Finding the Way Back by Jill Bisker Read Free Book Online Page A

even
looked twice at me,” she admitted, then looked away. I actually saw
tears before she turned from me. There was someone immune to
Connie’s charm? That was sure a surprise to me. Apparently beauty
did not make you immune to heartache.
    “I hate it when you put yourself down,”
Connie turned back to me and continued before I could answer,
regaining her composure. “You’ve always done that, it’s like you
never see yourself the way others see you. Then you marry an idiot
like Simon and allow him to define you and control you.” She took a
deep breath and we just stared at each other.
    “He didn’t define me,” I snapped,
annoyed.
    “Sure he did. We watched you bend over
backwards trying to be what he wanted. ‘Laney, you can’t write that
in an email, don’t you know how that sounds?’ ‘Laney, you can’t
wear that, that’s frumpy.’ ‘Laney, you know you can’t do that’ and
on and on. Those are quotes, Laney. In the short amount of time
we’ve spent together these last several years I’ve heard these
exact words myself. And at public gatherings in front of a lot of
other people. What kinds of things did he say to you when you were
alone?”
    My anger slipped away as if it had never
been. Connie knew me better than I knew myself, and I didn’t know
her at all. I remembered the things Simon used to say that I didn’t
even think were mean—I just thought they were true.
    “I’m not saying these things to hurt you,
Laney. I just don’t want to see you hurt that way again.”
    I rubbed my face with my hands and ran my
fingers through my disheveled hair. I looked up at Connie. “It’s
okay. You’re right. How about we make a pact? You always be
straight with me and I’ll always be straight with you.”
    “You got it,” she said. “By the way, you know
yellow really isn’t the color for you. It makes you look
sallow.”
    I made a face and stuck my tongue out at her.
We both laughed.
    “Hey, why don’t we walk down to the drugstore
and pick up some things and have a makeover like we used to do when
we were younger. We could color our hair, do our nails.”
    “I’m not sure that’s a great idea. Remember
how mad our mothers were when we dyed our hair black that one time?
It was supposed to be wash-out color but it didn’t quite wash out
completely even after several shampoos. Our hair ended up being
gray until we bleached it blonde again.”
    “No, that was when we dyed it blue.”
    “Oh yeah, that’s right. I got in so much
trouble because I was supposed to be the older and wiser one.”
    “And how about the time we dressed like
vampires for weeks just to freak them out!”
    Connie laughed. “That was awesome. Actually,
that’s just another reason we should do it today.”
    After a couple of glasses of wine I didn’t
need any more persuasion.
     

 
    Chapter
Six
     
    It was still light outside and there was a
comfortable breeze blowing when Connie and I walked three blocks
over to the drug store. The village of West Acre, Minnesota was one
of those little towns not far from the Twin Cities that was far
enough away from the suburban areas to be considered ‘in the
country’, yet still close enough to be conveniently near the
amenities and entertainment of the metropolitan area. Two blocks of
Main Street and one stop sign defined the ‘downtown’ of West Acre.
A grocery store, drug store and two gas stations made up most of
the available shopping district. There was an industrial park with
three small manufacturing companies providing enough jobs for the
locals, but the rest was farmland.
    We walked into the drug store and there was
good old Mr. Cooper, the store proprietor and pharmacist. He was a
little more stooped and gray than when I had seen him last, but his
ever-sharp eagle eyes darted our direction when the bell hanging on
the door announced our arrival.
    “Hello, Mr. Cooper,” I said trying to smile
innocently, remembering that perhaps Mr. Cooper had a reason