that,” he said, the edge in his voice slipping into that pissed-off tone he seemed to have been taking with her more and more as of late.
She made herself drag her gaze over to him, taking in the beard that had been growing in for three days now. He was settling into a look that was more messy bad boy than his usual classy style. She wondered if he had any idea. Likely not.
“Marcus lives just across the street from Ryan, so I’m at a loss to understand how that’s a big deal,” she said. “Besides, it was just a text. Do I need to report every single thing to you?” Even she didn’t miss the sharpness in her voice, and for a moment she was positive Jack gripped the steering wheel that much harder.
“You two aren’t going to start fighting again, are you?” Brady jumped in.
She had to remind herself he was the newest member of their family, her brother. Brady was perceptive, quiet, polite, and kept everything to himself, still finding his place among the O’Connells.
“We don’t fight, Brady. Do we, Jack?” she said, and she didn’t miss the rude sound Jack made in response as he pulled into Marcus’s driveway and parked behind Charlotte’s Subaru. The sheriff’s car was parked out front, so she didn’t need to wonder whether Marcus was still at work.
Jack took his time putting the car in park and turning off the engine, then gave everything to her with that one look. His icy blue eyes could hide things from her that she would’ve had no idea about. “We fight,” he said. “You fight. Brady’s right.”
A smile tugged at Brady’s lips as he climbed out of the car without saying a word and closed the back door, and she and Jack followed.
“Brady, it’s called having a difference of opinion and standing your ground,” she called out to Brady’s back, as he was halfway to the house.
He didn’t turn around as he kept walking, only lifted his hand and tossed out over his shoulder, “If that’s what you want to call it, but I know fighting when I hear it—and I know not to ever take you on.”
Then he was up the steps, and she found herself taking in Jack as she walked around the vehicle, pulling at her red coat, feeling the cold on her face, feeling the ice under her impractically high black boots.
“Careful,” Jack said. “It seems Marcus needs to clear this snow better.”
She didn’t look over as she pressed her hand on the hood of the car, taking careful steps, but Jack walked around and offered his arm. He was almost the perfect gentleman, always there for her, though he never saw her point of view on anything.
“Marcus has a lot on his plate,” she said. “And Brady really thinks we’re fighting?”
Jack was walking carefully, holding on to her, until they reached the sidewalk, which had been cleared of snow. The cold bit her bare thighs over her impractical knee-high boots, and the early winter wind whipped under her dress.
“We do fight, Karen, or rather, you do.”
There it was, her need to set him straight. “Really?” she said. “Because how I see it is that you try to tell me what to do, and you never ask my opinion on anything before deciding, thinking you can just go and do whatever you want, whenever you want. Just know that I will never let you tell me what to do, and I’ll never go along with something just because you can’t be bothered to ask and check in with me. I honestly believe you expect me to just fall in line with your way of thinking…”
“So you disagree and argue just because, Karen? I often wonder if you’d ever just go along with something because I decided it was best or because you understand that I’m looking out for you. No! You make nothing easy.” It came out quite sharply, and she could feel the passion in him.
The way he said it, Karen could feel something more coming. “You mean I don’t make it easy for you to steamroll me.”
“No, I mean we’re married,” he said. “You’re my wife, Karen, even with everything this family has been through, all the secrets and lies. Maybe I just want a little peace for us, a little of you meeting me halfway, instead of feeling as if everything is a fight.” He stopped at the bottom of the steps and faced her, pulling in a breath. When he let it out, she could see his frustration.
The inside door was still open, and they should’ve headed in, but Jack had something else on his mind. His expression had an edge, a hardness. He was distracted. She wondered what secret he was keeping. As she stared at the man she loved, she wondered whether this discontent would always exist between them.
“You know something, don’t you?” she said, hearing the accusation in her voice. “You did something.”
“My name’s been tossed out to run for governor. I’m on the ticket.”
There it was, the surprise she didn’t want.
Jack glanced away a second and then back to her. “You knew it was coming, and so did I. I just didn’t expect it now.”
“That means…”
“I think you know what it means, Karen. We have to leave Livingston, and we’ll have to close up shop on the law practice.”
