CHAPTER NINE (9)- ABBIE & RYAN’S STORY

ABBIE

Winks and nods, winks and nods. Abbie was dreaming. She recognized the face right away and knew she was dreaming of her mother. Her mother had a message for her, it felt strange. The vibe was almost like a warning. She couldn’t understand what her mother was saying to her this time, but she could tell it was a warning she needed to heed.

For some reason, Abbie sensed the warning was about a relationship she was in. In her life and whenever Abbie came to her mother for advice, her mother was trying to help her figure out her relationships. But, who? Who was this warning about?

Everything had been going great with Zack so far, and all her friends and other family relationships seemed to be going great. There was that one moment, a week ago, when Zack and Abbie were cuddled up on the couch watching some Harlan Coben Netflix series that had caught their eye. It wasn’t quite as good as the Alice Feeney one, nor the Elin Hilderbrand series that was released a few years ago that Abbie watched one afternoon by herself, and that she then got Zack hooked on as well. But, despite that incident, there was nothing that really had happened in her life to make her need to heed a warning, especially one coming from a ghost in her dreams.

Her mother haunted her, a lot. She was in her dreams every night, but this one was so vivid. Her mother wanted her to know something was going to happen; she needed to be aware.

It isn’t so much that Mom haunts me… Abbie thought to herself after she had woken with a gasp. She noticed she was a little bit sweaty too. Or as her family friend would always tell her, she was “perspiring” as women don’t sweat, they “perspire”. She couldn’t help but giggle at that. Abbie embraced the giggle as that family friend had been very close to her mother too and his wife had passed away 10 years before Abbie’s own mom had passed away. Good friends, and good memories.

These dreams weren’t bad dreams either, they comforted Abbie. She always appreciated it when her mom visited her or haunted her in a way. She liked it. She wanted her mom to stick around. She hadn’t been done with life yet; Mom had once told her that too.

Mom had passed away from metastatic breast cancer that had caused infections in her blood stream. She ultimately passed away from the sepsis caused by breast cancer, and the numerous surgeries and medicines she needed because it had grown to Stage IV. Her mom caught her breast cancer late. It was too late for her when she found out she was sick and that she was going to die. She had cried to Abbie numerous times, but the one-time Abbie would never forget her mother saying to her “I am not done with life yet. I haven’t seen it all and I want to see my children and their successes.” Abbie had sobbed into her pillow that night. She was so sad for her mother and for her family and for herself as well. But she wouldn’t make this about her.

What is this warning about though? Abbie wondered.

Abbie began to reminisce about last week when she and Zack had been cuddling on the couch, all settled in for a nice night of Netflix when Zack had gotten a text. His ex-girlfriend had been messaging him sending him texts repeatedly telling him she wanted him back. He had gotten so angry. He had thrown a plate and a glass, Abbie’s own, against the wall of her living room. Abbie couldn’t imagine what would make someone so upset.

Zack had apologized right away for the outburst, but it was weird and it ruined the mood. Zack then took off and left. He apologized profusely but, in the end, she was alone on a Saturday night without her new boyfriend. If Abbie was being honest with herself, she was quite frightened by his outburst, but she was glad for his honesty that his ex-girlfriend was the one texting him. He had assured her it was over, but that she kept bothering him about how much she loved him and wanted to get back together. She suggested he just block her number, but he must have liked the negative attention even though it was terrible to live that way.

Abbie had some suspicions about him now because of the way he reacted to this situation so strongly and she was being totally honest with herself; it did freak her out quite a bit.

The next day, not even later that evening, but the next day Zack had called her and acted like it hadn’t even happened. He had just gone on and talked to her and said what his plans were for that Sunday. Going to the gym, doing laundry, getting ready for the work week and taking care of his mother with dementia whom he lived with. His dad wasn’t in the picture anymore, as his dad had died when he was just a kid.

Abbie had acted okay with his reaction but found it strange. Ever since then, they had only seen each other in passing for coffee. Could Zack be the man her mother was saying heed warning of? Or could it be the mysterious man Abbie had received an amazing kiss from after the benefit back in December. That was five months ago now, and to be honest once again with herself Abbie had no relationship whatsoever with Ryan. Even though she missed him.

She thought he was so sweet and so sexy too. She could tell he liked her as well, but his grief from his friend passing and some strange big secret Ryan had been keeping were what seemed to be ultimately keeping them apart. It all seemed weird.

But overall, Abbie was grateful for the visit from her mother. She needed it. Even if it was an omen of things to come. She would heed the warning and beware of someone but be on the lookout. It could mean anyone, right? Right?

Abbie climbed out of bed after taking a few deep morning breaths to cleanse the air and her aura. Inhale for 2, hold for 3 and out through her nose for 4. She instantly felt so much better and some of the tension and anxiety she was feeling was released. She also dropped her shoulders as she realized she was holding tension in them.

She whipped her legs out of bed and stood up, stretched her arms overhead and started walking towards her bathroom which was attached to the main bathroom upstairs in her townhouse. She lived in a beautiful home, and she had worked to perfect it with some favorite artists’ prints and painting the walls light blue in the hallway and purple in her bathroom, since not only was purple her favorite color, it was also a serene color. With the lights dim and the cat night light in the bathroom, she could always relax just a bit more before heading off from the bathroom to the bedroom and her queen-size bed every night.

She slept well, especially with her mom “haunting” her, which was the wrong word she always realized to herself. She did want to talk about this with her therapist. She had started seeing a therapist again, 3 weeks ago. One session, 45 minutes a week to release the demons that were inside her, possibly holding her back. But she realized she had a lot of work to do and a lot of digging to do if she was going to get to the root of her issues that she was bearing. She knew she needed the work, and she knew she was up for it, but she just didn’t know if she had the actual time. “There’s not enough time in the day,” Abbie said out loud to her bedroom as she walked past her massive pile of to be read books, or her “TBR” list as she called it.

She missed reading, it always relaxed her. Mr. Meowington her cat, decided to jump off the bed as well and wind through her legs. It was 7am, where was breakfast? She knew he was demanding it, and she said to him “Hold your horses buddy, I have to wash up, you won’t starve I promise!” She giggled at this with a sly smile. Her mother’s presence in her dream had done wonders for her mood. She felt good, just thought the premonition was a little strange, because she truly believed she was being cautious in every area of her life. She lived with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from incidents from dumb ass boys who took advantage of her in college and even moments down at the Jersey shore with her best friend when they were in college. There were too many traumatic, and unrealized moments that before going back to therapy, she didn’t know were a part of what was dragging her back and down. Maybe that’s why it was so hard to find a good man for so long?

She let her mind wander as she got in the shower. She usually sang in the shower, but not today, her throat was a little dry. “Allergies,” she determined. Even though she took all the allergy medications she could get her hands on, nothing, especially the antihistamines, seemed to work at this point. So, she just suffered from allergies, much like everyone else in the tri-state area.

The sun was shining she noticed as she opened her curtains after getting dressed out of the shower. She slathered her face with some skin cream with SPF 30 in it, and decided it was May, it better be sunny and pretty out. May was one of her favorite months. Much like the beginning of June, and the middle of September and beginning of October, she loved the cooler yet warm days that stuck around in the 80 degrees Fahrenheit temperatures. She loved living in Pennsylvania, right outside of Philadelphia, in a beautiful suburb called Lanstown.

“I am hitting up Coffee Corner today for sure,” she said to herself as she walked down the stairs after applying some mascara and lip gloss. She didn’t need much makeup; she was pretty without it. She loved how Mr. Meowington pounced down each step quickly and with grace and agility that only comes with a cat. She was so in love with her kitty, he was just such a great companion, sometimes she wondered if she should even bother with a human companion at this point. She laughed at the thought that seemed to pass through her mind on a daily basis at this point.

As she got down the steps to where her cell phone was sitting, charging on a charging flat by Samsung, she heard it begin to ring. That’s funny, I thought I turned off the sound… Abbie picked it up and flipped it up, and lo and behold it was Ryan calling. She wondered what he wanted this time. They had met up for coffee twice since she had met Zack and each time she had told him the same thing, that he wanted to discuss his grief in detail he needed to make an appointment with the office.

She picked up the call “Hello?” she rasped. What was with her throat?

“Abbie, hi, glad I caught you before you got into work. I just wanted to tell you; I took your advice! I made an appointment with the Center for Hope.” Ryan’s voice was breathy too. Maybe he is struggling with allergies as well, she thought to herself.

“Oh, that’s wonderful news. I think it will help you a lot. Always remember, we are here to help you. Maybe not me since at this point that would be unprofessional for us to meet since we have an established relationship outside of the center, but I am sure Linda or Murrie could help. They’re great counselors.”

