Free Staying True - A Contemporary Romance Novel by Suzie Carr Page A

feigning strength
among her biggest weaknesses and fears. She put on a good act, appearing in
control one second, and the next bowing down to her stupid husband’s insults.
She clung to a life of misery, for what? For solace? For safety? For comfort?
    Then she died along with my dream for
us to live life out on the open road, just the two of us, driving down the interstate
singing songs loud and eating popcorn and drinking sodas.
    The loss of that dream strangled my
chest. I pressed harder against the steering wheel. I wondered if my mother’s
life would’ve been different had she gone through something like being homeless.
Would she have risen to the challenge?
    I sat up and stared at that blank
horizon again. “I think you would’ve risen to it, Mom,” I whispered. “You just
didn’t give yourself a chance.”
    From deep within I started to sob. I
continued until the horizon turned into a royal purple and the faint circle of
the moon appeared as my guide to carry on with my travels and never settle for
comfort, for security, or for someone else’s ideals.
    * *
    A few hours later, I parked along the
Blackstone River Park and ate a sandwich that I bought with my grampa’s money.
I played with my cell, searching my Twitter feed for entertainment. As far as I
could tell, I could enjoy this simple pleasure for about another week before my
cellphone carrier pulled the plug on me, too.
    As I read a quote about living with
reckless abandon, my cell rang. It was Nadia. Like a fool, I answered her like
I’d been waiting my whole life to hear from her. “Hey, you!”
    “Um—hey, you.” Her tone was demure.
“I was wondering. Um—See here’s the thing, er—I could use your services again.
Whatever you did the last time worked. So, any chance you’ll be available this
weekend to give me another one of your ten-minute massages?”
    A dizzy stupor rose in me. “See, and
you doubted me.”
    “Hmm,” she replied without much
commitment. “I’ve got this terrible kink in my neck and it keeps me up and
stresses me out. Nothing is working. Hot water, heating pad, muscle cream, none
of it.”
    A sweet current rushed through me.
“So I was right.”
    “About?”
    “You are uptight,” I teased.
    “Do you always grill your clients
like this?”
    I laughed. “Client? So you’re my
client now, huh?”
    “If you’ll have me?” Nadia’s voice
pulled on me.
    I held the cell away and drew a large
breath. “Same place?”
    “Well, don’t you have a massage
studio?”
    I looked around at my shiny, black
leather interior. “I’m a traveling masseuse.”
    “So you mean you go to people’s
houses and such?” She sounded alarmed.
    “Wherever they’re comfy.”
    “Isn’t that kind of dangerous for
someone like you?”
    “Someone like me?” I asked.
    “You’re a sweet, innocent woman. We
live in a crazy world filled with people who might enjoy taking advantage of
that.”
    “Oh, I can handle myself,” I said
more defensively than I expected.
    “I didn’t mean to insinuate that you
couldn’t. I’m just curious as to why you’d put yourself in such a vulnerable
position?”
    “Well, I’m looking for a place,” I
answered truthfully. “For now I’m trying to get into corporate settings. Desk
massages.”
    “How’s that going for you?”
    “It’s going just fine. I’ve got a few
leads. People seem interested. You know how the business dance goes.”
    “Tell me.”
    “Oh, well, you know, you pitch the
idea. They let it marinate, and meanwhile I offer them a trial period. They
perk up and feign a little disinterest even though I can see the wheels in
their brains turning, imagining a staff fully relaxed and engaged in their
work. It just takes time.” I stopped myself from babbling further.
    “Well I’m sure you’ll charm your way
into many corporate offices in no time,” she murmured.
    “Yes, it’s just a matter of time.”
    “Hmm.” Nadia paused. “So let’s say
Friday night the lounge