She just stared, feeling a heaviness settle right in her stomach, leaving her with that sick feeling that wouldn’t go away. “I see,” she said, and then she said nothing else, because this was just something she didn’t want on her plate right now. She found herself turning to the steps to walk away, but his hand was on her, and he was right in her space, holding her so she couldn’t leave.
“Don’t do that,” he said. “Don’t just walk away. You think I don’t get that you’re pissed off and you don’t want this? Neither do I, but you know about the favors I called in to fix things, to clean up after all those damn secrets your family had, to keep Marcus as sheriff and keep the vultures from our door. So is this how you’re going to handle it? Because I’m not in the mood for you to dig your heels in and not give an inch.”
She shook her head. “You’re way off base, Jack. I don’t care right now about the governor ticket, and I don’t want to think about it or start asking you all the things I’m wondering, like why you couldn’t bother telling me until now. Will there always be something that falls into that category where you think you don’t need to tell me everything? Anyway, no, I’m not there yet, because I have stuff going on, too.”
He was confused and unimpressed. “What the hell are you talking about, Karen? What stuff—work or something personal, more secrets, something with your family?”
Oh, great, he was really going down that road again. He stepped back and was no longer touching her, but the early Montana winter cold was starting to sting a bit, and she supposed now was as good a time as any.
“No, no, and no,” she said. “The doctor’s office called me.”
When a smile touched his lips, she forced herself to pull it together and continue.
“Don’t get excited. They confirmed I was pregnant, but I lost the baby.”
There it was. His expression filled with the same thing she hadn’t been able to feel.
“Right,” she said, then gestured with her thumb behind her. “I’m going in.”
She started up the steps, and when she pulled open the door and glanced back to Jack, who was still standing there, staring out at nothing, she didn’t have a clue what the hell he was thinking.
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A young woman who’s lost everything, and the wealthy rancher who must choose between his family’s power and his conscience to help her.
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THE RETURN OF THE O’CONNELLS
Will life ever return to normal?
That’s the question everyone in the O’Connell family has asked since their lives were turned upside down by a murder charge. With their father now back from the dead, the O’Connells are coming to grips with the idea that justice isn’t equal. But despite the pending arrival of a new grandchild, and the fact that the family is settling into a new identity, trouble seems to always be one step away. This time, it could come from within, as a shadowy new enemy has found its way into the close-knit family and could ultimately destroy the bond the siblings share, forcing them to finally cut their losses and walk away from one another.
Click here to see my titles currently available in audiobook!
And did you know… if you already own one of my eBooks on Kindle, you can pick up the audiobook at a reduced price with Whispersync? Whispersync allows you to both read and listen, and you can even switch back and forth between reading on Kindle and listening on Audible without losing your place.
What do I mean by that? Well, according to recent stats, 33 percent of people do not own a home and likely never will, as they’ve been priced out of the overinflated marketplace. Those 33 percent now represent the most vulnerable in society. If you own your own home, you’re already way ahead—but you could lose it tomorrow if you weren’t able to pay your mortgage because your job has disappeared during this pandemic, and you could very well join those 33 percent.
When you can’t put a face or a life to those numbers, that’s all they ever are: faceless numbers that mean nothing as long as it’s not you. Why would I be talking about the kinds of social issues no one in power wants to address, the kinds that don’t come up in discussions among friends, the kinds that leave everyone believing those on the streets are drunks or addicts? Because we have to talk about them.
What do I mean by that? When significant change is underway, you see it happening. You may hear talk from those in power who say they’re going to do something, but it means nothing until you see it actually happening. Remember: Show, don’t tell. Yet what I’m seeing out there is promising a very bleak outcome. Each night, I drive to pick up my daughter at the ferry, considering she’s now back to work—and yay for her, because she loves the job she works outside school. But every night, I see the same scene: a car here, a van there, a truck parked in a rural area off the road, at the end of the street, enough out of the way that it hopefully won’t attract attention, wherever people can find spots to sleep in their cars for the night. Even though we’re in the middle of a pandemic, many don’t realize the sheer number of people who have lost a very basic necessity, the roofs over their heads.
One of the ones that really got to me was a small van, a family parked at the ferry terminal, forced to sleep in their vehicle in the parking lot for the night. I don’t think everyone realizes that homelessness is a crime. Would they have been there long? No, not if someone called the police. You would be surprised by the number of people who will do this because they don’t want to see the problem. Do the police intentionally go out and harass people who live in their cars or camp someplace because they have nowhere else to go? No, but they’re ordered to. They tell them to move on.