“Yeah, I got an appointment with Murrie. I figure you know, since he is a guy…”

“Awesome. So glad to hear from you and to hear your good news. Being proactive in our lives and on our own sides, it’s such a blessing and a skill in and of itself, good job and congratulations for getting there.”

“Thanks Abbie. Hey, just wanted to tell you too—I miss you.” Ryan countered with this comment.

Abbie coughed. Stupid allergies. She didn’t know what to say to this, she missed him as well. A lot. “Thanks Ryan. I miss our talks too,” she had to tread softly and safely and heed to caution as her mama had taught her now, even in dreams.

“Maybe we could have dinner sometime?” Ryan said. This was the third time Ryan had tried to connect with a meal with Abbie. He sure was persistent.

“Yes, I’d like that,” Abbie heard the words come out of her mouth before she thought them through. She figured they were the truest statement though. She wanted to have dinner with him. She wanted to spend time with him, and she sure as all hell, missed him as well.

“I’ll text you some dates and some places?” Ryan asked with a hopeful smile behind the phone.

“Yes, please do. And Ryan, let’s make this happen,” Abbie said. She figured she had to go for it. She didn’t expect him to follow through at this point anyway, but she would love it if it worked out.

“Okay Abbie. Bye for now.”

“Bye Ryan,” Abbie stared at the phone then heard the cell phone go dead and click off the call. She had purposely let him click off first, although it took him a few seconds. There was nothing fast about it. Maybe I’ll find out his secret? Doubtful. Abbie thought these things to herself.

She fed Mr. Meowington his Fancy Feast and then picked up her keys. “Shoot, I lost 5 minutes,” and Abbie hated being late. She always had pride in being on time in her 30’s. In her 20’s she had never respected anyone else’s time and always ran a few minutes or a half hour to an hour late. She knew how disrespectful that was, her mother had lectured her about it, and she had taken her advice on being on time. If she wanted to be liked, she had to be likeable.

No coffee shop today, she would use the Keurig one cup in the center. She picked up her keys and fob to her red Nissan Rogue and was about to walk out the door, but first she kissed her fingers and placed them atop her cat’s head and told him “Have a very meowy day,” and then added she would “see him soon”. She walked out the door into the sunlight and felt a sudden surge in confidence. Maybe it was the warm May weather, maybe it was the fact that this handsome, albeit damaged guy, was still pursuing her. She didn’t know what to do about Zack, but at least she could see how Ryan was doing. Zack was her boyfriend now, he had said “let’s make it official” back in March when they hadn’t been dating anyone else. But that idiot girlfriend kept bugging him and she didn’t understand what to expect there, so she was going to have a friendly, and just a friendly dinner with Ryan.

Even if he was pursuing her, it didn’t mean that she was pursuing him back. She liked having friends, and they experienced a lot together the previous year with his loss and the benefit he had her speak at. People were still congratulating her on that shining moment in her life.

Also, her mom had just visited her in a beautiful, yet eerie and vivid dream.

What was there to not feel good about?

Nothing, at this point if she was calculating correctly. She got into her car with a beaming smile and took off down the roads of Lanstown and went to work.

RYAN

I slid the red button to turn off the call with Abbie that had gone much better than I expected. I expected her to blow me off once again, much like she sort of had in the past, but I believed in her reasoning before I would judge her. Abbie and I were not a couple, nor a “thing”, but I knew that I needed a separate counselor other than her that would help me through my troubles with grief after my friend had passed away.

If I was being honest with myself, I missed Abbie, a lot. But I had that issue with my ex-lover, concubine if you will, she was the affair that was. Lydia. I had gotten a break from her when she took the kids, including my son, off to Europe for a stay with her parents who lived in Italy. I was grateful for this breather from her and her sweltering all over me since her husband died; she swore we should be together. She had even come to my house dressed in only an overcoat. I was horrified when she opened it on my porch and showed me that she was naked underneath.

Even with her perfect perky breasts staring straight at me, I told her to close the damn coat and to get the fuck out. I was not interested.

I was not, nor was I ever going to be interested in a relationship with this tricky woman. Gratefully, it didn’t seem like she knew about the situation with Abbie, or about Abbie at all. Or that Abbie and I had shared a marvelous kiss the night of the benefit.

Ever since that kiss, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Sometimes a kiss isn’t just a kiss. And with that kiss, there came some other dude, some other dude she was dating. I knew she was dating him by the way they stood together and with how much she respectfully blew me off; there had to be someone else. If I remember correctly, his name is Zack. The dude from the coffee shop.

But I had just asked Abbie for dinner, and she said yes! She said yes! Much like a marriage proposal, but I just needed a date. Abbie was incredibly sexy and smart and man that could be such a turn on. She was a woman worth falling in love with. And while my Lydia problem was busy bothering people in Europe, I was going to take my chances and attempt to make it happen. That Zack guy, he has nothing on me. I got this, I am going for it with Abbie. I hope I kiss her again. I will make it happen; it must. If not, I will be sad, and we don’t want me, Ryan, to be sad.

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(Thank you for reading Chapter 9 of Abbie & Ryan’s Story… More soon to come! I am enjoying these learning about these characters as much as YOU may be. Hope you’re enjoying my fiction!)

-xoxo-

LWB*

Hello beautiful friend…

Thanks for catching up with me. I know it’s been a beat but not much has been going on. Okay, that is a bit of a lie, but it is what it is. I kept telling myself I didn’t have much to write about, (that’s why this post is a little late) but I guess I do, so let’s get started.

The hubs and I stayed in Selbyville, Delaware, USA right near Ocean City, Maryland a couple of weekends ago. It was lovely, for the most part. The drive home in the pouring buckets of rain, not so much, but that is what that is too. (I am feeling the effects of Mounjaro increase (tiredness, stomach upset) all over again, so I made sure not to take it before I left and I was actually able to eat and enjoy some of the high quality, JUNK food while I was away, which was actually pretty wonderful. Coming back to non-junk food and the inability to eat whatever I would choose isn’t the best thing: Thanks Mounjaro. And my ADD took me off on a tangent there) … So we did that, OCMD is so beautiful, even if we didn’t explore much of it. I wouldn’t do this trip again, even though I gave the Airbnb guy a decent review, and had a pleasant stay in his suite off his condo. It was a nice little place, and to be honest, if it was closer to NJ… I don’t know, lately I have really despised any type of travel past New Jersey (USA) and beyond.

To be continued. I literally have no energy right now and can’t write an interesting blog post… so there’s that.

– signed off 08/10/2026

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So that’s new… thanks Mounjaro… for the inability to eat and to keep my head up! SWEET LORD. 🤔

8/13/2026—Hello, beautiful friend. I am back… with some sad news now to report.

The kitty I mentioned in my last post, the 16-year-old cat named Squirt who I attempted to foster for 2 days, she passed away yesterday. She was supposed to go to her adoptive home too, this Saturday. I’m glad it happened though before it happened to the adopter. I think she had been stressed out too much, she went through a lot at the end of her little life, but one thing I do know for sure: she was LOVED. I hope she knew she was loved by everyone who came across her, because she was a sweet little cat. I am sad, and to be honest, listening to the song “Memory” from the Broadway Show by Andrew Lloyd Weber CATS (book written by TS Eliot: Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats)… that didn’t help me much to say the least. Okay, I sobbed. SOBBED. The first time I did this was a few weeks ago, the day after I dropped her off and then spiraled into thinking about my Hope, my Chino, Chester… then dun dun dun… Oliver (RIP: he died in 2007) … Yes, I mourn my animals greatly because they touched my life so much. And they truly will, if you let down your everything, and LET THEM!

And if I am being honest, I am thinking about today from 27 years ago… the day I buried my best friend. She was one of my true best friends, Elizabeth Marie Boron: 11/29/1983-08/08/1999…

I have two other amazing best friends who I cherish so much, and I was reminded I need to spend the time with them. No matter what my fears entail of me losing them. I fear I am going to lose literally everything now; I guess that’s the narrative grief spins for me. It truly does. I am sad already, that one day, not soon, I will lose my MACK and my AURORA. May they live 15 more years for me, or more, please for the love of everything HOLY and that is good. The only thing I don’t seem to lose is this stubborn WEIGHT. Why can’t that just go away? AGAIN: SWEET LORD!

Anyways, I am not going to go into all the random stuff we have been doing, but we did go to the Poconos and visit one of MOM’s closest and oldest friends from when she worked at Merck. I had a miserable time in the hotel once again and really have come to hate hotels in general. They just… nah, Airbnb is where it’s at. I have one lined up for October for Seaside Heights, New Jersey, once again USA. (The States is where I am at for newbies and anyone outside the United States who finds this blog posting…) …

One last thing I will mention is that after posted about Hadestown, we went on our trip to Delaware and Ocean City, Maryland to the movies 45 minutes away at a Regal to see the movie. I shake my head, at how amazingly good it was. OF COURSE. =)

BOOKS

I have read 10 books since July 21^st… The reviews are in!

