CHAPTER 1

Daylight had barely pierced the predawn sky when I jumped out of bedto prepare for the day. Excitement didn't even begin to describe how Iwas feeling this morning. Dale and I were going to be living together.We'd married a little more than three years ago, but this was the firsttime we were going to be living in the same house—or even the samezip code for that matter. Granted, when people marry, they normallymove in together immediately, but nothing about our relationship fallsinto the category of normal.

I had always viewed online dating sites as places for horny guyslooking for desperate women willing to do anything to find what they'dbelieve was the love of a lifetime or for stalkers looking for victims.My friends, Kay and Spencer, had thought they had my best interestat heart when they'd secretly signed me up for one of those services,and luckily for them, their ploy had actually worked out. Fate hadwrapped its hands around the whole situation and guided every actionand reaction to the very end. The cliché had come true. I had met thelove of my life, Dale Boudreaux. Kay and Spencer never let us forgettheir involvement, but we let them have their fun.

We had delayed moving in together for the sake of my stepdaughter,who couldn't be more like my own child if I'd given birth to her myself.She had three years of high school left, and uprooting her life wasn't anoption. Having been a teenage girl once, I knew taking her away fromthe friends she'd always known and plopping her into an unknownworld would be devastating. She's such a good kid, and I'd have beenheartbroken to have any part in upsetting her world. So for the timebeing, Dale and I sacrificed being a "normal" married couple for her.

Working three consecutive nights as a sleep tech allowed me totravel to visit Dale and Bailey in Opelika to spend the rest of the weekwith them while Bailey was in school and Dale was working. Duringthe summer, she would come spend time with me in Montgomerywhile her dad was working. Kay would join us, and the three of uswere like our own little sorority. We'd fill our days shopping, takingday-trips down to the coast in Pensacola, or just lounging around thehouse gabbing all day. Bailey was as much Kay's stepdaughter as shewas mine. Her mother had never been much of a mother, but at leastshe had me and Kay to take up the slack. I know in my heart we weren'tbad surrogates.

But for all the sacrifices that had been made, today was the momentwe'd been working toward, being together under one roof. After gettingBailey off to college at Birmingham Southern, Dale turned in his noticeon his apartment, and we'd spent countless hours deciding how tocombine everything into one household. He was willing to only bringhis clothes and trash everything else if that's what it took. It may havebeen easier if we'd done it that way, but it was important my familyfelt my house was now our home. I wanted them to look around andsee pieces of all of us under one roof.

Charlie, my African gray parrot, seemed more excited this morningthan usual. Unable to have children of my own, I'd considered him theclosest thing to a child I'd ever get, at least before Bailey. Charlie hadbeen with me for five years when I'd met Dale, and he didn't thinkanything about me feeling like Charlie was my child, not just a bird.Until we decided to close in a porch to make it Charlie's room, he andBailey shared the guest bedroom in my house. Charlie loved Dale andBailey as much as, if not more, than he loved me.

I heard a "Who, who, honey" from Charlie's room.

I set the cup of coffee on the counter and went to join him. He wason his swing. "That's right, baby. Love you, honey." Charlie had pickedthis up from me saying it to Dale, but his vocabulary wasn't readilyclear. His speech was like that of a small child, even though he couldmimic voice tone to a tee. When he repeats something Dale says, histone is lower, and it's higher when mimicking me.

He rocked back and forth on each foot like he was dancing."Whatcha doin'?"

"Coming to see you. What are you doing?" I reached for a treaton top of his cage.

He rocked faster. "Shugas."

I handed him the treat. "Sugars to you too, you sweet thing."

He stopped rocking to take the treat. Normally, the talking wouldstop, but today he held the treat in his talons without going in for abite. "Honey."

"Charlie, I think you are as thrilled as I am about Dale moving inwith us today."

He let out a long, loud whistle and then took a bite of his treat."I know Kay and Spencer get most of the credit, but you needkudos too."

It didn't take long for his beak to grind the bite of bird biscuit."What bird?"

I pulled the tray from the bottom of his cage and removed the firstlayer of newspaper. "Kudos. A pat on the back ... well, wing. If youhadn't taken to Dale the first day y'all met, I may have put him in thestreet."

"Hush."

I knew Charlie was picking words from his vocabulary randomly,but the laughter rolled out of me. "I know, right? Shut your mouth." Hefinished his treat and watched as I placed the paper in the can next tohis cage. In a serious tone, I said, "Thanks, baby, for letting me knowhe was a keeper."

"Honey."

"He'll be here soon, baby. I promise."

He turned his head to the side and said, "Let," and then whistledas if he were calling the dog.

Let was Charlie's word for Chocolate. Dale's chocolate lab hadbeen up in years when we'd started dating, and last winter, he'd passedquietly in his sleep. Chocolate's death had broken our hearts, but wewere glad he hadn't suffered. Now Charlie still called for him withoutknowing Chocolate would never come. Once he learned something, thememory was indelible, so trying to correct him was useless.

I heard the key in the front door. "Auntie Kay's here."

