Julie Forrester is a young single mother afraid of opening her heart to a man after her ex-boyfriend abandoned her before the birth of their daughter. Ten years later, she has reentered the dating world, and just as she thinks she's found the love of her
The Gift
By Rebecca L. MaskerTrafford Publishing
Copyright © 2012 Rebecca L. Masker
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4669-4724-5Chapter One
March 2005 Julie sat curled up in one of the patio chairs outside the townhouse she shared with her now ten year old daughter Carly. Carly was still asleep inside and the sun was just beginning to show itself. Even though it was only March the temperature was already well into the high sixties and Julie knew it was going to be another muggy Arizona day.
Taking a sip of her tea Julie leaned her head back against the chair and closed her eyes. She hadn't slept well the night before and she was fighting serious exhaustion. Carly had been a living nightmare the last few weeks. Almost every single morning before school she whined about not feeling well, pouting and even throwing a tantrum one morning when Julie insisted she attend school. Julie was rapidly growing tired of her daughter's attitude and was determined to find a way to nip it in the bud once and for all. How exactly she was going to accomplish that was as yet unknown, but she knew she'd figure something out.
Draining the last of her now cold tea Julie rose from the lawn chair and stretched, wincing as the bones in her back and neck crackled painfully. Entering the house she dropped her empty cup in the kitchen sink and, after peeking in to check on Carly, headed upstairs. Hopefully a hot shower would make her feel more human. She stripped out of her pajamas and tossed them in the general direction of the laundry basket. She kept her tired eyes closed as she turned the shower on and stepped under the spray. The hot water worked to loosen her sore muscles and as she reached for the bottles of shampoo and body wash on the shelf.
Julie cherished these little moments she had to herself in the morning. As dearly as she loved her daughter sometimes it felt good to be alone. Carly had been acting so strangely lately. Julie didn't know whether or not to be annoyed with Carly or worried about her. Lately she was leaning more towards being annoyed and she hated herself for feeling that way about the only truly good thing in her life.
For the last few years her life had taken on a rather monotonous routine and sometimes she longed for a change. Other times Julie welcomed the familiarity her routine offered her and she fought hard against change. Carly had been trying to convince her to get out more but Julie always found an excuse. She couldn't help but feel a tiny bit hurt that her daughter was trying so hard to get rid of her in the evenings when they spent quality time together.
Julie wasn't even able to really enjoy time with her best friends anymore. They were badgering her constantly about spending all her time either working or with Carly. Julie had been introduced to half a dozen eligible bachelors just in the last few weeks and she'd politely, but firmly, turned them all down and then turned her wrath on her friends who remained utterly unabashed. The last one they'd introduced her to appeared to be a little perverted and Julie had been scared that she'd find him waiting in her car when she left the clinic after work.
It was all too easy for Julie to remember with vivid detail how terrified she'd been when she first arrived in Arizona. Leaving home had seemed like a great adventure, something necessary that she'd done for the sake of her child, but suddenly finding herself in a strange place where she knew absolutely nobody had terrified her so badly she'd been half tempted to turn the car around and go back home to her parents.
Life these days was comfortable if not extravagant and that was just how Julie liked it. Growing up firmly set in the lower working class of a blue collar family she'd grown up understanding that things were tough and you had to work for what you got. She'd taken that attitude with her when she'd taken Carly across the country to Arizona to start a new life together and it had paid off in ways Julie had never dared to dream.
After leaving Maryland she and Carly had gotten settled in their new apartment with nothing but the bare necessities to get them through. The first few years in Arizona had been both incredibly difficult and, at times, utterly terrifying. More than once Julie had been faced with such exhaustion and anxiety that she'd seriously considered just saying the hell with it and moving back home where her parents could help take care of her and Carly. Those moments of self-pity were few and far between though, thank God, and the closer she got to finishing with medical school the less often they came to haunt her.
The landlady of the apartment where she and Carly lived, an older woman named Virginia, had been an absolute angel in disguise for Julie. Virginia had babysat Carly whenever Julie needed her and she hadn't charged an extraordinary amount of money. The thought of sending Carly to daycare had been horrifying, especially when Julie realized how much the average daycare charged. Working as a cashier in a local Wal*Mart had given her enough money to pay the bills, pay Virginia for babysitting Carly and put food on the table. Occasionally Julie would manage to save enough money to treat Carly to a movie or something but it was rare and Julie struggled with severe guilt for denying her daughter a better life.
Things had gradually gotten better once she finished medical school and got a job as an ER doctor at the local hospital. The hours were erratic at the beginning but it was worth it. She no longer had to worry so much about the bills and was able to do more fun things with Carly. Years of hardship had taught Julie a few lessons and she continued to put aside money for emergencies. The year before she had been able to put a down payment on the townhouse and she and Carly moved out of the apartment that had been their first home in Arizona.
Not living next door to Virginia had been hard, especially on Carly who looked at the woman as a surrogate grandmother, but Carly still went to Virginia's after school three days a week so at least they were still able to see each other.
Life was pretty damn good now and Julie was proud of herself for not giving up. She had a good job, she had an amazing kid and she had great friends that she knew could be trusted to be there for her and Carly no matter what. The only thing missing in her life was a man and it wasn't until quite recently that it really hit her that she might want a man in her life.
Julie had been at the bar with her friends having a few drinks, a ritual they had twice a month, and they had all been talking about Julie's lack of luck and experience with men. Her friend Sienna speculated out loud the possibility that Julie's working parts had probably shriveled up and fallen off from lack of use and Julie, who had just taken a sip of her drink, snorted laughter and sprayed the mouthful all over the table and her friends. All four of the girls had nearly fallen off their stools they were laughing so hard.
That night though the conversation had reentered Julie's mind and she wondered if Sienna might not be partially right at least. She hadn't been with a man since she'd gotten pregnant with Carly and that experience hadn't exactly made the Earth move or anything. Ten minutes with a boy she'd been desperately in love with and the next thing she knew her life was changed forever.
Kevin Meyers had been everything Julie had ever wanted and when he finally gave her the time of day Julie had been ecstatic. They'd known each other all their lives and had "dated" once before when they were in 1st grade. Julie hadn't been worried when she...
