Rhae
Peters is happily married to her best friend, Ryan, who loves her
more than anything in this world. Her life comes crashing down when
the worst thing imaginable happens -- Ryan is killed in an accident.
Rhae is faced with figuring out how to continue living without him.
He is all she has ever known. Adding insult to injury, she learns
that Ryan was keeping secrets. The revelation causes her to question
everything about their marriage.
With her
life in turmoil, Rhae wants to start over and forget everything about
Ryan, and the life she thought they had. She builds a coping
mechanism out of her friends and family, including her neighbor Cade.
Chivalrous and overwhelmingly handsome, Rhae feels the hand of
propriety holding her back from pursuing more with him, despite all
the clues that let her know he's willing.
Rhae and
Cade are broken in their own ways, and must help each other overcome
the pasts and secrets that haunt them.
I heave a
sigh and eventually convince myself to go take care of business. I
slip my wallet in my back pocket and leave my purse in the room.
Reluctantly, I tie my sneakers and head out.
Music is
spilling out from the clubs and restaurants I pass on the way back to
my car; mostly jazz, zydeco, and country. There are even musicians in
the street. They are extremely talented. Something about the vibe of
the street party makes me forget about being tired and about going to
get my car moved. It’s hard to walk through these streets
without feeling a desire to shake my booty. Street vendors are
telling fortunes and others are selling miscellaneous souvenirs. My
imagination, being on overdrive, makes me wonder if they are
voodoo-related items or perhaps the key ingredients to a spell you
could cast on someone. Perhaps they could give me a spell to help me
forget the pain and misery my life has been recently. The reality is
they are likely selling knock-off tourist items. They probably source
them overseas and sell them as
“authentic”.
There are
hawkers trying to draw people into their clubs. One interesting
fellow is dressed in a an old black suit with his face painted like a
Dia De Los Muertos skull. He isn’t yelling to get the
attention of people walking by. He isn’t flattering ugly
women to gain their attentions. No he is quiet. He is dancing to the
music coming from the club. I watch him for what seems like an
eternity. He never tires or seems exhausted by his dance. Peeking in
the doors of the club I see the sway of the crowd inside. Their
movement is curious. Like a single consciousness moving through all
of them. The music they are dancing to is hypnotic. Without a thought
or even a decision crossing my mind, I start moving towards the
entrance. It’s as if my body has no power to walk away. It
pulls at me from the center of my being and I need to be a part of
it.
I
immediately blend in with the crowd and find myself surrounded with
people I’ve never seen. Yet, somehow we are sharing this
moment together. We sway and I sometimes spin. Hands grab for me and
either supports me from spinning out of control, or just steady me in
the sway. When the song changes, everyone makes their way to the
tables and bars lining the edges of the dance floor. I feel cold and
abandoned without the others. Swallowing my disappointment that this
curious moment is over, I make my way to the bar, order a beer, and
settle into a table to watch the crowd. It is sweaty for November,
but I suspect that has more to do with the dancing and alcohol than
the weather.
The
server is a kind, young man. I make quick friends and ask him to keep
the beers coming. He nods and does a great job keeping me with a new
one as needed. Men and women both smile or nod as they walk by my
table to the dance floor. After several beers, I swallow my regret
and apprehension, and join the new flow of people to the dance floor.
The music has slowed and is even more hypnotic than before. I close
my eyes and give myself over to the music.
A pair of
strong arms slides around my waist from behind and a body begins to
sway with me. At first, panic wells up in my throat but I quickly
push it down. This is what the fresh start is about. Exploration. We
continue dancing, never changing positions. I sink into the body
behind me and it is a firm, strong place to rest. I reach up my right
arm up and place my hand on the back of a sweaty neck. A mouth comes
near to my ear as I pull on my dance partner. “I love the
way you move,” he whispers in my ear. He. For a moment it
occurs to me that his voice is familiar. Before I focus in on the
familiarity too much, I take a hug gulp of my beer and set the bottle
on a nearby table.
Turning
around, I chance a look at my mystery dance partner and I’m
floored. I start blinking rapidly as if something is wrong with my
vision. I'm hallucinating. I have had way too much to drink.
It can’t be. He can’t be here. Not now. No. I
shake my head and back away from him, bumping into tables and
knocking over drinks. I push through the crowd to get to the door. I
burst onto the street and breathe in a huge rush of cold air. It is
so cold I get chills.
“This
is NOT happening,” I scream into the
night.
I'm
from North Mississippi, US. I'm a busy wife and mother, but
decided to follow my dream of writing a novel. I completed the first
draft of A Place to Stand during NaNoWriMo 2013 fulfilling a lifelong
dream of becoming a writer. My motivation to finish the
dream, by publishing my book, was found among the most amazing group
of people at a conference in Nashville, TN called UtopYA. My husband,
Jason, and I have 3 children, 2 old dogs, and 2 surly cats. I am a
huge fan of all things Supernatural (show and otherwise). I love
fiction, young adult, dystopian, and ALL romances.
REVIEW:
What an emotional, beautiful book about learning to live after tragedy. You will love the way she interacts with her family. Everything feels very real. You will also need lots and lots of tissues as this book will have you bawling your eyes out. It was a tearjerker for sure. It was beautifully written and is such a wonderful book! 5 stars!
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