Authors: M. Clarke
RAIN CHECK EXCERPT
by
Gypsy Rae Choszer
http://amzn.to/1pNT7eZ
Chapter One
Of every possible scenario I could have imagined about finally meeting my birth mother, this was nowhere on the list.
Walking away, I take one last glance behind me at the wooden sign hanging above Marianna’s shop, The Crystal Moon. She’s standing at the door waving. Her dark hair hangs free, cascading over her shoulders, a feather woven into a braid on one side.
I really need to sit down and figure out exactly what I just got myself into.
Luckily the house I am staying at is only a few blocks away. Thanks to the magic of Craigslist and just a few clicks of my mouse, I was able to find a great place to rent by the week. I’ve only been there one week, but I feel right at home. I have my own room upstairs with a private bathroom. Jonah, the owner, is an artist who rents it out to people looking for an alternative to hotels when they visit Portland.
Jonah and I hit it off almost immediately.
The first night I stayed at his house he came home after a bad date armed with a pint of double fudge ice cream and a bottle of scotch.
“I’m done dating.
I am swearing off men forever!” Jonah walks into the kitchen and plops dramatically into the seat next to me, eyeing the cup of tea I just finished pouring.
“No.”
He gestures to the tea. “Nope. That is not happening right now. I have scotch and I refuse to drink it alone.”
“I take it your date didn’t go so well?”
I say as I dump my tea into the sink. If he’s offering me the good stuff, who am I to refuse?
“He was one of the most beautiful men I have ever seen, Avery.
He was a freaking god until he opened his mouth. After that he was just a dick, and not the good kind either.”
“I wasn’t aware there was a good kind of dick.
At least as far as personality goes.” I flash him a little smile.
“It probably only happens on TV,” Jonah sighs and leans his chair backwards, reaching into a drawer to pull out two spoons.
“Ah.
The elusive douchebag with a heart of gold,” I giggle.
“Exactly.” He pulls the lid off the ice cream, digs out a spoonful, and hands it to me.
“Tell me you like chocolate.”
“It’s pretty much my favorite,” I assure him. “As far as I’m concerned it is a necessary recovery food after every bad date.”
He fills his own spoon and pops it in his mouth while giving me a thoughtful look. “I think I like you, Avery. I don’t share my bad date food with just anyone.”
Several hours later, we had told each other all of our worst date stories and shared our most embarrassing moments. I told him about Marianna and why I was in Portland.
He decided to really only swear off men for a week, and together we polished off the whole container of ice cream as well as enough scotch to make us both numb and happy.
And now it’s my turn to tell Jonah about my crappy encounter.
“I’m a crazy person. I have lost my freaking mind,” I announce loudly as I walk into the shared kitchen of the old Victorian styled house.
Jonah looks at me with his eyebrows raised and pats the seat next to him at the table.
“So, I’m guessing you finally met her? Come sit down, I’ll pour you some tea and then you’re going to tell me what happened.”
I drop myself down into the seat and bury my head in my arms.
“Jonah. It was bad. So
soooo
bad. I don’t know what I was thinking.” I peek up at him as he sets a mug in front of me on the table.
“It’s a new blend I picked up this morning.”
He inclines his head towards the mug and nudges it closer to me, waiting while I take a sip. “Now then, did you meet her?”
I sit back in my seat and look up at the ceiling.
The events of this afternoon come rushing back at me and for a moment, my heart stutters and I feel slightly off balance. “Yes?” It comes out like a question. I take a deep breath and start again. “Yes, I met her.”
“What did she say?”
“Well.
I didn’t exactly tell her.” I wince at the memory of our meeting.
“So, what exactly
did
you tell her then?”
“I really
was
planning to tell her who I am… but when I spoke, instead of saying ‘Hi, my name is Avery, I am the daughter you gave up for adoption twenty-one years ago’, I said something more along the lines of ‘Are you hiring?’” I glance back at Jonah, who meets my eyes with a mixture of amusement and disbelief. “She wants me to come back tomorrow for an interview.”
His shoulders quake in silent laughter as he shakes his head back and forth. “Okay, I agree.
You are a crazy person,” he laughs. “But you are the most entertaining crazy person I have ever met, so there’s that.”
