Read No More Wasted Time Online
Authors: Beverly Preston
Tags: #Contemporary, #General, #Romance, #Fiction, #C429, #Extratorrents, #Kat
No More Wasted Time
No More Wasted Time
Beverly Preston
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be
aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and
destroyed” to the publisher and neither the author nor publisher has received
any payment for the “stripped book.”
This book is a work of fiction. All characters,
organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the
author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Published by Beverly Preston
Copyright © 2012 by Beverly Preston
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form
or by any means without the written consent of the author, except for brief
quotations used in critical articles or reviews.
Cover designed by Yevinn Graphic at www.yevinn.com.
Visit Beverly at www.beverlypreston.com.
ISBN: 1469905833
ISBN-13: 978-1469905839
To Don
You are the love of my life
and the man of my dreams
Thanks for loving me
—just right—
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A book never writes itself, and finding the courage to put
my blip of a dream to paper took some coaxing. I would like to thank my family
and friends who supported me in my endeavors, listened when I cried, and gave
me words of encouragement. Your support and friendship are priceless. Sandy
Mohn and Sherrie Lee, you are the best mother and sister anyone could hope for.
Karen Collins, you motivated me to keep going and be true to myself. Jewel
Peck, you thought my sex scenes were a little too sweet in the beginning; hope
you enjoy the rewrites! Lynette Owens, you taught me how to manifest and make my
dreams come true. Lynn Bieker, thank you for being my faithful friend for over
twenty-three years.
I would also like to thank Natascha Jaffa, my friend and
editor.
Yevinn Graphics, thanks for making my cover art smoking HOT.
Geoff Schumacher, you gave me some invaluable advice in the
very beginning. Without it, I wouldn’t have gotten this far.
Morgan Kearns, you inspire me.
Ellen, I hope you read this someday; thanks for making me
laugh. Without watching your program, there would be no dream.
Finally, I would like to give a big thank you to my kids,
Stephen, Cody, Caylee and Jordyn. I couldn’t ask for better children. You
inspire me every day to be a better person. Jordyn, thanks for making the best
walnut chicken dinner. And a very special thanks to Caylee for agonizing over
every line with me, laughing with me, and giving the best words of
encouragement exactly when I needed them the most. Love you.
Tess Matthews nearly ran face first into the biggest pair of
boobs she’d ever seen.
“Holy shit! Whew. That was close.”
The Las Vegas airport bustled with tourists hoping to win
millions, party like a rock star or pretend to be someone else for a weekend.
The sweltering July heat always brought the craziest of crazies to town and
today was no exception.
“That might’ve hurt.” Tess’ oldest daughter Tracy giggled.
“You would’ve had two black eyes.”
“Two
huge
black eyes.” Her youngest daughter JC
clarified, elbowing Tess in the ribs, encouraging her to peek at the elderly
couple dressed-to-impress Vegas style. As if she hadn’t just collided with
another woman’s vast amount of cleavage because of them. Her daughters pointed
at the woman in her late seventies sporting bleach blond hair, red six-inch
heels, black spandex pants and a form fitting purple shirt. Her spray-tanned,
saggy arm clung to the shoulder of a frail man dressed in black leather pants
and vest.
“Wow, Mom, was that a smile?” JC asked sarcastically.
Tess ignored the comment. “Did you put copies of your
passports in each of your suitcases in case it gets lost or stolen? Be sure to
keep your phone in your…”
“Front pocket, we’ve got it. You’ve gone over this ten times
already.” JC rolled her eyes.
“You know we’ll be responsible.” Tracy reminded her. “Look
Mom, it took me two months of bribing JC with Starbucks to get her to come with
me and I planned this entire trip by myself. I’ve been dreaming of going to
France, Venice and Rome for-”
“Don’t forget about Greece.” JC interrupted. “That’s where
all the
really
hot guys are going to be. According to the movies I’ve
seen, Mr. tall, dark, and handsome is going to be waiting for us when we step
off the plane.”
“Mom, are you sure you don’t want to come with us to Europe?
It’d be so much more fun.” Tracy asked as they passed through airport security.
“Yeah, come with us. There might even be cute old men your
age.” JC hunched her lean body forward, imitating an old man using a cane as
she peered through her long caramel hair.
“Thanks, JC. Thanks a lot. Maybe you could even drum me up a
guy without a wheelchair or a walker or a cane, since they’d be my age.” Tess
joked back, completely conscious of her forty-four years.
“Maybe you’ll find a hunky Polynesian fire dancer in Bora
Bora,” JC’s jade eyes sparkled mischievously.
“All right, that’s enough out of you, missy. I have no
interest in hunky fire dancers.”
“Maybe it’s about time you get interested,” JC mumbled under
her breath.
“Seriously, Mom, are you positive you don’t want to come
with us instead?” Tracy reiterated. “You’re going to be by yourself in the
honeymoon capital of the world.”
Detecting worry in Tracy’s brilliant blue eyes, she slipped
her arm over her daughters shoulder. “I know you’re concerned, but I’ve made up
my mind. I need to do this.”