I just started Need To Know by Karen Cleveland. It is good so far and has great reviews so I hope it continues to be page turning. I’m not very far into the story, 10% according to Kindle so, there’s that… =)

The Last Morning by Camden Baird- Just finished this yesterday. It was a random book I picked up. I saw it recommended by Kindle Unlimited, so I bought it in paperback (as though I need more books- but it’s really tough not to get them; all these stories! They look so fun to read. Reading is addictive, but I guess the good kind). ⭐⭐⭐💫

The Day I Died Again by Nadine Antoinette- (ARC READ) – I have befriended the AMAZING Nadine through social medias, and I DROPPED EVERYTHING including my TBR list to read this ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) book. It was EXCELLENT. The protagonist has a personality disorder I have struggled with since I was young- BPD- and I have healed majorly, obviously, but the spot on writing with descriptions, the main character and her imperfections that don’t hold her back, her willing to fight through what others call “madness,” not to mention the twists in the story. I loved every minute of this book and could not put it down! I can’t wait for her next one. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐FUN FACT: I will be interviewing Nadine about her book for Me0wMix! Look for it in your inbox around October 13, her official release date for The Day I Died Again!

Yours Always by Corinne Sullivan- This was a fun, twisty ride. I don’t know what else to say about this story. It was exactly as I expected it to be, but my goodness. HAHA! The texts and the intensity of the unreliable narrators and the tension and wondering what will happen next. Good read. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Unknown by Riley Sager- This book started out slow but about 30% through (yes, I read it on Kindle and did not go to meet Riley this book tour (and get a signed book!)… I met him last year, so… I don’t have enough room on my bookshelves! Once again, that’s obvious!)… the book took off and I couldn’t put it down. I finished it in a couple of days, which isn’t unheard of for me. But… the book was great. It didn’t have any tear-jerking moments like his other book, The Only One Left, which makes you cry at the last page—Riley even said it to me. How he learned how to write this great is beyond me, but I am grateful for the plethora of horror and thriller male writers coming out since Stephen King is slowing down; he is in his 80’s anyway. (He seems more interested in soap boxing politics on Twitter (X) than writing novels, and after 50 + amazing books, he’s allowed)… (Love me some Joe Hill though (SK Legacy—truly! IF YOU KNOW YOU KNOW!)) … ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware- I began this on the last day of my trip to Delaware/OCMD and was done it by the next day. IT WAS EXCELLENT. I had tried to get through 2 other books (including the prequel to this book) by Ruth Ware, and never finished them. But this one was well written and very interesting. Her prose is excellent, and she is British, so what else should I expect? Glad I picked this up on whim on a Target trip… ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Getting Away With Murder by Shari Lapena- Meh. I did enjoy this and think this is one of her better books, but I figured out who the killer was about 30 percent through. Maybe I just know Shari Lapena way too well. I HAVE read all her books, but the way it’s becoming obvious… just meh. Better than her last, yet… I don’t want to know if I am right at the end. I WANT TO BE WRONG THE WHOLE TIME DAMMIT! HA! ⭐⭐⭐💫 (Side note: People were searching all over for this at Barnes and Nobles all over the country—don’t waste your time… you will get to it. Popular books, wow. Also: Use Kindle… you can get it instantly… but the numerous social media posts I saw about searching high and low for it, they humored me (Sorry not Sorry)).

That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally- This book pissed me off, yet I do plan on reading the other paperback of hers. I am not sure if Megan Lally has misperceptions of people with mental health disorders, or does she have no other material to play with? Still, a fun, twisty tale… It’s labeled YA (Young Adult) so maybe that’s why the lack of depth is there. She seems to think like a YA in her writing, just saying… But maybe down the road she can push for better perceptions. Still, as I said, a fun twisty tale that kept me reading. ⭐⭐⭐💫

Penance by David Housewright- This book was good. A good crime novel I picked up on a whim as well. It was a good story, and that’s what I am craving daily… it kept me reading and I loved the setting in the Midwest. I also loved that this book was written a while ago and set in the 80’s and 90’s. I enjoy a story that doesn’t rely on social media and phones and internet to keep the story moving. I hope to read more by Mr. Housewright. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wildwood by Amy Pease- To be honest, I don’t remember much of this book, which doesn’t mean anything good or bad. I do remember a little now because I googled the premise. It was very accurate about mental illness and PTSD. I suffer from that as well and that doesn’t go away either—much like personality disorders, we must HEAL but we don’t get CURED. We learn to manage it, and I loved that this book really was open about that. ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger- Dark, twisty tale. I had no idea what was going on, yet I did if that makes sense to you? A woman confesses her suspicions about her husband having an affair with their nanny to a random person on a train and somehow it all works out to be twisted together. Crazy story. I never KNEW what was going on or what would happen and I’ve read this author’s books as you know if you read my blog. I love Lisa Unger; she is another up and coming read for me. She has a big selection. Grateful for that. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanks for reading my BLOG post. I hope to post Chapter 9 of my WIP within the next couple of days. I still must edit it, and I have some new beta readers (THANK YOU MOLLY! 💕) and I have to work on getting organized so they can help me read ABBIE & RYAN’S STORY… and get the editing right and less typos and grammatical errors. I do thank Ken for getting as far as he did, and for sticking it out in Women’s Fiction for as long as he did. I wish I could present a story to ANY audience, but that will come with hard work and EXPERIENCE. This is my first full-length novel. Short stories seem so easy compared to this, seriously, but I am getting there.

Thanks for reading, and may you have a wonderful weekend coming up!

-xoxo-

LWB*

Hello, beautiful friends. It’s not necessarily a rainy day here, in the suburbs of Philly, PA, USA but it sure is cloudy as we wait for storms to arrive in this area. So, let’s dive right on into what has been happening…

I attempted, a week ago, to foster a 16-year-old cat, who had lost her home by no fault of her own. For a day or so she was here. Her owner ended up in assisted living—her owner who she had known for 16 years! It didn’t go so well with me as I hadn’t realized how HARD it was to do this. Having 3 kitties here in my home isn’t something I planned on doing, but I wanted to get this kitty out of her terrible (and I mean TERRIBLE!) situation she was in. So, I took her in, but by Monday (even though it broke my heart to part with her—) I took her to a different foster, who has space, time and energy to manage this kitty. Soppy tears rolled down on my face whe I dropped her off… I just couldn’t handle it, manage it, and I feel like I am a foster fail, but in a different sense of the usual phrase. (At least I can say I tried!)(I do have a foster fail, named MACK and he is of course my tabby baby boy, who is 3 years old who was a foster fail within 30-minutes of him being here! He is my adopted cat now, and I love him to pieces!) I cannot be a foster and won’t be trying again. At least not at this stage of my life.

Then, we had an application for the kitty (her name is SQUIRT by the way) and it fell through within the last hour or so. I thought this was going to work out and vetted the application myself, but the daughter decided that her mother was just not a good match for her anymore (aging related) and we must pass on it now. Sucks, but it is what it is. I am glad SQUIRT is with an amazing foster though who can hold onto her and take care of her and love her—maybe she will adopt her after hearing this story. Who knows? I shouldn’t jinx things, but that’s what my prayers are for right now. But we do have options… SQUIRT has options and we will figure out what is best for her in the end.

RESCUE LIFE. It’s all so meaningful and so wonderful and it all ends up well, because once they’re rescued, they’re with www.hart2heartanimalrescue.com and they are saved. Save them ALL. Can’t stop won’t stop until they are all SAVED!

Everything else is just about the same with goings on. I have been reading a lot this summer and doing my medical things. Got good results back on my tests so that is good. EVERYTHING WAS BENIGN! Hallelujah. Saw a couple of doctors, but because of faulty MRI equipment, my MRI for this gallstone stuff (there is a possibility after my gallbladder surgery that a stone might still be stuck in my bile duct! (Although I think the pain is actually from coughing up a lung with my asthma because of cigarette smoking lofting through the air of a neighborhood guest—yuck. Thank goodness these folk are moving this week or so! Good riddance!)—anyways, my MRI is rescheduled now for September, and I made it closer to home. I don’t think it’s even necessary at this point, because they will probably find nothing. I do think my increase in Mounjaro is going to affect my pancreas again, so I have to be careful what I eat, and I have been since the gallbladder surgery. Although… Brian and I attempted to eat a peach crisp cobbler thinger ding from Wegmans the other day and he took it to work—too sweet. They overdid the sugar on it. It tasted terrible. Good riddance to that as well! HA! (Wegmans is usually great, so I don’t get what happened there!) …

Anywhoo, keeping up with medical stuff and going away a few times during August. Bethany Beach, in Delaware, USA so we can visit Ocean City Maryland, USA for a day and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, USA as well. Then we visit a dear friend of my MOM’s for an overnight in the Poconos and then I will spend a couple of nights in Sea Isle City, New Jersey, USA as well as at the end of the month a few nights with Brian as we venture towards the end of the summer and into September. I can’t believe it’s going to be August in just 11 days! WOW. Summer is flying by, as it oftentimes tends to do! I’ll miss it when I am cold, sad, and miserable in the wintertime months. Last winter was so brutal!