But where are they supposed to go? You cannot park overnight anyplace. End of story. If you’re living in your car, you still have to put gas in it, and if you think about it, that’s not all. You also need to eat, to go to the bathroom, to wash and be warm and stay dry. And how is that even possible when you don’t have access to running water or a bathroom? How many of you complain just because you don’t have an en suite off your bedroom and have to walk across the hall to the bathroom in the house or condo where you live? Did you know that in many places, public urination will get you arrested? So will loitering, all a result of being homeless. You cannot stay someplace long.
In Victoria, where the homeless are now camping in a park, only the public health officer is saving them by putting in place an order that because of the pandemic, they don’t have to pack up and leave during the day. But that won’t last. This pandemic will not be here for forever, but the fallout on the most vulnerable will likely be here a long time. This isn’t a life anyone chooses. At the same time, what’s the answer? If you’re thinking the government is going to fix it, it’s not something they’ve prioritized to date. And why is there such a lack of housing to begin with when in Vancouver alone, there are over 42,000 empty homes? When I heard those numbers, I was taken aback. My response was how is that possible? Think about where you live, the city and country where you are. How many empty homes are there, and how many homeless people?
You may remember Reine Colbert from The Third Call, a single mother who lost her husband to cancer and then lost her house. With no roof over her head and a system that worked against her, she was on the streets with her little girl. Her specific situation stemmed from unpaid medical bills. Her husband hadn’t been working because he was so sick, and they couldn’t afford insurance, and when he died, there was no life insurance, either. Very few can afford that. Reine didn’t have enough money to cover the bills, considering she was making minimum wage, and anyone working out there knows minimum wage isn’t going to put a roof over your head.
Her story is not that far of a reach, and it could happen to anyone. She lost sleep and had to sell her car, and there were childcare costs, too, because she had to work. She sold off her belongings one by one, and then the bank took her house, so she was forced to rent, but she was living paycheck to paycheck. How many of you also live paycheck to paycheck? Reine’s paycheck was eventually garnished for back payments on the medical bills. Although they’re allowed to garnish only so much, mistakes happen all the time, and for Reine, they garnished her entire check once. It was a mistake, but try getting back money from someone who has all the power when you have nothing. Lawyers cost money, and those kinds of resources really are available only to those who have the means.
So what happened to Reine and her six-year-old daughter when she couldn’t pay her rent? Was she sleeping or eating? Of course not. She was deeply stressed from the constant worry she had been living under for years. The nice couple she rented from were fine the first time she missed rent, but the second time, not so much, and she and her daughter were forced into a tent, sleeping on the streets, where they met a man who had been truly messed up by society but was the only one willing to step in and help. Their story ended in tragedy, but it’s a very real scenario that can happen and is happening in the kinds of places you’d never think it could.
In the Gulf Islands, a single mother tried renting a place and paid the required damage deposit in advance, and the landlord took her money and rented the place to someone else. Of course it’s not right, but legally, that kind of behavior falls into a gray area in many places, and law enforcement is not on the renter’s side. The renter can’t call the police to report a theft, because it doesn’t fall under that. What would it take to get your money back? It would cost you money and time, and then, if you get a judgement in your favor, you’d still have to enforce it, which would cost more money and time. That’s the kind of fight many don’t have the luxury of directing energy toward, because they still need to find a place to live, to scrape together more money they don’t have for another damage deposit, to pay rent, to feed themselves and their kids. Try getting your money back from someone when you don’t have anything.
What’s the answer here? I don’t know, but if you want to fix anything, it does start with a conversation.
The O'Connells
The O’Connells of Livingston, Montana, are not your typical family. Follow them on their journey to the dark and dangerous side of love in a series of romantic thrillers you won’t want to miss.
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Getting married and having a baby … for Emily and Brad everything was perfect, or so they thought, until an unexpected surprise threatens to derail their happy day.
“…such a good read. The characters were all about love and family…hard to put it down.” Lois T., Kindle Customer
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Get your FREE eBook or Audible copy of HE CAME BACK in exchange for an honest online review! E-mail me at LorhainneEckhart.LE@gmail.com to request your preferred format. All reviews must be posted by 10/3/20. Thank you for your support!
