Free Her Sister's Shoes by Ashley Farley Page A

firing position. “You forget who my daddy was.”
    He held his hands up. “Just calm down now, Faith. I would not have left Bits alone if I didn’t think she was safe. Nothing’s gonna happen to her way out here in the woods.”
    When he tried to grab the gun, Faith rammed it in his belly.
    He jumped back, crying, “All right, already. Just put the gun down. I won’t ever leave her alone again. I promise.”
    “Consider this a warning, Curtis. I will not give you a second chance.”

Seven
    Jacqueline

    A t half past midnight, only two couples remained on the dance floor, swinging to what the band promised would be the last song. The caterers cleared tables and the bartenders packed up their glasses while Jackie reveled in the success of the evening.
    Even though Julia had failed to show, the crowd of nearly a hundred, based on Jackie’s estimate, seemed to enjoy themselves. The wannabes in attendance—the younger women on Jackie’s new tennisteam and their tanned, broad-shouldered, golf-club-swinging husbands—would make sure the word spread. Jacqueline Hart’s fiftieth birthday party rocked.
    The song ended, but when the lead singer saw Jackie standing on the edge of the dance floor, he launched into a slow, sexy version of “Happy Birthday.”
    “I thought the song you just played was the last song,” Jackie shouted.
    The music tapered off and the lead singer made a grand bowing gesture. “One more special song for you, pretty lady.” He signaled to his musicians who began playing Jackie’s favorite classic melody, “The Way You Look Tonight.”
    Bill appeared from nowhere on the dance floor. “May I have the last dance?” he asked, holding his hand out to her.
    She took a tentative step, realizing it would not only be the last dance of the evening but their last dance as a couple. This was their song. They’d danced to it on their first date, and they’d danced to it at their wedding reception. They’d made a stunning couple back then, with their bodies molded together, perfectly in sync.
    Resting her chin on his shoulder, Jackie thought back to all the dances they’d shared over the years—their friends’ weddings, the endless benefits they’d attended, drunken New Year’s Eve parties at Julia’s. Now all those good times were coming to an end. Yet, as mad as she was at her husband for sleeping with another woman, Jackie knew she’d forgive him if he got on his hands and knees and begged. For the sake of their family, she would sacrifice her own feelings, demand he go to a marriage counselor, and find a way to move on with their lives. Not only to save face but to avoid having to face the future alone.
    The song ended, and she blew the band a kiss.
    “Let’s walk out on the dock,” Bill said. “I hate to waste a minute of this full moon.”
    She allowed him to take her by the hand and lead her down the gravel path. They walked to the end of the dock and leaned against the railing, staring up at the moon. If the sick feeling in her gut was any kind of premonition, the moment she’d been dreading for weeks had come.
    “You outdid yourself tonight, Jack. Everyone seemed to have a good time.”
    “Everyone except my family. They left without saying goodbye.”
    “That’s because of …”
    She turned to face him. “Because of what?”
    “Sam didn’t want to spoil your party, but I think you have a right to know. Your sisters took your mother to the emergency room. The doctors have reason to believe she may have suffered a ministroke.”
    “Oh no.” Jackie’s hand went to her mouth. “I hope they are keeping her for observation.” As a cardiologist’s wife, Jackie understood the risk of a major stroke following a TIA.
    “They are. And to run some tests in the morning.”
    “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
    Bill placed his hand on Jackie’s. “Sam and I decided not to spoil your evening.”
    She snatched her hand away. His bedside manner no longer worked on her. “Why