We celebrated my beautiful Mother in Law’s birthday on 7/5. Happy Birthday Nancy! (Got to love the slippers we gave her!) ❤️

I met up with my writer friend, Sea Isle sister— (and really, another mentor of mine)— Kimberly Brighton at an author signing (Emily Giffin for Love You More) last week! What a fun event and it’s ALWAYS great to see Kim! (Kim writes the AMAZING series about Cape May and surroundings and has a recent release too: My Summer Bucket List which is her love letter to Sea Isle City, New Jersey, USA! (my favorite place in the world too!))


WRITING

I am currently working on Chapter 11 from Part 2 of my Work in Progress called ABBIE & RYAN’S STORY. It is PART 3 if you count what will be the PROLOGUE (possibly) when I self-publish this as a paperback someday. I look forward to that day, and if I sat down and took the time to write every day, and work on their story, it would happen sooner. Push me! HA! I need it. Chapter 9 to be released in a week or so… look for it in your inbox or on my social media! Or here! The wonderful SUBSTACK!

BOOKS

I am currently reading Dissection of a Murder by Jo Murray which is the book club pick for ThrillersByTheBookClub- Philly chapter. (If I have the courage to attend this weekend, Sunday, I wanted to have it finished! The book club is meeting only 30 minutes from me this time, in Manayunk, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA—wow, that’s a mouthful! Great opportunity to attend and so far,—a great read! Enjoying it very much! (Also, I am twinsie book reading by accident with a buddy in my online book club! Shoutout to the beautiful Stacy in Australia!)

I have read 12 books (and a short story or 2) since I last wrote a blog post. Here we go…

The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer – This was wild and lives up to the hype! Might leave you wondering, WTF did I just read? Total 1408 (Stephen King) vibes. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Last to Drown by Noelle W. Ihli – This was much anticipated and was a great read. I would definitely check this book out. Fans of hers will not be disappointed! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney – As always, Feeney is a fun ride of a book! I always love reading her stories. I read this after a disappointing read and got right back up to speed! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke – Not worth the hype. Seriously. I did not enjoy this book so much that I got a little over halfway through it and DID NOT FINISH. I don’t get why people like it so much, except that maybe it is a little, maybe a tad bit different (maybe if you only read a book a year—let this not be it!) DUD! And I am not one to usually put down another person’s art. But come on. Just it dragged so much I think the author was trying too hard. If I had finished it… ⭐⭐ at most.

The Missing Ones by A.R. Torre – A recent release and a fun story. A.R. Torre is always so twisty and FUN to read. This is no different, but it might be a tad predictable at times. ⭐⭐⭐💫

I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai – I didn’t like this book, or the writing style from almost the get go and it moved very slowly in my honest opinion. I had this book in my TBR for a while, so I started it because of my sister-in-law, who raved about it, and I very much trust her judgement. This goes to show—to each their own! Give it a shot, but for me, I just couldn’t get into it. (I can’t rate it, I barely got 40 pages deep!)

Love You More by Emily Giffin – Giffin, although so cliché at times and sometimes very predictable, and though this is no different… she finds new ways in her books to get to the resolution which I love about her. This book was great and is a fresh twist and very modern and REAL. ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Sweet Little Lies by Caz Frear – This book was decent for a name and a book I had not heard of before but picked up on a whim. I enjoyed the story (which has been done before—missing people, of course) and the writing and the setting. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

That Night by Chevy Stevens – Though this took me longer than usual to get through (I had no time! HA!), I like Stevens a lot. I am glad I returned to her books after a 10-year hiatus. Not for the lack of quality, I loved her years ago, but for lack of availability. Will find another of hers again, and SOON! ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

FIVE by Ilona Bannister – OMGOSH! So worth the hype. This book grabs hold from page one and doesn’t let go until the final gasp of a breath you take when reading the last sentence. Check it! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Guilty Ones by Kyla Stone – This was good. I enjoyed it. It is a bit of a twist between dark academia as well as girls will be girls… if it’s in your radar already, bump it up. It’s fresh and fun. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff – LOVELY. Such a great story. Worth every bit of the hype. Sarah Damoff, I will be reading again. I know she has another release out and I can’t wait to get my hands on it! I want to her read ALL of her beautiful prose! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

And, that’s that.

As always, thank you for keeping up with me and my silly, little life and my writings and my fiction. It is appreciated so very much, and I am grateful to ALL of my wonderful readers.

Have the day you deserve…

&

Have a blessed rest of your week!

-xoxo-

LWB*

PART TWO

ABBIE

It was a sunny day in mid-April. The birds were chirping and the weather was beginning to get warmer. Some trees and bushes even had their buds blossoming in this area of Eastern Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia. The suburbs were known for lush green grasses in the spring and pollen galore to make the residents sneeze and cough. Allergies were a bitch if you lived in the area and Abbie was no stranger to those. But Abbie did love Springtime and was looking forward to more lush greens and colors galore from the flowers. She just hoped a cold freeze wouldn’t hit once again and mess up all the blooms and kill off some of the branches on her trees again as it had in past years. The weather has been so fickle lately.

Abbie grabbed her coffee off her kitchen counter and her keys and went out the door to get into her red Nissan Rogue. She was grateful for the approaching warm weather. The winter had been brutal, but at least with its brutality, it had produced for her, a boyfriend! Yes, Abbie was now dating a man, Zack, the man she had met at her nephew’s birthday party a few months prior. Abbie and Zack spent most of their weekends together, and all the time they could talking on the phone during the week. They never seemed to run out of things to talk about, and she always seemed to have Zack’s undivided attention. She loved the attention. It had been a while since she had been this into a guy, a man if you will. And she was happy he seemed to be so happy to be around her, she wasn’t used to it to be honest.

She had her share of flings, but she also had dated 2 other men seriously in her lifetime. One of these guys had such a love-hate marriage in and of itself to alcohol that she knew she would never come first in his life. While she was with this guy, name not to be spoken of, she had supported him in his many quests at the rehab facility nearby. They had even lived together briefly, but she finally broke it off when, as someone who was deeply rooted in her studies of psychology, she knew he needed to hit rock bottom, and with her around enabling him, he very much was not going to get there. So, as much as it broke her heart, tore her to pieces, she left him. And they haven’t spoken since. Good thing, because then she wouldn’t have been alone and been at that party for her nephew most likely, and she probably would not have met Zack. It wouldn’t have been the kismet situation it was designed to be in this way. She was okay with all that.

Abbie placed her coffee filled canteen into the cupholder, hit the start button on the car and prepared herself for the 10-minute commute to work by taking a deep breath. She had her radio already auto tuned to Sirius XM radio and the station Turbo was usually on, but last time when she got out of the car, she was feeling a dance vibe, and she had put on the POP station. One of her favorite Lady Gaga songs was on. Paparazzi was the title, and she began to dance a little bit in her seat. She laughed at herself. The song had come out when she had been going through a rough patch with the ex-alcoholic boyfriend of hers. They had already split by then, but she could relate to Lady Gaga’s music. She hadn’t lost interest in the super star since. Wow, that was almost 10 years ago, she thought to herself. Crazy how time flies.

The breakup had shaken her to her very core. She believed this man was her soul mate at the time, they had fallen in love quickly and without resolve. It was a beautiful relationship in the beginning; they spent a lot of time together. They partied a lot together, but towards the 3^rd year of their relationship Abbie decided she wanted to go back to school and finish her bachelor’s degree in psychology and get on with her life, become an adult. So, she did. It seemed to have caused a riff in the relationship, as her boyfriend never stopped drinking. Well, he couldn’t, he was physically addicted to the drink, and all the hard liquor was beginning to take its toll on his own mental health and status and ability to work. She watched him crumble and fall apart, never leaving his side and always supporting him, even as other friends of his started to disappear and stray from his life. Everyone was putting distance between themselves and the drunk guy who couldn’t hold his liquor anymore and couldn’t say no to it. By the time he got his 4^th DUI she knew he was toast, and sadly too that the relationship was toast too. Everything has time and shape to it, and this shape was pointing to the top and she didn’t need to hit rock bottom herself, even though when they broke up, she felt like she had anyway.