“Jonah!
This is serious! I don’t think you realize the gravity of the situation. My birth mother wants to interview me for a job tomorrow. But she doesn’t know who I am. And also, she owns a magic shop! Like I know anything about working in a magic shop!”
“It’s not a magic shop.
It’s a metaphysical shop; there’s a difference, I think.” He stops for a moment, and then adds, “Yes, there is definitely a difference. Are you going?”
“No.
Yes. Maybe. I don’t know,” I sigh and take another sip. “It really doesn’t make any sense. I only planned to be in Portland for two,
maybe
three weeks tops. Maybe I should go for the interview and just tell her then.”
“Yeah.
You should most definitely tell her who you are.” Jonah scoots his chair closer to mine. “But you could stay longer if you wanted. I kinda like having you around. You’re a lot more fun than the other people who usually want to stay here.” He smiles. “I mean, after you tell her of course.”
I groan.
“I can’t believe I did this. I am the only person I know who would do something like this.”
“That’s just another reason you should consider staying.
I need excitement in my life and you do not fail to provide. I bet it’s genetic. Your birth mother does tarot readings and stuff with crystals, she sounds entertaining too. I can see this arrangement really working out to my advantage.” I raise my eyebrows at him and he winks. “I’m kidding. Mostly. What was she like?”
I sit back in my chair to think, remembering her face and the way she carried herself.
“She’s short, like me. But her hair is dark, almost black. And wild. She was wearing all these beaded bracelets and no shoes. She smelled sweet and earthy, like some kind of incense maybe. I don’t really look like her. Maybe my eyes? Hers are darker though,” I shrug. “She seemed really nice I guess. She was a little intense, but that could’ve been my nerves.”
“What time are you meeting her tomorrow?
Do you want to get some coffee after? There’s that place, Rush, right up the block from her shop. Their coffee’s not bad.”
“Sure, sounds good.
I’m meeting her at 10, so maybe around 11? I can
entertain
you with more of my misadventures.” I drain the last of my tea and stand. “I’m going upstairs to shower.”
“Okay, I’m heading out later tonight with some friends if you want to come with us.
First drinks on me.”
“I don’t know, I’m pretty tired after today.”
Just saying it brings out a yawn that I hide behind my hand.
“The cure for what ails you is fun.
Fun and booze. Fun, booze, and cheese fries. Just come, I promise we won’t stay out late.” He gives me his best puppy dog eyes.
“Fine. But only because I want cheese fries,” I smirk.
“I’ll go shower and get ready.”
I place my mug in the sink and walk around the corner to the stairs that lead up to my room.
My room is at the top of the stairs.
It’s large enough for a beautiful queen sized sleigh bed in a dark cherry finish with matching bedside tables and a dresser. There is also a separate area in the room with bookshelves and a desk. To the right of the desk are two doors, one that leads to the bathroom and the other into the closet.
I drop my purse on the desk and walk to the bathroom, one of my favorite parts about staying in Jonah’s house.
It is the perfect mixture of old and new. The claw foot tub and pedestal sink fit right in with the era of the house, but the enclosed steam shower gives it just the right touch of modern flair. I let my clothes fall to the floor and press a few buttons on the digital touch screen for the steam shower before I step inside.
As steam begins to fill the space, I sit back on the tiled seat built into the corner of the stall.
The heat and moisture build in the air and the tension of the day begins to melt from my muscles. If I were to sit here long enough, I might completely forget all my worries. Almost.
Jonah is probably right, the answer to my problems, at least for tonight is to get out and have a little fun.
I can tackle everything with my birth mother, Marianna, tomorrow. Tonight, I will relax and have a good time. Who says that coming to Portland has to be all serious business?
I feel some of my worry lift from my shoulders and sigh with a smile.
About the Author
International Bestselling Author Mary Ting/M. Clarke resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Writing her first novel, Crossroads Saga, happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother, and inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl. When she started reading new adult novels, she fell in love with the genre. It was the reason she had to write one-Something Great. Why the pen name, M Clarke? She tours with Magic Johnson Foundation to promote literacy and her children’s chapter book-No Bullies Allowed
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