"Loco."

"That's right, baby. She's loco, isn't she?" I handed him anothertreat from the bag.

Kay and I had been friends for years after we'd met at the hospitalI still worked for. She too had made herself a profile on mylovelife.comand had met her husband, Marcus, there. The success of Markayzee's,a restaurant they'd opened shortly after they married, had allowed Kayto quit work and become a kept woman. To this day, you'd think theywere still on their honeymoon. They were still just as loving toward eachother as they'd been when they first started dating.

I liked how good Marcus was with Kay. Lord knows, she'd datedher fair share of losers who were just out for a bed buddy or a free mealthrough the years. Marcus was a lot like Dale in his gentlemanly ways,and yet, sometimes, I wanted to strangle my friend's husband. In thebeginning of his and Kay's relationship, he occasionally would be veryarrogant, and at all cost, he had to be right, especially with me. Hisneed to be right and make me wrong was a character flaw I was willingto overlook, but with time it had gotten progressively worse.

He would haughtily correct me over the simplest of things. If Iwas describing something as red, he had to follow up by saying it waselectric crimson. As these little challenges had increased, I'd let themget under my skin, sometimes seeing electric crimson flash before myeyes. But because it was so insignificant, I'd learned to chalk it up tofriendly sparring. However, I couldn't help but notice that he generallydid this when we were one-on-one. Rarely did he challenge me in frontof Dale or Kay. I'd never told either of them because it sounded so petty.No need to create tension where there shouldn't be any.

Kay and Marcus looked like exotic Barbie and Ken. Marcus'heritage was Egyptian, so he had dark hair with dark eyes, and hisskin appeared tan year-round. Kay was blessed with that tan skin too,which just made me sick because I only burned in the sun while she'dget a golden hue about her. Her natural tan only accentuated her hazeleyes and auburn hair, which now had a gray strand here and there. Itmust be an Egyptian thing, but Marcus denied coloring his hair anddidn't have one strand of gray yet, even though he was a couple of yearsolder than us.

"Lizzy, it's us," Kay called from the front door.

I left Charlie with his treat. Stepping out of his room and into theliving room, I was shocked to see Marcus. He'd told us earlier in theweek he had a meeting this morning. "Hey, you two," I said to them.

Marcus said, "I hope you don't mind. My meeting was canceled,and I figured you needed all hands on deck."

"Absolutely not. I'm glad you're here." I hugged his neck beforeturning to Kay. "What's all this?"

She was holding a bakery box and a tray full of coffee cups. "Figuredwe needed our energy this morning. I got the buzzard a treat too. Ishe up?" Kay loved Charlie but insisted on calling him a buzzard. Sheglanced to Charlie's door. "Sure is quiet in there."

"Oh yes, he's been talking up a storm this morning. I can't saywhich one of us is more thrilled today is here, me or him."

She extended the box to Marcus. "Sweetie, will you get Charlie'streat out of the box?"

He raised his eyebrows. Marcus and Charlie weren't strangers toeach other, but they weren't the best of buds either.

I laughed. "I've got it, Marcus." I reached into the box and grabbedthe bag of apple slices. Apples were Charlie's favorite treat, and he wouldrush the front of the cage to take them.

I returned to his room to give him a few slices and noticed hewas on his back perch. The treat I'd given him was discarded on thebottom of the cage, partially uneaten. "Charlie, Auntie Kay broughtyou something special this morning." I withdrew a slice from the bag,but he just watched me, not moving to come get the goodies. "Look,baby, it's your favorite." I extended the apple slice to him, and he hitit with his beak, causing me to drop it, and began to growl. "Charlie,that's not nice." I picked up the apple slice and placed it along withanother slice in his food bowl. When I turned around, Marcus wasstanding in the doorway.

"He really doesn't like me, does he?" Marcus asked.

"I don't know what's wrong with him. Don't take it personally.He gets moody just like we do." I was a little embarrassed by Charlie'saction. It hadn't been the first time he'd blatantly shown his dislike ofMarcus. From the perch, Charlie growled again. Trying to mask thesound, I said, "Let's go get some of those pastries. Dale should alreadybe on the road, so he'll be here soon."

I walked past Marcus, but he lingered in the doorway. The soundfrom inside Charlie's room grew louder. Turning back to reassure himeverything was okay, I caught a side view of Marcus. His lips werecurled back in an evil smile, and his eyes were bearing down on mybaby boy. An urge to protect Charlie came over me. It felt as if Marcuswas taunting him with his presence.

I gasped and then said the first thing that came to mind. "Marcus,you coming?"

"Yes, of course." He turned to face me. The smile on his face wasunsettling.

I watched him walk away and then went to Charlie's cage. Iwhispered, "It's okay, baby. He's just playing with you." At least that'swhat I wanted to believe.

The uneasiness I felt was immediately gone when we joined Kayin the kitchen, though. She sang out, "Hal-le-lu-jah! I'm so glad todayhas finally arrived."

"Me too!" I exclaimed.

