Drama in a Small Town: SHORT STORY "INVESTMENTS"

Drama in a Small Town: SHORT STORY "INVESTMENTS": INVESTMENTS “Do you want Italian or Chinese?” “Oh, let’s have Chinese,” Harry said. I pulled the menu from the drawer and sat o...

SHORT STORY "INVESTMENTS"

INVESTMENTS

“Do you want Italian or Chinese?”

“Oh, let’s have Chinese,” Harry said.

I pulled the menu from the drawer and sat on the edge of the sofa. I read off the selections.

“Number five,” he said. “I liked that the last time you ordered it.”

“You want soup with that?”

“No. Just number five.”

I scanned the menu, decided on my selection, and phoned in the order.

“Are you going to be okay while I pick up our dinner?”

“Yeah, fine. I’ll lean back and turn on the vibrator.”

I smiled as I went to the car. Harry loved that vibrating chair. It’s the first thing we purchased when we moved into our apartment. Harry, twenty-seven years my senior, and I entered a platonic marriage two years ago. I agreed to take care of him and if he died, I was the sole heir to his estate. It worked out for both of us since I was left with no job skills after twenty-two years of marriage to a man who cheated, left me homeless, and with little options. I took a housekeeping job at the home for minimum wage and lived in a rented a room. My future looked bleak until I met Harry.

His kids stuck him in the home because none of them wanted to care for him. While he was mobile, he couldn’t do household chores. We hit it off right away. He liked to play chess, rummy, and any other game I chose. I read to him, we watched news on TV, and I helped him track his investments on the computer.

When I returned with our order, I called his name. Harry didn’t answer. I sat the bags on the kitchen table and went to check on him. The chair was still vibrating, but Harry was pasty white. I shook him lightly. His head fell to the side. Harry was dead.

Harry made arrangements to be cremated, and the burial company left instructions to call them first. They would send their ambulance to pick up the body, therefore avoiding the hubbub of EMT’s, hospitals, etc.

I was in shock. We had taken a trip to the park earlier and Harry seemed fine.

My neighbor, Ellen, came over and sat with me that evening. We shared the Chinese dinners and talked about the future.

“First I’ll call his kids and then his lawyer,” I stammered.

Ellen took my hand. “I’d reverse that if I were you. The entire two years you and Harry lived next to me, I never heard you mention that his children visited.”

I nodded. “None of them have been here. While they didn’t approve of me, they were relieved that they didn’t have to care for their father. Harry always sent them money for their birthdays and holidays.”

“That is so sad,” she said.

“It will be even sadder when the children learn of Harry’s net worth. He made good investments and I’ll never have to work another day of my life.

    

THE HIDDEN JOURNAL REVIEW

Joyce's book the Hidden Journal keeps you intrigued. I want to keep reading as she keeps the suspense going !
I liked the way Drew Kelsey changed his chauvinistic ways when Jenna challenged him.
I felt that I was in the hills of Kentucky when I read this book. Her characters are so believable.
I give this book 5 stars.

Jenna Mitchell is on her own for the first time in her life. After her domineering husband was killed in a car accident, she decided she needed to make some real changes in her life. So she moves to Kentucky, a state she's never visited, and bought a cottage, sight unseen, and sets up her business with plans of supporting herself with her established accounts. When she gets to her cottage, she is so disappointed. The cottage is dilapidated, and the former owners left most of their belongings behind, so their was no room for her belongings. Then when she started cleaning out the mess, an angry man, whom she later learned was Drew Kelsey, confronted her about it! To her surprise, Jenna finds herself attracted to Drew as she's never been drawn to another man before. Things are going great until Jenna discovers the journal. Then her world shatters.Drew feels betrayed by the one he loves. Will their love be strong enough to get them through the trauma?

The reader instantly feels a part of this story as it unfolds. There is a strong sense of community as each character is introduced. The characters are believable and one feels empathetic towards each of them as their individual stories unfurl. No one really has the perfect life that they seem to have, each character has a fatal flaw over which they must prevail. This novel definitely earns all five stars!

Read the rest of the reviews on amazon.com 

Drama in a Small Town: THE HIDDEN JOURNAL

Drama in a Small Town: THE HIDDEN JOURNAL: THE HIDDEN JOURNAL is packed with surprises. Jenna relocates from Chicago to Kentucky to escape from her past. All she is looking for is a ...

Drama in a Small Town: THE HIDDEN JOURNAL

Drama in a Small Town: THE HIDDEN JOURNAL: THE HIDDEN JOURNAL is packed with surprises. Jenna relocates from Chicago to Kentucky to escape from her past. All she is looking for is a ...

THE HIDDEN JOURNAL

THE HIDDEN JOURNAL is packed with surprises. Jenna relocates from Chicago to Kentucky to escape from her past. All she is looking for is a place where she can work at her home business in peace.

Life happens.

She is blessed with busy neighbors, an intruder who turns out to have lived in her cottage in the past, and a community that is slow to accept a stranger.

When her home business collapses, she has the opportunity to work in and later purchase an antique store. When she discovers a journal crammed in an old Doctor's desk. The secrets of the town's residents explode off the pages. Jenna never wanted anyone to see what she read, but an emergency caused her to leave the cottage in a hurry and leave the open book in her office. She never expected her new love to find the old journal, and to discover unknown information about his own family.

I've probably given you too much information, but I loved writing this book. I lived in Kentucky and added bits and pieces of my life there. I named the towns in the area and some of the old roads I used to drive on.

Kentucky is a beautiful state, filled with green grasses, horse farms, Fort Knox, small communities, and areas that are far removed from the nearest towns. My father was born in Kentucky, but never lived there as his family moved to Ohio. When I was doing research, I stumbled upon familiar family names.

THE HIDDEN JOURNAL is available on amazon.com http://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=The+Hidden+Journal+by+Joyce

If you like romance with a real story, you'll love the twists and adventure I wrote in this novel. Read the first two chapters and the reviews on amazon.com

A LITTLE ABOUT ME

JOYCE BRENNAN

I love chocolate, puppies, and writing Romantic Suspense novels. I’m an avid reader and I am obsessed with watching crime stories on TV.

My husband and our family have traveled and lived in eight cities during his career. I spent those years raising our children and volunteering for dozens of different charities. When we settled in Las Vegas, I began writing seriously. I started with short stories and that eventually turned into romance novels. I found my past journeys gave me numerous plots for my fiction.

I belong to three writing clubs, led critique groups, and have given many presentations on writing. I also write articles for the community newspaper, and write two blogs.

I write for Tirgearr Publishing and have four Romantic Suspense Novels on their site and on amazon.com/

THE HIDDEN JOURNAL is a sweet roomance with a zest, and a surprise twist.

MISPLACED, is definitely a Romantic Suspense novel. I know it will keep the readers on the edge of their seats.

OLIVIA, is the first of a series but also a stand-alone book. Olivia is in for many surprises when she relocates from the city to a small town. I created this character so readers will easily identify with her.

VICTORIA, is the second of the series, but also a stand-alone novel. Wherever Victoria goes, trouble is sure to follow, and her curiosity almost leads to murder.

All of my novels are set in small towns, where gossip and rumors rule the day.

Joyce lives in Las Vegas with her husband, Tom, and Pup, their long-haired Chihuahua.