Copyright © 2020 by Madison McCall
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
MFY Publishing
Chapter 1
“Mom, where do you want this box?” I yelled.
“Oh, just put it anywhere,” she replied.
Setting it down on the kitchen counter, I then looked at the side of the box and it had Kitchen Stuff written on the side in big black letters, so I knew I had put it in the right place.
Walking into the kitchen she said, “Wow, I think we’re almost done bringing in boxes.”
“Right,” I replied, “And now the fun starts, where we get to unpack them.”
“Which is the part that I hate,” she replied. “However, my young son, with all the organizational skills you gained while in the U.S. Army, will have no trouble at all helping me get this place ship shape in no time, or at least I think that’s a term soldiers use,” and then she saluted me.
I’d just gotten off active duty a couple of weeks before mom was to make her move to Four Points to start her new job, so immediately upon discharge, I headed home to help her pack up the house and move to where we were now.
“Good job on the salute mom, but you’re not supposed to show the palm of your hand.”
“I’m not? I didn’t know that. So that’s like a real thing?”
I nodded and said, “By the way mom, I appreciate you letting me stay with you.”
“Are you kidding?” she asked and then put her arm around me and gave me a hug and said, “Anything for my baby boy.”
“I’m really planning for this to be temporary, until I can move out and get my own place.”
“Dana, you know you can stay here as long as you like, my home is your home.”
“Yeah, I know that and appreciate it. This is handy as it gives me a chance to become acquainted with the local area first, as I know nothing about Four Points.”
“All the more reason for you to stay with me, and there’s absolutely no hurry, stay as long as you want.”
As I looked around the kitchen I said, “This place is great. Granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and wood floors, very nice. You picked out a nice place.”
“Oh thanks. Believe it or not, I looked at this place one time, went home, and then made an offer on it via phone.”
“No way?”
“Yep, sometimes you’ve just got to make a decision as there’s no time for messing around.”
“Well, then again, an Emergency Room Doc like you has to make choices fast, so you’re used to snap decisions.”
“That would be correct.”
Standing there looking at mom smiling at me I noticed how pretty she was that afternoon. She was a beautiful woman with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and petite to boot, but had remained single since dad had died fifteen years ago. I’d always worried about her being lonely, especially the past four years while I’d been away. Every time I’d asked her if she’d ever thought of dating she would reply with something like when a man like your father comes along, I’ll consider it, and just smile.
“With that being said, now let’s test your decision-making skills. It’s about lunch time, want something to eat?” she asked.
An ear to ear smile came across my face and before I could get a word out she said, “That’s an answer.”
Chapter 2
Mom and I sat at the dining room table as we chomped down on our lunch, which was pizza that was delivered from a local place, and it wasn’t too bad. Not super great but not bad, which meant that I’d probably order again, especially if we were low on food, or no one else would deliver to our house which was in a slightly rural area. Oh, one more thing, or if I’d had enough, or should I say too much to drink and was really hungry.
“What do you know about the neighbors?” I asked.
While driving up to our new home I’d noticed that our house, which sat on a pretty good size parcel, maybe about an acre, didn’t have any neighbors extremely close. There was one home off to our left and one to our right, aside from that there were no neighbors in clear view.
“Honey I’ve not met any of our neighbors, nor have I seen any of them from a distance either. Aside from today, I’ve only been to the house one time before, and that was for maybe thirty to forty-five minutes.”
“Aside from the two houses, were kind of out here by ourselves.”
Mom nodded and said, “That’s right, one of the things I liked about the place was the solitude, and I figured after a busy shift this would be a nice place to come home to.”
“I could see that when we drove up,” I replied, “I believe you will enjoy living here.”
“So, are you still thinking about going to school?”
Nodding I said, “Yes, I’m also thinking about getting a job.”
“Really? Doing what?”
“I’m not sure, but if I decide to go to school, I may only work part time.”
“That makes sense,” she said, “Now, if you want you don’t have to work at all, you can go to school full time and ….”
Shaking my head, I said, “Mom, I’m not going to do that.”
“Your dad left us a considerable sum when he passed, and I’m sure he would have wanted us to use some of it