One day she had called him up and told him about a car accident she had been in that afternoon that was upsetting to her (of course!) and that she also may have totaled her car. She was driving a Toyota Camry back then and she didn’t think it could withstand the crash. Thinking back, she realizes she has been in a lot of crashes over the years. To be fair, she was never a homebody and always out and about and always seemed to want to take on the driving responsibility, especially when she just about gave up drinking. Designated Abbie they could call her. She never took on a nickname per say, but she did do a lot of the driving, especially when it came to driving her now ex-boyfriend around after his DUI’s. She knew she needed to talk to him at least, but this last conversation put the nail in the coffin on that relationship for her.

When she told him she had been in a car accident he went off about something in his apartment. They had already moved out of the same apartment while they were working on their relationship. Abbie was 27 and living in her own one-bedroom flat at this time and she loved it. The place was quiet, serene and had a fountain out back and she loved to sit and read a novel out there on the bench some days when it was warm. She couldn’t get enough of the sun sometimes, especially on a day mid-April day like today.

Abbie had realized her now ex-boyfriend, Tom, was so out of it drunk at 2 o’clock that afternoon and she also realized this was going to be the last time she called him for a while. She told him that day she hoped he could get himself together but that she couldn’t talk to him when he was drunk like this and when he didn’t care to figure it out or listen to the fact she had been in an accident. He didn’t seem to give a shit at all, Abbie reminisced.

Three weeks later, he called her. He left her a voicemail asking her how she was and asking if they broke up… yes, indeed that was a breakup, that he didn’t even remember. She never called him back after that.

She hopes the best for him, as five years have gone by and she doesn’t know what is going on in his life. She just knows she loved him and can’t wish ill will on a sick person, or anyone really. Tom, she thinks, with a shake of her blonde hair. It was down today and she had straightened it with the flat iron that she discovered that goes up past 400 degrees. She hopes she doesn’t ever fry her hair with it. She also had on mascara and cherry Chapstick as she didn’t have the time to get too detailed in her makeup today which was fine, she could pull it off-- at least she had been told that once or twice.

These thoughts rambled on in her mind and then, she shook her hair again… I need a therapist! She thought to herself as she pulled into work. All this reminiscing had brought a tear to her eye. She caught it with her fingertip and gently wiped it away.

She had been through a lot; a therapist might help her work through some of the grief about her own life that she dealt with. As a grief counselor she usually interacted with those who had lost a friend or a parent, or someone close to them, even a pet sometimes, and it was usually almost immediately after the event had occurred. She was able to help people work through their grief through counseling, but this was different. This was bigger.

This wasn’t working through grief about the loss of a person, this was working through instances in her life and events that had shaped her, molded her into the woman she was today. She needed to sit down and discuss with a therapist about her “shadow” self. The part of her that is tucked away behind her mask, behind her face. The little girl deep down inside and that little girl needed to work through some things with a professional, not just by talking about it and thinking about it in her car rides to work.

She had lost her mother 5 years prior as well. She had gone to her own grief counselor when Mom had died and she had become so inspired, so enthusiastic to discuss her own grief and loss and feelings about it that she decided she wanted to help others to figure out how to work through their own grief and loss in counseling herself. She wanted to be a mentor in a way, and that is what she did, that is what she became.

After getting her MS in counseling she figured out how to work at the Center for Hope where she had been a client just 5 years ago. She knew the ways to get to people, to get them to open their hearts and minds and discuss and get to the bare bones, the very deep parts that needed to be discussed. She usually did this through groups she led or one-on-one sessions as well that she held in her office.

That was where she had met Ryan, her “friend” who had lost his friend in a fire the December prior. He had asked her to speak at a benefit he threw for his fire chief, named George, who died. She spoke and they raised quite a good amount of money for his family and 3 children and wife he left behind so that they could cover burial costs. It was a good turnout and a great opportunity for Abbie to become more known as a healer in the community.

At the end of the night, Ryan had kissed her, and she had felt all the butterflies and tingles. Since then, though, things had been confusing. She knew Ryan had a past life himself, we all do, but she knew that there was something deep in particular that he didn’t want to discuss with her, and with that, she left it alone. If he wanted to tell her, he wanted to tell her. He had asked her on many dates, but they had not been able to meet up, usually because of something coming up with him.

Last time she saw him was at a coffee shop she frequented and took him to a few times in their little town of Lanstown. She loved getting her “red eye” coffee drinks, hot or iced and she knew she had gotten him hooked on them too.

February, after the Super Bowl, it was she realized that she had last seen him. Well, as she pulled up into the parking lot today, lo and behold, his truck is sitting there.

She takes a deep breath.

Last time, when they had bumped into each other after the Superbowl, Zack had been there too to try out the coffee shop she raved about. Zack only lived a few miles over from her townhouse and so he had stopped in, hoping to catch her. Since then, things have been flying high with Zack. He has never missed a date or an opportunity to see Abbie. So, she went with it.

It wasn’t uncomfortable or anything, but she did tell Ryan that if he wanted to talk about what was going on, maybe he should call the office. Now he was here, only 2 months later. She grinned; she couldn’t help but wonder what now? She thought he had disappeared off her radar and off the radar of the grief counseling center.

“Guess we will find out what’s going on, and maybe we might finally find out what’s been going on this entire time.” Abbie said out loud.

Ryan was a complex person she realized, but then again, aren’t we all, and, it seemed like he was hiding something. But why? He didn’t seem like a bad person, just confused.

She picked up her backpack/work bag and grabbed her crossbody Tory Burch purse she had found for super cheap on one of those re-sale apps. She thinks it was called Poshmark. She got it for literally a steal! She loved it when that happened.

She had finished her coffee in the canteen already and was about to pick up a water bottle to carry in as well when Ryan appeared at her door window.

“Hi,” he mouthed. At least to her as she couldn’t hear him. She had changed the station to Liquid Metal and a Bring Me the Horizon song was playing. She remembered too how back in the day she had seen them at a festival and loved them and what seemed to be their message of hope for kids who were fighting depression and anxiety. Man, this band has blown up she thought as she hit the button to turn off the car and open her door.

She smiled at Ryan as she swung her legs out of the car. She was wearing a pair of jeans today as she could dress down on Fridays as there weren’t groups, just virtual meetings and some in-person sessions as well. She was also wearing a blue flowy top and a pretty necklace that her mom had gifted her when she was a kid. She looked like the part of pretty therapist/counselor/babe. She knew it, but she didn’t flaunt it. She always wanted to make sure she didn’t flaunt it at work, and she was diligent in that.

She also didn’t want any men there getting the wrong idea.

“Hi Stranger,” she responded to Ryan. “What can I do for you today? Do you need help with something, or do you have an appointment?”

“Hey Abbie I came to talk to you. Do you have a minute?” he said as he ran his hand through his brown hair. His blue eyes were a little gray today and looked a little glassy. She knew he wasn’t much of a drinker, so she wondered if he was tired, or what was going on. Of course he is tired, he is probably still grieving.

“Sure, why don’t you come into my office,” she responded.

“Okay,” Ryan nodded. The two walked quietly into the building that the Center for Hope was based out of.

Hmmm, I wonder what this is about? She was curious, couldn’t help but be. She hadn’t seen or heard from the man in 2 months when she bumped into him at the coffee shop and essentially directed him in a professional manner in the other direction. She hadn’t meant to do so, but there are only so many times someone can allow another person to blow them off, even if they are grieving and going through shit. She didn’t have the effort to chase him down, or to really sequester his thirst for a woman while he was grieving.

“So, Abbie. I just wanted to see how you were doing; I guess that’s why I am here. And to say, man, this is tough. Tougher than I expected,” Ryan said while wringing his hands together and cracking a knuckle, maybe two, she wasn’t sure. But she heard it from across the room as she put her bags down on her desk chair in her office and gestured for him to have a seat on her plush white sofa. She sat down across from him in another plush white chair.

“Okay Ryan, that is very much to be expected. We don’t have an appointment set up, but would you like one? I know I have availability on Monday...” She waited a beat then before adding “I am so very sorry to hear about your pain and struggle. But again, this is to be expected. You are grieving the loss of your best friend, that is not easy and would not be easy for anyone if we are being honest here.”

“Thanks Abbie. I just, I don’t know where to even begin. I am in a bind, a mess of sorts and I can’t seem to find my way out, except to off myself or to move to a cave somewhere. It’s been bad.”

“Okay Ryan, please. We don’t want to off ourselves and you don’t need to move to a cave. Are you feeling okay enough to say that you’re not a threat to yourself or others though? I must ask these questions, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah, I am okay, I just don’t like these feelings on top of everything else.”

“Well, you know you call #988 if after we talk and you are in a crisis—they will walk you through steps to get whatever care you need. You are familiar with this right?”

“Yeah Abbie. It’s just… I really want to talk to you too. I miss you.”