She laughed. "Not saying that I minded, but it's going to be nicehaving you both around on a full-time basis. I swear it was like sharedcustody."

"I know what you mean. I just wish Bailey was here too."

Marcus asked, "How's she doing? Is she settling in okay atschool?"

They had been with us when we dropped her off, and while Baileywas delighted with her newfound freedom, she was sad to see us go too."I spoke with her last night, and she's met some girls, but it's obviousshe's a little homesick."

"Let's get Dale settled, and we'll make a trip up to see her," Kaysaid.

I smiled. "Sounds like a plan to me."

From the driveway, we heard a horn blaring. My heart skipped abeat. Dale was here. I ran from the kitchen to the front door. He wasclimbing out of the moving truck when I opened the door. His blondhair glistened in the sunlight, his blue eyes sparkled, and his goatee andmouth parted in a huge smile. The sight of him still made me weak atthe knees. I ran down the front stairs and threw myself in his waitingarms. He spun me around. We'd seen each other only two days before,but to see us now, someone would think he was just returning from along trip.

Marcus and Kay joined us in the yard. Dale put me down and puthis hand out to Marcus. "Hey, man, I'm glad you're here. Some of thisstuff is a little too heavy for the girls."

I took at swat at Dale's chest. "Watch your mouth. Kay and I arestronger than we look."

As if she was reading my mind, we both flexed our muscles at theguys, who burst out laughing.

We'd spent several weeks moving small things and his clothes inour cars, but his friends had helped him load the moving truck with thebigger items, like Bailey's bedroom furniture, a sofa, and a few largerpieces we'd decided to keep.

The four of us were exhausted by the time the last item wasunloaded from the truck.

Dale followed Marcus to the return center to drop off the truckwhile Kay and I stayed behind to make Bailey's bed and rearrange someof the furniture in the house for a better fit. Lunchtime had come andgone, but we'd been too busy to notice. My stomach was growlingnow.

I asked Kay, "Want to grill some hamburgers?"

"No. Marcus has planned something special for Dale's first nighthere."

"Really? What is it?"

"He's having dinner sent over from the restaurant."

This only made my stomach growl more. The chefs at Markayzee'swere fabulous, and their food was to die for. Marcus and I shared a loveof cooking, and he'd let me be part of the interviewing process whenhe was looking to staff the kitchen. The applicants had to allow us towatch during the preparation and then sample all the delicacies. I knewtonight's dinner would be well worth the wait.

Shortly after Dale and Marcus returned, the food arrived. Marcusmade sure every palette was thought of, and there were four portionsof each dish. There was chicken masala, prime rib, and veal parmesan,with a selection of sides to go with them. The chef had paired a bottleof wine with each dish.

All of us had made our selections, and as we sat around thetable enjoying each bite, a small sound kept penetrating the air. Thevibration of Marcus' cell phone in his pocket kept interrupting theconversation. Finally, Kay joked, "Tell all those women you're withfamily tonight."

Marcus replied, "But it feels so good to be so wanted."

We all laughed at his wittiness.

He pulled the phone from his pocket and shut it off. "I'm sure it'ssomething at the restaurant. But if it's on fire, they'll call here." Hereached over and took Kay's hand. "Better?"

She smiled. "Much."

We were all fat and happy by the end of the meal, but I still couldn'thelp thinking of the cooler containing the chocolate mousse.

"As if I need to eat another bite. I want some of that dessert," Isaid.

"Oh my god! Me too!" Kay seconded.

"Marcus, thank you so much for this meal. It all was wonderful."

He replied, "You're welcome, Elizabeth." Through the years, he'dtransitioned into calling me by my full name instead of Lizzy. Theswitch took me a while to get used to, but I didn't mind as muchanymore.

Dale said, "Lizzy, how 'bout you put on some coffee and I'll clearthe table?"

Kay got up and reached for Marcus' plate. I stopped her. "Oh no.Y'all had this wonderful dinner sent over, so don't even think aboutit."

Dale immediately grabbed the plate from her hand.

I started the coffee and gathered the sugar, creamer, and mugs.When the coffee finished brewing, I pulled the container of moussefrom the cooler and scooped up servings for everyone. Kay and Dalewere sitting at the dining room table.

"Where's Marcus?" I asked.

Kay replied, "I think he went to call the restaurant."

"I'll let him know dessert is ready when he is." I went to the Frenchdoors that led to the patio but didn't see him anywhere. I looped theopposite way through the house to see if he'd gone out front and thenstopped dead in my tracks when I saw him standing at Charlie's doorwith that same unsettling smile he'd had earlier. I could hear Charliegrowling from inside.

Again I was flooded with the urge to protect Charlie. It wasn'tsomething I could explain, but it was there. I walked over to stand nextto Marcus. "Sorry about this, Marcus, but maybe you two just aren'tcompatible."

Without a word, he walked back toward the dining room.

Charlie whispered from the back of his cage, "Lizzy. Lizzy. Lizzy."He only did this when something frightened him.

(Continues...)