Counting on Starlight Read Free

Trixie. You’ll see.”
    Liann climbed down from the truck’s cab and waved as Herb drove off. She could have called Aunt Chin Mae, although she couldn’t imagine herself stuffed into her aunt’s car, winding their way out of town back to the farm.
    She ambled along to the house, glancing to her left and out at the rippling fields with beehives tucked underneath the oak trees. Rivers Honey had turned from a retirement hobby into a full-time venture. She’d stay away from the hives, thank you very much. The very thought of the tens of thousands of bees in each hive made Liann shiver as she took the first step to her apartment over the garage.
    As soon as she entered the cool one-room efficiency, she slapped her forehead. She’d left all the equipment and that hideous yellow shirt in Trixie’s trunk. Liann found a gallon of sweet tea in the small refrigerator, which Aunt Chin Mae had stocked with all kinds of beverages. She pushed it aside and instead reached for a bottle of tropical fruit juice.
    She sank onto the loveseat and watched the ceiling fan do its thing of circulating the cool air. What she really needed was some girlfriend chat. Beth, her best friend, still considered her move to Texas a crazy one. But Beth loved her enough to know Liann needed to go, given the circumstances. Liann looked at her phone. It was nearly one o’clock, which made it eleven in California. She dialed Beth’s number.
    “Hey you! I’m surprised to hear from you. I figured it would be at least a week until you got settled into your routine.” Beth’s voice reminded her of all the good things she’d left behind. Her parents, special friends, a great church, an excellent job—maybe Beth was right...
    “I just needed to hear a friendly voice.” Liann tried to control the quaver in her words.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “Everything. I’m not coaching cheer. I’m coaching the color guard. It’s half-time position. I was sure I'd get the head cheer position. Maybe not 100 percent sure, but...you know I had to come...”
    “Oh, Hon. I'm so sorry. How did that end up happening?”
    Liann explained, and capped off her whole sorry morning by saying, “and Trixie broke down and she had to be towed. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to afford repairs. My savings are slim and I don’t get paid until August fifteenth.”
    “Oh, girl. I knew it was a bad idea to totally start over in such a drastic way....  Not a bad idea to dump Matt, though.”
    Liann pondered her disappointments for a moment. “Still, the tow truck guy is good friends with my uncle and didn’t charge me, and the coach I met told me I should send Trixie to his friend  who owns an auto repair shop and won’t overcharge me.”
    “You know you could have moved in with me. I don’t mind having a roommate, considering you’d broken your lease.”
    “I know, and I appreciate it. But Matt—”
    “Matt’s going to survive.”
    “I know he will. But he never listened to me and I doubt he’d start now. Which is why Starlight seemed a better option. I need the distance.”
    Beth filled her in on everything she’d missed in the five days since she’d left La Vida, California. She’d returned the last of the gifts that Liann had received at the bridal shower, and Liann didn’t have to face any of the unspoken questions about why she’d made her big decision. Life had gone on without her. Even Beth hurried off the phone with a promise to keep in touch.              
     
    #             
     
    “We had registration today,” Madelynn Tucker announced at supper that evening. She glanced at Jake then down at her dinner plate.
    Jake looked up from his notepad next to his plate of chicken fried steak. Sixteen-year-old Maddie sure could cook, but comfort food during the week in the summertime meant something was up. “I thought you were already registered for classes.”
    “Well, um, I am.” Maddie stepped into the kitchen. “Want