Abbie smiles, she doesn’t know what to say. She didn’t know Ryan too long before he disappeared and she is having a bit of a hard time believing that he missed her, or did he miss the thought of her? A therapist/counselor woman who will listen to whatever he is hiding and be there for him whenever he needs, his beck and call even? More than likely, it was that. “Oh Ryan, thank you. I think though, you need some time for reflection and maybe try a bit of meditation. It will keep your mind off things and help you to focus better as well on what is important and going on in your life now as well. Not that grieving isn’t important, because it is. All animals, humans especially, we grieve. It’s nature. You need to take care of yourself too. Are you sleeping?”

“Yeah, a little, not well. I have been taking Xanax; you know that sleeping anxiety pill…” Ryan says and unclasps his hands finally.

“Well, that is at least something, I hope that is helping.”

“Could we have dinner this weekend? Make up for lost time and that dinner that we were supposed to have? You know, where we were going to go to an old movie that was being replayed…?” Ryan asks, his bluish-gray puppy dog eyes looking hopeful.

Abbie knows she is going to shoot him down in the next few seconds of his life and she hopes it doesn’t make him feel worse. That part of this situation isn’t her responsibility she reminds herself. “Oh Ryan, I know you would like to resume our dates, but I began seeing someone…” she says and presses her lips together, waiting for his reaction.

“Oh, I understand, I get it,” he nods to her. “Good for you, I am happy for you. Anyone I know?” he lets out a small sarcastic laugh and Abbie is instantly annoyed.

“No.” she states firmly. “Why don’t you set up an appointment with one of the therapists here? It probably isn’t good at this point, or very professional of me, to take you on as a client now, when we have established an outside relationship. it wouldn’t be right.”

“Well, then can I at least see you?” Ryan says as Abbie stands up from her plushy chair implying it’s time for him to leave her office. She hates to be rude, especially to a grieving man, or anyone in general, her empathy usually shines deep, but she doesn’t want this conversation going any further.

“Ryan, give me a call sometime this weekend, we can talk then, okay?”

Ryan stands up and starts walking towards the door. “I’m sorry Abbie. I guess I missed my chance,” he says. “But thanks. Thanks for all your help and I will set up an appointment with one of your counselors to discuss my grief.”

He walks out the door without another word and Abbie watches him go. She is speechless. She didn’t expect this to start her day, but it is what it is.

Abbie just hopes that he can manage his emotions for now. Grief is so hard to manage and it’s not easy for anyone, at least with a soul and a heart in her opinion, to get over someone quickly and easily. She has seen some nasty things happen to people when they’re in the grasp of grief and she doesn’t want that to happen to Ryan. “Hopefully he utilizes that 9-8-8 number if he needs it,” Abbie whispers to herself. “Hopefully.”

She wasn’t sure if she would hear from Ryan this weekend, or ever again, but she had a tiny inkling of hope in both directions on the matter. She wanted to talk to him, she couldn’t help but be curious just what was going on with him that he was so secretive about, but also, she wanted him to stay away too. She didn’t want to complicate things with Zack when they were going so well. So very well. She didn’t want to insert her feelings into a new and blossoming, much like the Springtime flowers around her, her new and blossoming relationship. She didn’t want to screw it up.

She took one last glance out her office window and watched Ryan take off in his truck down the driveway of the Center for Hope. “Bye Ryan. Take care of yourself,” she whispered at the window. Then she drew the shades and walked away and sat down at her desk. She had a lot of emails to catch up on.

************************************************************************************

THANK YOU FOR READING MY FICTION: ABBIE & RYAN’S STORY.

HOPE YOU ENJOYED HANGING OUT WITH YOUR NEW BESTIES. =)

-XOXO-

LAuRa*

Hello beautiful friends,

It has been a beat. A lot has been going on, and I wanted to have a week too where I got my fiction out, which will be continued next month (JULY) with PART 3 of ABBIE & RYAN’S STORY. Currently, I am watching the incredible Philadelphia Phillies play ball against the Washington Nationals and I am hoping for another incredible comeback win! What a night the last two nights. And not just in baseball…

Let’s catch ya’ll up!

So, this past Tuesday evening I got to participate in yet another FUN and INSPIRING author event with one of my favorite authors to read: Lisa Jewell. She is a writer from the UK and she writes thriller mysteries and I love reading her books. They are always DARK but not too dark; not Stephen King dark, but twisty and interesting and they keep you guessing nonetheless and always a slow burn. And this book (which I finished this afternoon) called It Could Have Been Her was no different. Anyways, I got to meet her at the bookstore BookTowne in Manasquan, NJ (which is a little beach town for those of you not familiar with the Jersey Shore, in New Jersey, USA). It was beautiful this town, and I stayed with the hubs in a Holiday Inn Express (which wasn’t the best one I have stayed at, if I am being honest, lol- it was clean though and that is the most important thing!) but it was a great evening nonetheless and we had a lovely dinner at a place right on the water and got to watch a beautiful sunset after the skies cleared after what was a TRULY rainy day. I drove the whole way in the pouring rain, up the turnpike and beyond and UGH! Atrocious weather. But one thing I have learned, you cannot predict the weather, and I bought these tickets a few months ago when I learned of the event and the possibility of meeting Miss Lisa Jewell. I was super excited and it was a great evening altogether.

Besides that, we had a Father’s Day gathering at my house with the in-laws and my Dad of course! And we also had a couple of friends come too who we love spending time with and their little boy who is growing so fast, Mr. Blaine! It was so nice to see everyone and to have the time to spend with them with great food and drinks and lots of great conversation.

As for Rescue life… it never ends! And I am all about it. I love it, let’s just say it for what it is. It keeps me busy and it’s my purpose. I found it! Haha. Look ma, I made it! But we did get to foster 2 “kittens” who are 7-8 months old for 2 weeks because they desperately needed a place to land while the one waited to get spayed. So, they landed at my father in law’s for 2 weeks and I took Bristol, to her spay appointment while her sister Brittany waited patiently (and dug into the late Chester’s old treats- lol- don’t ask!) for her to finish up and heal with a funny strawberry donut Elizabethan collar around her neck for a few days—I think she was mad at us! Haha. Anyways, it was nice to have the kitties with us for a few days, it really was. I hope we have the opportunity to help out in an emergency like that again sometime. Just not soon. It was a lot with everything else that is going on.

I am going to the shore for a few nights next week, and I am truly looking forward to that. Not sure if it will be my last opportunity to go for a while as we are going to Bethany Beach at the end of July and the following weekend doing a night in the Poconos to visit a good friend of my late mother’s—LJ. I am looking forward to seeing her as we could not connect after her move last summer. She moved to Ohio, the land of tornadoes from what I hear from her—sirens galore, oh my! I couldn’t handle that, I hate storms and tornadoes; they-- just, NO.

Well, as the Nationals lose this pitching effort with their horrible bullpen, I am hoping the Phillies will tie it up here. Believe it or not, you just read 700 words in the same TOP OF THE 7^th INNING. Haha.

And we move on…

BOOKS

IT COULD HAVE BEEN HER by Lisa Jewell- SO GOOD. One of her best books I have read. It made me say WTF so many times, especially towards the end and it made me sad for some of the characters. This book had so much character development it was incredible I felt like I knew these people—and it also has so much development in the scene and the setting and the descriptions. I could see it. Lisa Jewell is at the top of her game and in a class all her own. FIVE STARS. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

HOUSE OF CROWS- 4 Short Stories by Lisa Unger- I was reading these short stories in between books and as usual, Lisa Unger delivered. Her books and stories are just so INTERESTING in a way I somehow don’t have the words for. I love reading the shorties between books! Gives me 90 pages to read before bed, a lot of good reading fun. FUN TIMES. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

WE ARE ALL THE SAME IN THE DARK by Julia Heaberlin- I had this book for a few years and I remembered it or something reminded me of it and it was well worth the read. The characters in it each had their own speech type (like an accent if you will- that is a hard thing to write IMO), and it was just really very good. I would recommend it to anyone who has it on their TBR to bump it up! It’s well worth reading, especially in summertime. ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

NO PLACE LEFT TO DIE by Megan Lally- I am not sure if this was a YA thriller or what not, but it was good and it delivered. Based on girls who are being chased for doing something one of their peers didn’t like, yeah… high school sure has changed. LOL. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO by Taylor Jenkins Reid- This book was interesting. I had waited on reading it and I am sad now that I have read ALL of TJR books because they are all so good (even if I didn’t like Malibu Rising so much!)—but yeah, this was worthy of it’s hype but I still consider ATMOSPHERE her Masterpiece! But this is runner up to that and deserves the great ratings it gets. I loved it. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