When Tess had informed her three kids ten days ago that she
booked a trip for herself, they’d thought she was joking. The fact that her
destination was Bora Bora only made it worse. They thought she’d finally gone
off the deep end. Merely taking off, escaping on an unplanned and unpredicted
spur of the moment trip seemed completely out of character for Tess. Usually,
every trip she took needed to be neurotically organized and planned to
perfection. This trip would be difficult. Bora Bora wasn’t exactly a place
where people went to feel sad or recover.
It was a lover’s paradise.
Her twenty-three year old son John thought she acted so
irrational, he offered to go with her.
Tess explained to her children that this trip would help
bring her closure. Her perfectly planned future vanished a year ago. She hated
not knowing where her life was heading, only existing from day to day. It
needed to change. She needed to say goodbye.
For the last ten days, Tess had rehearsed saying goodbye to
her girls, convincing herself they’d be fine.
Just let them go. Say goodbye
and let them get on their plane. They’ll be safe
. Approaching their gate,
she pulled her girls in for an airtight squeeze. “Have a great time. Take
pictures for me. Stay with your tour group.”
“Yes, Mom.” Tracy smirked.
“Remember, don’t put all your money in the same place in
case you get pick-pocketed.”
“Got it.” JC shook her head with an impish attitude. “Try to
have some fun, Mom. It’ll be good for you. Love you.”
Tracy tossed her long dark coppery hair to the side as she
adjusted her backpack. She kissed Tess’ cheek and whispered in her ear. “I hope
you find what you’re searching for. I love you, Momma. Be safe.”
Tracy and JC sauntered away, turning back to flash their
beautiful smiles. Tess exhaled deeply as she waved goodbye, “Try to keep your
little sister out of trouble!”
Standing alone, Tess realized exactly how much she’d come to
depend on the love and closeness of her kids over the last year. It seemed as
though they were taking care of her, instead of the other way around.
She knew Tracy would watch over her little sister. She’d
always been the mature levelheaded child. It was JC she worried about. Her
youngest daughter was boy crazy.
Tess rushed toward her gate to make her flight on time.
Happy couples, young and old, filled the gate area, leaving her with an
uncomfortable pit in her stomach. Tess couldn’t help but wonder if she’d made
the right choice traveling to Bora Bora by herself. Richard was gone and he
wasn’t coming back.
Waiting for her flight to be called, she settled back into
her seat, and closed her eyes.
Damn I miss you. It just doesn’t make sense.
Hell, nothing makes sense anymore
.
It’d been over a year since his death and she still couldn’t
believe he was gone. Richard had always been active, healthy and in perfect
shape. How could he die of a heart attack? It seemed like only yesterday she
received the worst news of her life. The horrific memory of running down the
hospital hallway, door after door passing by in a slow motion still brought
tears to her eyes even now. The agony on her son’s tear soaked face as he stood
in the sterile hallway was etched into the fabric of her memories forever. She
was too late.
Tess and Richard were married twenty-five years, sharing a
love most people only dreamed of. She couldn’t get past the fact she hadn’t
made it to the hospital in time to tell him how much she loved him. Nightmares
still haunted her. She would never be able to hear him laugh, hold his hand,
kiss his lips, or tell him how much she loved him again.
Tess’ phone rang jolting her back to reality. “Hi, John.”
“Hey, Mom, I’m glad I caught you before your plane leaves.
Did the girls’ plane get off okay? I tried to call them, but it went to
voicemail.”
“They should be in the air already.”
“They’re going to have so much fun.” A hint of envy hung in
John’s husky voice.
“Hey, you could’ve gone with them.”
“Yeah, umm, no, thanks. Between Tracy and her museums and
architecture, and JC chasing her hot guys... I think I’d rather stay home and work.
Maybe get a little riding in, too. Anyway I wanted to tell you…”
“I know. You think it’s a bad idea to go to Bora Bora by
myself. I’m going to be sad and lonely…your sisters already discussed this with
me.”
“Actually, I wanted to tell you I understand why you’re
going, and I support your decision. We just want you to be happy. You need to
start smiling again. It’s not good for you to be sad all the time Mom. If this
is what it takes then I’m behind you one hundred percent.”
“Oh.” Tess’ throat tightened. “Thanks for being my rock the
past year.”
“I love you, Mom. Be safe and I’ll see you in two weeks.
Come home with a smile on your face. Okay?”
“I’ll try. Don’t forget to bring in the mail and be sure
to-”
“I know. I’ll take care of everything.”
Tess could always count on her son to be dependable, just
like his dad. In fact, other than his dark brown hair, John was a spitting
image of Richard. He sported his father’s jade green eyes, and muscular
physique. Even their mannerisms were identical. His smile, laugh, and hand
gestures mimicked his fathers.
Tess jumped at the woman’s voice announcing, “Ladies and
gentlemen, we are now boarding Pacific Air flight 227 to Bora Bora.”
After three flights and a boat ride, Tess watched painfully
as two blissful couples sat beside her on the boat gazing in awe at the
breathtaking tropical surroundings. Glancing down at her luggage that contained
Richard’s ashes, she almost uttered out loud, God I miss you. Turning her
thoughts and gaze away from the lovers, she stared out over the indescribable
turquoise lagoon emulating a painter’s pallet of blues and greens.
Tess glimpsed the thatch roofing of the over-water bungalows
in the distance. Lush tropical valleys lay between black jagged mountains and
swaying palm trees lined the soft white sand beach.