Page 2 (1/2)

"Claire, I’ve got to have you this weekend, you know that I’ve no one else on this short notice, and these people are VIPs and use our service for a lot of different functions If I’m forced to cancel I’ll lose their future business"

"Paet out of it I have to travel to Coluh Sunday"

"Columbia, hmmm," muttered Pam, "That’s only an hour from Florence, which is closer to the party than you are now Claire, do you think you could get away for awhile on Saturday evening and do the party and then return to Colu to life within her "Pam, I don’t know"

"I’ll double your rate if you can, Claire, I’m desperate"

"Let , and I’ll let you know" After bribes and pleading from Pam, Claire closed the phone and headed back towards her office Claire returned to her desk and tried to work up the nerve to ask Jason about Saturday Night The switch board showed that he was on the telephone Ok chicken, go ahead and e hiraht and just stopped herself fro it 'love', or 'lust', Claire A few moments later the door to Jason’s office opened, and he stepped out with his briefcase

"Claire did you get the directions I sent you?"

"Yes, I have the he said, "About Saturday night, if you’d like so out to dinner with Harold and soreat; I’ve some family close to the area that I would really like to visit" Liar, Liar, pants on fire

"See you tomorrow Claire," Jason replied as he shut the door

Holy Moly, Suzy was right; that h of relief, Claire started clearing off her desk and shutting her co out her cell phone, she sent a text to Pa her know that she would be available to do the party on Saturday evening as planned Claire gave her watch a quick glance and hurriedly gathered her purse Heron her for dinner

Chapter Three

Claire’s nosed with Type 1 diabetes alo and despite their best efforts, each year seemed to take a further toll on her health To add to the problees of Alzheimer’s Louise had been heras she could remember Her father was a corporate lawyer and prided hi waited on and able to brag about having a maid was part of that lifestyle When Claire’s father and sister were killed in a tragic auto accident three years ago, Louise had moved in with her mother for some much-needed companionship

Her mother had never really recovered and blamed herself for the accident Her father was always very particular about their meals and when her mother hadn’t purchased what he wanted for dinner, he had insisted on going back to the superet the correct iteh to make sure it was handled correctly Her father had also discovered that day that her sister had been seeing a boy that he dee so he could spend the travel tiratin potatoes versus plain mashed potatoes

Since the fast decline of her mother’s health, Louise had become an absolute necessity Claire didn’t knohat she would do without her With herproblear was checked regularly and that her iven at the correct tireement with Louise to provide her a rooh Louise’s salary was le to meet most months with the price of her mother’s medication and the upkeep on the house

Claire walked to the elevator and took a deep breath to avoid the suffocating feeling of the confined space as she waited for the doors to open It was past six on a Friday evening which meant most of the office had already left for the day Claire waited on the elevator door to open to the parking garage which was another source of discoet over this claustrophobia that she’d been cursed with her whole life?

She opened the door to her Toyota compact and slid onto the thread-bare seats A new car at any point in the future seemed very out of reach Luckily, Daisy, as she called her car, seemed to be dependable and loyal but was in no stretch of the inet unless it was a repairman

Claire turned onto the street towards her mother’s home Claire’s mother lived a few miles froh close enough to Myrtle Beach to be very busy during the summer tourist season, Murrells Inlet still had a certain small-town charm As she turned in the driveway of the two-story home, Claire stopped to appreciate the exterior For those looking for the fairytale of a house with a white picket fence, this was it It was only when you took a closer look that the house was starting to reseer Movie The last few years of neglect were starting to show Life had been nothing like a fairytale though for the people who had lived in the house

Her father was an overbearing, manipulative man who verbally abused theh to please him If Chrissie or herself didn’t make all A’s in school, they were stupid and lazy; but if they did, it was because they took easy courses that anyone could pass Everyone walked on eggshells around him, terrified of ould set him off for that day

Claire had planned to e, desperate to escape Chrissie had begged her to stay at least until she graduated, terrified of being left to face their father’s wrath alone Claire tried to shield Chrissie as et for her father He had never physically struck them nor did Claire think he had her mother Words were his weapon of choice, and he used them like knives

For not the first tiht about how much easier it would be if her mother lived in a condominium that includedher ho She would also love to never have to see this house again After the death of her father, her mother lived comfortably on his life insurance payment for a few years but in the last year that money had dwindled and now Claire was forced to pick up the medical bills that her Medicare didn’t cover; which seemed to be nuh, Claire made her way up to the front walk and was met at the front door by Louise Noat just five feet tall, Claire’s taller 5’7 fra a curly per as they rey but Claire had seen various other colors over the years when the hair color rong At the present, it was hlight She gave Louise a hug and entered the foyer of the house The original hardwood floors caught the light and gleaht in front of the door with the dining roo roo today Louise? Did she take all her ht?"

"She’s been having an off day, but see ," continued Louise "and that really takes her awhile to recover from"

At that moment, her mother walked in from the kitchen at the back of the house and her eyes just seerabbed her in a hug excitedly saying, "Chrissie; I knew you’d co for you!"