In Stereo Where Available (39 page)

I laughed. “Were you planning to discuss this with
me
at any point?”

“We did discuss it. We both want kids, right?”

“Yeah, but not necessarily right now.”

Jerry crunched on a piece of ice from his water glass. “Then maybe you should have taken your birth-control pill yesterday.”

“Oh, crap.”

Alexa looked back and forth between us as I dug through my purse. “Okay,” she said cheerfully, setting her napkin beside her plate. “How about I let you two get back to your honeymoon?”

We’d been back for barely three days when Jerry came home from an extremely long birthday-shopping excursion with a big grin on his face and a surprise, of sorts, for me.

“I got some ink done,” he said.

“You did
what
?”

“Check it out.” He beckoned me over and rolled up his sleeve, where the shadow of the sword-and-skull tattoo was. High up on his bicep, just under his shoulder, was a new tattoo of a heart-shaped sign that said
Forever ‘n’ Ever
across it in script. On the marquee beneath it, in block letters, it said “PHOEBE & JERRY.”

“Is that
real?”
I asked.

“Of course it’s real. Cool, huh? I brought in the picture we took and had the guy copy it. He did a nice job, don’t you think?”

I laughed and shook my head. “That’s
so
trailer-park.”

He made a noise of pretend indignation and rolled his sleeve back down. “Some romantic
you
are.”

“No, it’s sweet, Jerry. Is that a present to me or to you?”

“Little bit of both. Don’t look in my car. All your stuff’s still in there. We’ve got a reservation at the fondue place for tomorrow. I’ve blown our budget for the month all to hell.”

“That’s okay. We’ll be all right. We need to leave for the party in a few minutes.”

Jerry rolled his eyes. “Oh, yeah.”

Over at Madison’s and my old high school, a giant party had been organized to watch the wedding special. Madison’s old friends had done the same thing for the finale of
Belle of Georgia
, but of course, I’d been in Florida with Jerry then. I had to at least make an appearance at
this
party or it would come off as a huge insult to Madison and her marriage, actual feelings notwithstanding. Madison herself was in Los Angeles at the moment, taking a break from her honeymoon with Rhett to do promotional interviews on Jay Leno and the
Today
show.

When we got to the high school, a big banner hung over the central hallway that said
Congratulations, Grace & Colby
. People were bustling back and forth with party trays from the grocery store, mini sandwiches and sliced veggies and cold cuts arranged on green leaf lettuce, for the after-party in the gym. Someone was wheeling a giant helium tank down the hall on a dolly. A couple of girls I recognized from high school sat at a card table in front of the office, examining their fingernails from behind an enormous pile of pale purple T-shirts screen-printed with a publicity photo of Rhett and Madison.
T-shirts $10, said a sign written in purple marker. Autographed T-shirts Available! $25
.

“Good grief,” said Jerry.

“Want a T-shirt?” I asked.

“No, thank you.”

We made our way through an archway of twisted crepe paper to the school theater. The entire place was packed with people calling to each other and waving from their seats. Even the balcony seating was full. A velvet-roped section at the front had a handwritten sign taped to it that said, “Family.”

“I guess we’re over there,” I said.

Jerry peered down the aisle. “Doesn’t look like I’ll have to fight anyone for it this time.”

“Want to buy a soda?” asked a voice from behind us.

I turned around and saw another card table set up with about six picnic coolers beneath it and an assortment of movie-theater-sized candy boxes on top. Several high-school girls were crammed in behind the table wearing the purple T-shirts we had just turned down and mismatched red-and-white cheer-leading shorts.

“All the profits go to support the cheerleading squad,” one of them said. “Plus, with a purchase of $5 or more, you get entered in a raffle to win Grace’s old cheerleading uniform.” She pointed to a uniform tacked to the bulletin board behind her.

“She’s my
sister,”
I said. “I’ve got more of her junk than I know what to do with.”

“Oh,” said the girl. “Well, do you want to donate any of it?”

“Phoebe!”

Across the room, I saw a woman jumping up and waving to me. “Go grab us a seat,” I said to Jerry. “Let me go run over and see who that is.”

Jerry patted me on the hip as I squeezed through the crowd to where the woman was still waving to me. Finally, I recognized her—sort of. She was someone who had been in my Testing & Assessment class the year before, a very good-looking brunette whom I recalled as being friendly and outgoing and nowhere near as smart as I’d hoped she would be when I’d been assigned to work with her on a group project. For the life of me I couldn’t remember her name.

