Bitter Sweet Beginnings (7 page)
Read Bitter Sweet Beginnings Online
Authors: Tara Oakes
The rest of what I’ve got going on looks decent enough. A pair of light-wash skinny jeans, a white V-neck t-shirt with a thin purple gauze scarf and a pair of dark brown leather strappy sandals.
I’m sure Court would pick this apart and start to foam at the mouth if I let her be my personal stylist, but she’ll have to learn to get over it.
This is as good as it gets
, I tell myself as I nod one last time to the mirrored image of my half-asleep reflection.
I pull the door closed behind me and lock the deadbolt. I nod to Mr. Alderson, the middle-aged man from the second floor as he leaves for work dressed in his suit. He and I aren’t usually on the same schedule, so I don’t get to see him often.
His thinning hair and weathered skin show their wear. I know he commutes to work and is one of the first people to leave the lobby every morning.
“Hiya there, Leah! Kind of early for you this morning, hmm? Early shift?” He’s more than cordial. I’m surprised he remembers my name. I recall his calling me Lisa on more than one occasion.
I smile warmly to the man as we match strides through the aging lobby.
“Hi, Mr. Alderson. No… I’m going away with some friends for a girls’ trip.”
He notices my small suitcase and shows an expression of understanding as the information comes together. Once we reach the heavy front doors of the building, having passed the wall of metal mailboxes, he takes pity on me as I struggle to pull the stiff-wheeled luggage, and holds the large wooden-framed entranceway open for me.
The girls have pulled the navy blue convertible up front and center, waiting for me to join them. I can see Nina sitting in the front passenger seat checking her watch, probably making a mental tally of how many minutes my sluggishness has cost our estimated time of arrival in Salem.
“Well, have a safe trip,” Mr. Alderson calls out as he shifts the worn, weathered briefcase in his hands, letting the weight of the door swing shut behind us. He quickens his pace to the parking lot.
Courtney has left the trunk open for my suitcase to join theirs. She’s already added my other carry-on to the pile and I have to maneuver the bags around to ensure that mine will fit. Courtney is applying a thick layer of lip gloss in the rearview mirror and sees my lack of enthusiasm for the seating arrangement.
“First come, first serve, sweetheart. You’re rocking the back seat this time.” She smacks her lips together after her words to evenly spread her gloss.
Nina exits the car in order to lift her seat forward so I can crawl into the cramped back seat. If this is based on promptness, then my butt will be parked in the back of Court’s Infiniti every time. Especially if always-on-time Nina is my competition.
Once I’m semi-settled and moved over to behind Court’s own seat, Nina pushes her seat back and pulls out her trusty iPad to bring up our carefully laid-out travel plans.
Courtney turns the ignition and slowly pulls us out into the building traffic of early morning rush hour. We haven’t been able to pick up much speed yet, but it won’t be long before we hit the main highway from Abingdon.
Nina takes an old-fashioned styled handkerchief from her handbag and uses it to cover her hair, tying it under her chin like a 1960’s style woman out for a Sunday drive. All she needs now is a pair of white gloves and she’ll be as en vogue as Jackie O. Maybe some cat-eye sunglasses, too.
I shift to bring my knees up, snuggling into the leather of the bench seat. Let them keep the front seat. At least I’ll be able to stretch out and catch some of the sleep that they helped to interrupt this morning.
I gently place one and then the second ear bud in, swipe my finger across the screen of my phone, selecting something that I know will help lull me into a calmed daydream if not actual sleep.
I pull the well worn brim of my ancient Baltimore Orioles cap down over my eyes, cross my arms over my chest to add a little extra warmth to the early morning chill, and let the soft purr of the engine work its magic.
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About the Author
Tara Oakes is a new author from Long Island, N.Y. She lives with her husband and their little pet family. She is an avid reader, a DIY'er and writer of all things romance. With several completed works,
A Lil' Less Broken
marks her debut into e-publishing.
When not writing or reading, Tara enjoys gardening (without much success) and all things
Real Housewives
related. Please feel free to contact her as all feedback and fan interaction is much welcomed and highly appreciated.
http://www.authortaraoakes.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tara-Oakes/1468537190061965?ref=hl
@Lil_oakes