One woman’s haunting journey when her husband returns home and everything she thought she knew about their life together has suddenly changed.
“Pulls you in skillfully…as the end approached I was shocked to find out that I really, really CARED about what happened to the characters…Very well done…” ★★★★★Amazon Customer
Coming Soon
THE RETURN OF THE O’CONNELLS
Will life ever return to normal?
That’s the question everyone in the O’Connell family has asked since their lives were turned upside down by a murder charge. With their father now back from the dead, the O’Connells are coming to grips with the idea that justice isn’t equal. But despite the pending arrival of a new grandchild, and the fact that the family is settling into a new identity, trouble seems to always be one step away. This time, it could come from within, as a shadowy new enemy has found its way into the close-knit family and could ultimately destroy the bond the siblings share, forcing them to finally cut their losses and walk away from one another.
Click here to see my titles currently available in audiobook!
And did you know… if you already own one of my eBooks on Kindle, you can pick up the audiobook at a reduced price with Whispersync? Whispersync allows you to both read and listen, and you can even switch back and forth between reading the book on Kindle and listening to the book on Audible without losing your place.
USA Today Best-Selling Book THE McCABE BROTHERS: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION is now on sale for $2.99! Join the five McCabe siblings on their journeys to the dark and dangerous side of love in this intense, exhilarating collection of romantic thrillers.
“Captivating…Great balance of romance and intrigue.” ★★★★★ Just Jo, Kindle Customer
“Heroes and heroines abound, with family, community, romance, intrigue and suspense thrown together to keep you interested from the first paragraph!” ★★★★★ Hope D., Kindle Customer
That’s the question everyone in the O’Connell family has asked since their lives were turned upside down by a murder charge. With their father now back from the dead, the O’Connells are coming to grips with the idea that justice isn’t equal. But despite the pending arrival of a new grandchild, and the fact that the family is settling into a new identity, trouble seems to always be one step away. This time, it could come from within, as a shadowy new enemy has found its way into the close-knit family and could ultimately destroy the bond the siblings share, forcing them to finally cut their losses and walk away from one another.
Click here to see my titles currently available in audiobook!
And did you know… if you already own one of my eBooks on Kindle, you can pick up the audiobook at a reduced price with Whispersync? Whispersync allows you to both read and listen, and you can even switch back and forth between reading on Kindle and listening on Audible without losing your place.
Depending on where you are in the world, your kids are now back in school, some yesterday, some weeks ago. Now, although my autistic son is no longer in school, the beginning of the school year, September, was always when anxieties spiked for me, for him, and for all the parents of special needs children I knew. For an autistic child, going back for another year in a new grade doesn’t mean a new beginning, filled with excitement and possibilities; it means starting back at ground zero again, every year, with all the hard work from the previous year gone as if it never happened.
What do I mean by that? I’m referring to all the work you did as a parent, advocating for your child, getting his program to work for him, learning about his classes and curriculum, socializing with and educating his teacher and (if you’re lucky enough to have one) his support worker. For my son’s first six years of school, I was very fortunate, as was my son, to have an exclusive support worker trained by my consultant—who, by the way, I paid the bill for. What does a consultant do other than keep track of the extremely long wait list of parents trying to get services? She monitors and creates the child’s home program, makes note of the skills he needs to learn and the behaviors and issues that have to be addressed, and goes into the school and works with his teacher, the support workers, and the administration to get everyone on the same page and provided with the skills they need.
But what happens when someone new comes in and doesn’t want to play ball? This happened to me more times than I can count, creating a ton of sleepless nights. This is likely why now, when my daughter is finishing her senior year and is encountering her own issues after being assigned the wrong classes on day one, with the counsellor not answering her emails, it brought everything back for me. I remember what I had to deal with every year with educators who weren’t on the same page. I’ve realized September has become a trigger. There was something about this month that I never liked, and now I know why: It’s because come September, my full-time job became advocating, meeting, not backing down, even being called a bitch. Yes, really. One teacher called me that many years ago because I wouldn’t shut up and go away and let him shove my son in the corner because he wasn’t willing to speak with my consultant. That’s just something you never forget.