THE STORM by Rachel Hawkins- Entertaining and fun, it was FREE finally on Kindle Unlimited. I didn’t even have to purchase it, since I waited for like a year for it to get to this spot, to read it essentially. But yeah, this was entertaining and a fun ride. I have read all of RH’s books and enjoyed them all. They are flighty, kind of flirty in a thriller-esque way and just FUN. ⭐⭐⭐💫

THE EX by Alex Sinclair- This was a crazy story about an ex-gf from long ago who comes back to stalk and prey on a man she has been in love with forever and his family and it is twisty and turny. I read this in paperback and enjoyed it. ⭐⭐⭐💫

THE DOLL’S HOUSE a short story by Lisa Unger- Another great shorty! This was really atmospheric in the vein of Megan Miranda, and I truly enjoy these atmospheric stories especially the twisty, weird ending of this one! Coming up soon I’ll be reading Unger’s CONFESSIONS ON THE 7:45 in paperback and I am looking forward to it. I just must get through a few other TBR’s first! ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

WILD DARK SHORE by Charlotte McConaghy- This I waited on for a while and I enjoyed it a lot with the mentions of climate change and what is happening to our planet Earth and also what is happening to the environment and the animals, especially whales and the ocean life. It was good and had a slow burnish thriller vibe to it. It lives up to the hype for me! ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

YOU CAN TELL ME by Melinda Leigh- Another paperback I had gotten on a whim. It lived up to her name. This author apparently has a lot of other books, and I look forward to reading more of hers in the future. I hope so at least. It kept me interested and was about a podcast and how people stalk through social media and was a very modern tale. Check it out if you can! ⭐⭐⭐💫

LITTLE SILENT STRANGER by Cheryl Bradshaw- a quick, 300 page read that was so fun and kept me interested and I just wanted to keep reading. “Just one more chapter!” LOL. So good. I will read this author again as apparently, she too has a lot of books out that I didn’t know about that I want to read- especially in this series of books! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

THE LAST TIME WE DROWNED by Saratoga Schaefer- I don’t know if this is a newbie or how I got my hands on it on Kindle, but it was EXCELLENT. I very much enjoyed this thriller about social media influencers and how they never stop for a breath everything must be about influencing and also about posting content and it was just really a great look into the darkest corners of what some of these people go through. It may look glamourous, but hell no… it isn’t. ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Next Up! THE BRIGHT YEARS by Sarah Damoff for my online book club! I have it in paperback, so I am looking forward to giving my eye twitch a break for a few days! LOL. Yes, I have an eye twitch and no, I don’t want to talk about it more, nor my other health problems that I have got going on. Although, I do have an MRI scheduled for mid-July to see if I have a gallstone stuck in my bile duct. It’s an easy procedure to remove it. Just an endoscopy and I need one of them anyway.

We will get into Spinal Stenosis (my mother had this!) and other issues at a later date 😉 Trust me on that one. Explains a lot, but yeah, later for that!

Thanks for reading about my life and what I have been reading, and I hope you have been able to read some of my fiction. It is fun writing it, and much like Lisa Jewell, I am a pantser (write by the seat of my pants!)—and I love every minute of discovering where the stories are going to take me and who these characters are. I hope you can appreciate it too. No outlines here!

Talk again soon! (two weeks!) =) oh, and it’s 10-5 Phillies now!

They should win the game =)

-xoxo-

LWB*

ABBIE AND RYAN’S STORY

CHAPTER SEVEN (7)

ABBIE

Abbie pulled into the Coffee Corner parking lot and turned off her Nissan Rogue. She pressed the ignition button of the car; she always needed to double check it was off. She had never gotten quite used to the updates on these things, these cars, space oddities if you will. She sometimes forgot to hit the “park” button on the right-hand side of her on the driver side, it was just too easy to miss now. Man, they update things but make it too easy to have a slip.

Abbie was meeting Ryan for coffee and a chat this morning. She could see that his truck was already in the parking lot and he was inside at a small table by the window, waiting for her. She was surprised; it was usually her waiting for him. He must sense what happened last night and be back on the trail. Abbie didn’t like games, and it seemed, in a way, that was exactly what Ryan was playing. Abbie stepped outside of the car and stretched her arms to the sky and took in a big inhale. The air was warm for early February, a balmy 45 degrees Fahrenheit, which was nice after the cold spell they had just experienced. Abbie was about to walk into the coffee shop when she spotted Zack walking in there as well. She was taken aback. What? she thought to herself. Uh oh.

She didn’t want Zack to get the wrong idea when she was meeting Ryan, that it was a romantic meet up at all. She didn’t know what to do or what to think, so she decided to go with it.

“Zack! Hi!” she called out. “What are you doing here?” she said with a small smile. She tried not to avert her eyes in the direction of Ryan, who she could see was standing up in the shop, probably about to get the door for her. Always so polite, dammit.

“Hey, Abbie. You said such great things about this little place, and I always meant to check it out. I thought I would and that maybe I’d bump into you before you went off to work for the day,” Zack replied. “I have a couple of appointments with my mom she needs me to take her to; I could use that double-shot-espresso-red-eye you said you love so much!”

“Sure, sure!” Abbie said. She was trying not to grit her teeth as she got closer to the door and saw Ryan opening it for her. He held the door for her with a big smile.

“Abbie! Awesome to see you! It’s about time!” Ryan said, when she walked through the door with Zack at her heels. Ryan leaned in for a hug and Abbie quickly embraced him back.

“Hey there,” Abbie said. She couldn’t help but sound flustered. This had never happened to her before. She had never walked into a coffee shop, let alone a tiny little one, in her own hometown and waltzed in with two love interests at her coat tails. But, there’s a first time for everything—she thought. She’d laugh if it wasn’t so uncomfortable to be there, but she would do what she could with the situation. She avoided saying Ryan’s name, she didn’t want to seem too friendly with him in front of Zack, especially since right now, she was not in the best place with him. He had clearly been ghosting her for weeks and she didn’t like that feeling or the sentiment whatsoever, no matter what the cause. The least the guy could have done was made up a scenario, an excuse of some sort. But he hadn’t, and he had left her feeling a little bit dejected after she got her hopes up after an intense yet soft kiss at the benefit she had helped throw for his best friend who had passed away because of smoke inhalation in a fire a couple of months back.

“I got us a table right over by the window. Hope you have a few minutes so we can chat,” Ryan said.

“Do you two know each other?” Zack asked, perplexed but not suspicious. He obviously knew Abbie was familiar with quite a few people in the area, especially with her job as a counselor at the Center for Hope to help people who were experiencing grief and loss, something she was all too familiar with herself after losing her mother to cancer 4 years prior.

“Hey man, I am Ryan,” Ryan said to Zack as his smile started to fade. He held out his hand to shake it anyway and Zack obliged. They shook hands.

“Hey, yes, Zack, this is my friend, Ryan. We meet at the coffee shop sometimes in the mornings before we each head off to work,” Abbie explained. She smiled, a tight-lipped but genuine smile. She had on a fuchsia lip gloss today and she could feel her lips sliding a little bit over one another. She smacked them together and said: “Zack, I’ll head with you to the counter, and Ryan, I’ll meet you at the table in a minute, hope you have the time. Sorry, I am running behind schedule a little bit today,” she said.

“Okay,” Ryan said. He didn’t seem upset or what not and why should he be? He had been ghosting her and he should realize, Abbie had other male friends in her life. Especially since she had been single for a while.

“I’ll let you get to your coffee date with your friend,” Zack said with a sly smile. “But I am going to order that coffee drink you mentioned, and one for you too!”

“If you insist,” Abbie grinned. She pulled up her coat sleeve and her bracelet that her mother had given her jangled against the pretty Tory Burch one she had gifted herself on her last birthday. It made a clinking sound and Abbie came into focus.

Two men, two handsome men, were interested in her apparently, but why had Ryan acted the way he had? She couldn’t help but wonder what had been going on and was excited that she was about to find out.

As Abbie grabbed her drink, she walked over to the door with Zack and signaled a finger up to Ryan that she would be back in one second. She could feel Ryan’s eyes boring holes in the back of her head after he nodded and as she walked Zack back out to his truck. She found it amusing that both guys drove trucks, but different versions. Zack’s was a GMC and she could spot Ryan’s Ford F150 anywhere. She didn’t like that truck version much, or any truck version. As much cargo space as they had, they didn’t seat many people. Not that she was a soccer mom and needed a minivan or anything, though. But she did have a bad run in with a Ford F150 as a young woman driving in her first year. Though she survived the crash, her first car, a Honda Accord, had not. It had broken her heart in a way that only a first car accident experience can do. To know that I wasn’t invincible, and neither was my car, she reminisced in her head.

She gave Zack a hug and told him she would give him a call the next day. She did fully intend to text him later, just to say hello, after she had time to process this and whatever Ryan was about to tell her, if he even did explain his behavior. She couldn’t read the vibe yet.