“How are you doing?” she asked me excitedly. “Wow, look at all these people! Your sister’s a popular girl these days!”

“She sure is. I’ve barely even talked to her for months, it seems.”

She shook her head and looked around, marveling at the crowd. “Just incredible. I didn’t even realize she was your sister until they announced the finale party was going to be held here. Then I put it all together. I didn’t see you here, though.”

“No, I was down in Florida with my—well, he’s my husband now. We got married the day before Madison did.”

“Oh, fabulous! Congratulations. I’m still single.” She laughed humorlessly and waved her ringless hand in the air. “Probably will be forever. So, how did you do in McGovern’s class?”

“I got an A. I graduated last spring.”

“Good for you! So did I. I only got that A thanks to that group project we did together. Boy, did I
ever
get off the phone with you? I should have sent you flowers afterward. That whole assignment was
murder
.” She laughed.

“No kidding. So, are you a teacher here?”

“Yeah, I transferred here this past fall. They’ve got me teaching English.
Not
my favorite subject. I’d much rather be back teaching drama, but you’ve got to take what you can get these days.”

“Oh, my husband’s an English teacher, too.”

“Is he really? Maybe he could give me a few pointers. Is he here?”

“Yeah, he’s just over this way. Here, follow me. Just leave your jacket.”

She followed me down through the crowd to the place where Jerry was sitting with his feet perched against the backs of the seats in front of him.

“Hey, hon,” I said, scratching his shoulder.

He turned around and looked at me, then did a double take. “Hey,” he said.

Still blanking on her name, I decided to do the introduction backwards. “This is my husband Jerry,” I said.

“Hi, Jerry,” she said, smiling warmly at him and extending her hand. “I’m Karen.”

“Karen and I went to grad school together,” I explained as he shook her hand slowly.

She tipped her head at him, her eyebrows knitting thoughtfully. “Haven’t we met somewhere before?”

Jerry smiled with his lips pressed together, shaking his head. “Can’t say as I remember.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you,” she said. “And congratulations to both of you. Phoebe’s a great girl.”

“She sure is,” he said, scratching my back lightly with the hand Karen had finally let go of. “She’s the best.”

A family conceals a cruel secret
.

Emma Perkins’ life appears idyllic. Her husband, Jared, is a hardworking farmer and a dependable neighbor. But Emma knows intimately the brutality prowling beneath her husband’s façade. When he sends their children away, Emma’s life unravels.

A woman seeks her spirit
.

Deep in despair, Emma seeks refuge aboard her uncle’s riverboat, the Spirit of the River. She travels through a new world filled with colorful characters: captains, mates, the rich, the working class, moonshiners, prostitutes, and Gage-the Spirit’s reclusive engineer. Scarred for life from a riverboat explosion, Gage’s insight into heartache draws him to Emma, and as they heal together, they form a deep and unbreakable bond. Emma learns to trust that anything is possible, including reclaiming her children and facing her husband.

A man seeks revenge
.

Jared Perkins makes a journey of his own. Determined to bring his wife home and teach her the lesson of her life, Jared secretly follows the Spirit. His rage burns cold as he plans his revenge for everyone on board.

Against the immense power of the river, the journey of the Spirit will change the course of their lives forever.

ISBN#9781932815931
US $14.95 / CDN $18.95
Fiction
Available Now
www.kathysteffen.com

W
HAT DO A TRIGGER-HAPPY BOOTLEGGER WITH PANCREATIC
cancer, an alcoholic helicopter pilot who is afraid to fly, and a dead guy with his feet in a camp stove have in common?

What are the similarities between a fire department that cannot put out fires, a policeman who has a historic cabin fall on him from out of the sky, and an entire family dedicated to a variety of deceased authors?

Where can you find a war hero named Termite with a long knife stuck in his liver, a cook named Hoghead who makes the world’s worst coffee, and a supervisor named Pillsbury who nearly gets hung by his employees?

Sequoyah, Georgia is the answer to all three questions. They arise from the relationship between A. J. Longstreet and his best friend since childhood, Eugene Purdue. After a parting of ways due to Eugene’s inability to accept the constraints of adulthood, he reenters A.J.’s life with terminal cancer and the dilemma of executing a mercy killing when the time arrives.

Take this gripping journey to Sequoyah, Georgia and witness A.J.’s battle with mortality, euthanasia, and his adventure back to the past and people who made him what he is—and helps him make the decision that will alter his life forever.

ISBN#9781933836386
US $25.95 / CDN $34.95
Hardcover Fiction
June, 2008