Are all teachers and administrators like this? Absolutely not. There were a few who were so amazing, who got what we were doing, who actually appreciated the fact that I was paying for a private consultant who brought with her the kinds of skills that aren’t provided in schools. Let me be clear: The public education system does not provide teachers and support workers with the kind of specialized training needed to work with our kids on their individualized programs. Not every child with autism or special needs is the same, and you can’t make a round peg fit into a square hole, even though that’s the only way the public school system is set up to work.
When you have a teacher or administrator on your side who gets what’s at stake and actually listens and pays attention, it really is like you’ve won the lottery. These types of teachers understand that what a consultant provides will result in a win-win, because the teacher gains much-needed skills and training she wouldn’t get from the public school system, and those skills will help her so much with other special needs kids who don’t have the same level of support.
Did my son have this? For the first six years of his schooling, as I’ve mentioned, which are pivotal years, he had an administrator who actually rolled out the red carpet, so to speak, for his consultant. He actually sat in on interviews for support workers so that my son wouldn’t get assigned someone who would never understand his needs or who would undo what he had been learning. Yes, he really was amazing, and we never had another administrator like him again. He set the bar so high and cared so deeply, and his actions spoke louder than words. If my son hadn’t had those first six years, he wouldn’t be where he is today. Yet as a parent with a special needs child, you’ll often encounter teachers or school staff who tell you that what they’re providing is good enough, and they outright refuse to work with your consultant, or they have a number of other students who take priority, or, as we experienced in a different school district when my consultant tried to work with my son’s social skills programmer, they say one thing and do the opposite.
Does that type of mindset undermine all the hard work your child and everyone who is part of your team have done? Absolutely. You find out the hard way that the school is actually working against you, which was what we discovered when my son started doing some odd things and suddenly gained some anxieties he had never had before. Some of those anxieties were so extreme that it has taken a long time to unlearn them, and we are still working on a few to this day. Learning these hard lessons comes at a cost, but giving up isn’t the answer. As with anything, if you want change, you have to advocate for it. You can’t back down. You have to speak up, become that squeaky wheel who won’t go quietly into the night. And, yes, you have to not bury your head in September anxieties. No matter how scared you are, you have to use your voice.
So what is my daughter doing now? Apparently, she has been watching me all these years, because she’s advocating for herself. She’s sent yet another email and has been clear on her expectations. She’s not about to be blown off. She’s keeping it in writing so she has a record, and she plans on going straight to the head administrator next. Will she settle because they want her to just take what they give her and not rock the boat? No, she won’t. She has a voice, and I’m so proud that she’s speaking up for herself.
Should it matter that we’re in the middle of a pandemic? No, absolutely not. One of the things my son’s autism consultant said quite pointedly is that many kids today, by the time they get into college or university, where they should be independent, unfortunately don’t know how to make simple decisions themselves. Mom and dad have done everything for them, fixed their problems, advocated for them, and never allowed them the independence to do things themselves. So I will watch, as I’m supposed to, from the sidelines. My daughter knows I’m ready to step in, but she has reminded me that she has a voice, and this is her senior year. Even though school is set up to work differently, she wants and needs specific classes to achieve the outcomes she has already outlined for herself.
She knows what she wants, and she also knows that advocating for herself is a skill she’s going to need out in the real world, because mom isn’t going to be able to fix her problems for her. She’s going to have to do it herself, and she’s going to encounter all kinds of power plays from those who see her age and gender as meaning she doesn’t matter. Does that kind of prejudice still exist? Yes, it very much does, both in our schools and out in our society, in the real world. My daughter has seen it happen to me. She’s seen the battles I’ve had to fight against those with closed minds. But she’s also seen those few who are so good at what they do that they set a shining example of why your career should only ever be something you truly, truly love.
The O'Connells
The O’Connells of Livingston, Montana, are not your typical family. Follow them on their journey to the dark and dangerous side of love in a series of romantic thrillers you won’t want to miss.
Have you caught up with my latest titles? Newest eBook offerings include two titles from The O’Connells romantic suspense series, THE FALLEN O’CONNELL (Book 10) and THE FAMILY SECRET (Book 9). New audio selections include all three books from the Married in Montana romance series, HIS PROMISE, LOVE’S PROMISE and A PROMISE OF FOREVER. Click on a title to find it at your favorite retailer!
Audiobooks
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