Acting Up Read Free Page B

anymore, and he was trying to be mother and father… and so often failing miserably at both.
    God… I miss my wife. I still don’t understand why you had to take her. I don’t understand why Jason and Carson will never know what an incredible mother they had. I know there was a reason. I just don’t see it. You have to help me. I don’t know what to do to fill this emptiness.
    His hands flexed as he stared out at the empty road ahead of him. Empty like his life. Sometimes he wondered if it wouldn’t be easier to miss a turn and drive right off the road. Then the pain might end… finally… and he could be with Jenny again.
    Out of the corner of his eye, a light caught his attention. Ethan glanced down to see the gas warning gauge had come on. Nothing like the mundane to remind him the world continued to spin. These bouts of self-pity had to stop. He shook himself, trying to clear his mind of such destructive thoughts.
    Maybe the warning light was a message from on high, signaling Ethan needed to get his act together.
    In any case, he’d be another few minutes late picking up the boys. The Gas Up was up ahead. He turned on his signal and pulled up to the pump.

Chapter Three

    Addison escaped her Malibu beach house in the dead of night, like a criminal trying to skip bail. In the comfort of her sleek, black sports car, she reached her destination three days later. As the road curved, a sparkling lake came into view. Rice Lake, named after one of the founding families of the town. Beyond the small copse of trees to her left was the waterfall that had given the town its name, Covington Falls, which were named after the other founding family. She’d taken the top down on the convertible, and Addison imagined she could hear the water rushing over the rocks, though the falls weren’t big enough to be heard over the purring of the engine.
    The descending sun set the lake’s glossy surface ablaze, and she shielded her eyes from the glare. Ahead was the road, which would take her through town. She hit the brakes, tires squealing against the asphalt. A memory of a little ice cream shop surfaced. Aunt Ruth had taken her there nearly every week. They used to sit at a little iron table on the sidewalk and share a bowl of homemade chocolate chip ice cream. Addison had dined on gourmet desserts made by the world’s best master chefs since then, but none of them had ever been able to match the taste of Scoops & Dips .
    A memory of the sweet taste tickled her tongue, and on a whim, Addison turned the steering wheel to the right. At the intersection of Main Street and 1 st Avenue was Covington Park, a grassy little knoll with benches surrounding a multi-tiered fountain. City Hall and the main library formed sentries on either side of the park, and wide sidewalks lined with cute-as-a-button shops fanned out from there. Each storefront sported colorful awnings and creative window decorations celebrating Valentine’s Day. The most romantic day of the year had come and gone she realized with shock. Nothing seemed to have changed. The thought was comforting, and a bit frightening, as if time had stopped at the city limits.
    Then a striped pink and white awning captured her attention. She slowed the car. The cast iron tables remained, though now they were black instead of white. Decorated Valentine’s hearts marched across the window. With one last wistful glance, Addison drove on.
    Leaving the downtown area, Addison noticed her gas gauge was hovering on empty. If she remembered correctly, there was station ahead. Yep, the Gas Up , right where it always had been.
    Her legs protested as she levered herself out of the car. A perusal of the machines revealed Covington Falls had yet to graduate to pay-at-the-pump service. Meaning, she had to go into the store. Hoping to sneak into town undetected, she’d dressed down in her oldest jeans and sweater and pulled her hair back into a loose