To My Senses The Nicci Beauvoir Series Book 1 (46 page)

I remained in our house,
never returning to New Orleans, despite my father’s protests. He
was busy getting the new plastics plant ready and he wanted me back
home, not alone out in the country. Still, I needed to be
alone.

Epilogue

It’s a Tuesday morning, and
I have a flight to New York in the next few hours. I’ve packed an
overnight bag and closed up the house. The cab I called has arrived
and the driver honks his horn from the driveway. I take one last
look around to make sure everything is in order. The portrait above
the mantle catches my eye. I study the painting with all its
brilliant hues of gold, blue, and red, and I remember back to that
afternoon in the French Quarter, so long ago. Stepping onto the
porch, I lock the front door, and walk down the drive to the
waiting cab.

“
New Orleans International
airport, please,” I tell the driver, as I slide into the back
seat.

We drive through the back streets and arrive
in the center of Hammond, passing by all the old plantation homes.
I watch as the children play in the warm March breeze. Spotting the
small church to my right, I ask the driver to pull over.

“
I have to do something,” I
say to him, getting out. “I’ll just be a minute.”

He nods and picks up the newspaper on the
seat beside him.

I stroll down a red-bricked
path to the church entrance. It is a simple dark wooden structure,
surrounded by several moss-laden oak trees that seem to lazily
stretch out their limbs over the surrounding tombstones. I head
back toward the corner of the cemetery, to a spot I have visited so
many times in the past several months. There, under the shade of an
old leaning oak, rests my David. I arrive at his granite cross,
brush off the leaves, and smile down on his little piece of
earth.

“
I’m off to New York
today,” I tell him. “They’re going to publish my book…our book.
Everyone always says write about what you know, so I wrote about
us.”

I gaze up into the morning
sky and see white puffs of clouds floating above the horizon. The
treetops twist in the gentle breeze while I breathe in the fresh,
cool air. I close my eyes, listening to the world around
me.

I open my eyes and suddenly
the world seems completely different. It’s as if a foggy veil has
been removed from before my eyes. The light of a new beginning has
replaced the darkness of my past.

I look down at the small
headstone.

David Alexander, Beloved Painter.

Taking a copy of my
manuscript from my oversized handbag, I set it beneath the
cross.

“
I brought you a copy. I
dedicated it to you, David. After all, you were my inspiration.” I
marvel at the granite cross, sparkling in the sunlight. “You were
the one who opened my eyes and gave me a new direction. You brought
me to my senses.”

Leaving his grave, I stroll
back to the cab and climb in. The driver puts the car in gear and
we slowly pull away. I watch as David’s cross grows smaller in the
distance.

“
Leaving someone behind?”
the driver asks, eyeing me curiously from the rearview
mirror.

“
No,” I proclaim, gazing up
at the bright morning sun. “I’m taking him with me.”

THE END

Nicci’s story continues in
book 2 of The Nicci Beauvoir Series,
Recovery
.

Once a darling of New
Orleans society, Nicci pens a novel about her departed love, the
artist David Alexander. While promoting her book in the Big Apple,
she’s approached by David’s former boss, Simon La Roy, who believes
David’s death be linked to someone from her past. Enter Dallas
August, an elite member of Simon’s organization of corporate spies
prized for his ruthless ability to get the job done. Playing the
part of Nicci’s lover, Dallas returns to Katrina-ravaged New
Orleans with her to flush out the killer. But everything is not
what is seems in the Big Easy, and soon the couple find themselves
trapped in a psychotic’s twisted game of revenge. On the run for
their lives, Dallas and Nicci must confront their tormentor before
it is too late. It’s a deadly decision that could cost Nicci
everything, but it is her only chance for finally revealing the
identity of David’s murderer. Just as the truth is discovered,
another more compelling mystery is unearthed. It’s an unexpected
turn of events that rocks Nicci’s world.

Alexandrea Weis is an
advanced practice registered nurse who was born and raised in New
Orleans. Having been brought up in the motion picture industry, she
learned to tell stories from a different perspective and began
writing at the age of eight. Infusing the rich tapestry of her
hometown into her award-winning novels, she believes that creating
vivid characters makes a story moving and memorable. A
permitted/certified wildlife rehabber with the Louisiana Wildlife
and Fisheries, Weis rescues orphaned and injured wildlife. She
lives with her husband and pets in New Orleans.

To read more about
Alexandrea Weis or her books, you can go to the following
sites:

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: http://www.alexandreaweis.com/

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