**********

RYAN

I watched Abbie walk back over to the table where I was seated. Man, she was hot. She had this grace about her as she walked in her black button-down coat that skimmed her knees. I couldn’t help but take in what she was wearing. Brown ankle-length boots with black pants that looked very stylish, at least from what I could tell. She always looked stylish and put together to me. Who was I to even try to be with this girl at this point? And would I be able to anyway with all this baggage I was carrying?

The guy who showed up today, I couldn’t help but wonder who he was, she didn’t give me an explanation even though she provided Zack one of me as her “friend”. At least I earned that one. Glad she wasn’t so mad at me as to not call me that anymore.

I stood up as she came over and sat down and looked at me curiously.

“I haven’t heard from you in a while. I thought maybe you had ghosted me,” Abbie said straight up. I earned that, I can admit it.

I didn’t know what to say to that, even though I should have known she would be direct. But for some reason, it put me off a bit. If she was mad, she might not be thrilled with what I had been keeping from her.

If I am being honest with myself, I don’t know of anyone who would be excited to hear that their “friend” had been keeping a secret love child from them, and from everyone they knew for going on 8 years, including the father of the boy, Stephen who’s live-in father, or would be “dad” passed away recently and never even knew that his son was not even his own flesh and blood. Sometimes, Ryan thought that George not knowing and still having been such a great father to Ryan’s son, just showed that he really had been a great person and it was such a loss, not only to the fire department of Lanstown, but to the community in general. Not to mention his family. His very own son, who was Ryan’s son of flesh and blood.

Ryan shook his head.

“Hey Abbie, yeah. I am sorry about that; can we start fresh on that end?” I asked with the most hopeful puppy dog eyes I could muster. I had been told in the past by other women, namely Lydia that I was talented at that. I knew how to get my way when it came to fixing my own screw-ups with women.

“Well… what’s going on? Is there something you would like to talk about?” Abbie asked me. I was surprised; I thought the puppy dog eyes would melt her pretty little heart right away. I guess not.

“There’s just a lot going on, as you know.” I started… “A lot of stuff going on with the kids in George’s family and I am trying to help or whatever, and it’s been hectic. Plus, the fire department is trying to get me to take on some newer roles since George left so many behind. That’s a good thing though, I am happy to assist there, but Lydia’s family; I don’t know what to do with that whole situation.”

“Well, right now we don’t have the time, but if you want to come in and sit down with me at an appointment, or speak that way? Or you can call the office and see what we can schedule. Maybe you just need to process some more of your friend’s death? Grief is tricky, the nature of the beast,” Abbie said. I think she was trying to blow me off. I guess I deserved it, and I also hadn’t told her much either, so in a way that was my fault too.

“Yeah sure,” I said. I stood up. I had a hot “red eye” in my hand, whereas she had a cold version of the same drink that I could see. On today’s warm up, I guess she felt she could get away with an iced coffee. Women. They all seem to love their iced coffee drinks. I could feel the smirk hit my lips.

“What?” Abbie asked clearly, noticing it. I guess I didn’t hide my smirk well, but I wasn’t trying to either.

“Nothing. Just think it’s cool we get the same drink, just different versions,” I said, allowing myself to say it to her. If she was going to blow me off, I wasn’t going to keep that little prick at her to myself.

“Oh, it’s warmer out. Why not have a treat? Plus… this is what Zack got me,” Abbie said. She smiled to herself I couldn’t help but notice. She seemed pleased about something, and if she had that, I wasn’t about to take it from her. She remained seated. I noticed this as I was picking up my key fob to my truck off the table.

“It was nice to see you, Abbie. I will take what you said into consideration,” I said as she started to stand up too. “No, no, sit, enjoy your coffee, please.” I spoke. “I am late for a department meeting. I’ll talk to you,” I said and nodded at her.

“Bye Ryan, hope your meeting goes well. Call me if you need anything, and hope your day is good,” she said.

Then I left the shop.

Just who was that Zack guy? And why had she never mentioned him to me before? Just like me, she must have secrets, but I think we all can play the secrets game. Middle-aged people, we all have secrets, don’t we? We have lived a life so far, a life of unexpected affairs and illegitimate children that we can’t even raise ourselves. What about it?

I wonder what secrets Abbie is keeping. I wondered that but I also was determined now, to find out… what exactly makes this woman tick? And how can I find out. She deserved better than the treatment I had been granting her, and I was about to serve it to her.

Puppy dog eyes or no puppy dog eyes, I wanted to know Abbie better, and I wanted her to know that she deserved to be known for her. But maybe, she was happy already? Maybe this Zack guy was her cup of tea.

I guess I was going to find out…

**********

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING ABBIE & RYAN’S STORY ! I AM HAVING A BLAST WRITING AND CREATING IT. COME BACK NEXT MONTH (JULY) FOR THE NEXT PART OF THEIR STORY (PART 3) WITH ALL NEW TWISTS! =)

THANKS AGAIN FOR READING!

-xoxo-

LWB*

Hello beautiful friends… hope all is well with everyone. I have a lot to catch you up on so let’s dive right in.
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CHAPTER SIX (6): ABBIE & RYAN’S STORY

ABBIE

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Hello Beautiful Friends…

May 14, 2026, my FOUR-YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY. =) It’s a beautiful day outside and I have some, actually a lot of news to report. Hopefully I can get through writing it all without getting totally exhausted.

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ABBIE AND RYAN’S STORY

ABBIE

“But what about Ryan? Didn’t you two share a lovely, passionate kiss?” Abbie’s best friend Crystal asked on the phone the next morning.

Crystal had called on a whim as usual. Abbie could be hard to get ahold of, but this time Abbie picked up. It was 10 o’clock in the morning on a Sunday after all, and n…

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“YOU’RE LIKE A SHOOTING STAR IN THE RAIN…” - Sully Erna, Godsmack…

Hello Beautiful Friends…

“You’re everything that feels like home to me…”—it’s tough sometimes grieving the loss of someone who is still alive. I miss someone, even though I wish I didn’t, but I miss what once had been, not what was. So, it’s like, I’m grieving the loss of w…

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CHAPTER 4: Party Time with New Peeps!

The rest of the week flew by. Abbie had her usual clients at work, and her cousin had invited her to a birthday party for her nephew this Saturday.

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Hello there, beautiful friends.

Is anyone else fighting a cold virus off with the JAWNS of life right now? My goodness, it’s been terrible with my asthma. I woke up at 2AM today and had a terrible attack and it’s just SUCKED for the lack of a better phrase to describe how I am feeling right now. I hate this time of year when cold virus…

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CHAPTER THREE(3) : … And A Little Bit of Bad Behavior…

Tuesday arrived and the snow was cleared and plowed although Abbie often wondered what exactly the landscapers who plowed her development were thinking as they piled the snow in the most random of spots and often blocked people in. She assumed they didn’t want to participate in winter either and just…

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CHAPTER 2: Dinner & A Classic Movie?

Abbie woke up to the sound of chirping birds and her chirping cat at the window talking right on back to them. She was surprised to hear the birds; it must have warmed up a couple degrees outside. It was highly possible.

She felt good.

During her restful nap, that felt a second long, she dreamt of her mother. Her mother…

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Hello there BEAUTIFUL friends…

HAPPY OPENING DAY OF (PHILLIES!) BASEBALL TO ALL WHO CELEBRATE!

I am currently on a respite at the shore—and I forgot to bring the Harper Phillies shirsey I planned on wearing today. I brought the kitchen sink though but forgot my Phillies shirt! Imagine that. I am the worst packer ever. I never know what t…

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CHAPTER 1: Yoga and a Bit of Nostalgia

Abbie exhaled out her mouth. She was taking deep breaths in and out at the end of her favorite ending to her work week. Her seven o’clock Friday evening yoga class was nearing its end. She took a few more breaths, happy that her work week was finally over.

She has big plans this weekend coming up. Plans with Ryan. A …

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Hello beautiful friends…

March is Self-Injury Awareness month and since I am going to talk about this a little bit, I just want anyone who needs to hear this that the following may be TRIGGERING. With that said… I want to let anyone who doesn’t know me that well, or that still doesn’t know this about me, this…

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Well, waking up to a war started by Orange Hitler wasn’t on my list of things I expected today, but alas, that IS what is happening. It’s just really a sad day and age for the United States of America, as we have entered the dark ages of our country. All because of one man and his pursuit to not be held accountable for his feloni…

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Hello there beautiful friends. Today is my birthday—and I am doing what I want to do. Read, and write and if I wasn’t still struggling with a bit of a bad cold, and the cough wasn’t so epically gross and annoying, I would work out on my bike too, because right now, I really miss her.

So… this last week has been yet another nightmar…

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