Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50006 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50006 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Chapter One
Ivan and Tiffanie left the sterile medical office and walked silently as they returned to his truck. Her mind reeled with the report they’d gotten from the doctor. When he opened the truck door, she climbed into the passenger seat. As her brother walked around the hood to the driver’s side door, his slumped shoulders told her he was concerned too.
Instinctively, her hand dipped into the tote bag she always brought with her to appointments. The worn fabric of her stuffie reassured her. She lovingly rubbed Biff’s head.
Her brother patted her knee before starting the truck. “This is a slight setback, Tiffanie. You’re going to be fine.”
She turned in the seat to meet his gaze, allowing him to see how confused she was. “What just happened in there? Thank goodness you came with me, like usual.”
“That wasn’t the news either of us was expecting. I don’t think he was either. That’s why he wants to repeat the tests in a couple of weeks.”
“He did seem surprised, didn’t he? I’ve felt so good. I was sure he’d share that the treatment was working and maybe even that I only had a few more or even no more rounds of chemo. Who knew that the tests would come back showing a jumble of positive and negative indicators?”
“Well, you get a break from the chemo for a month. That should boost your energy even more,” Ivan said encouragingly.
“I really wanted to be done, Ivan.” Tiffanie tried to keep the despair from her voice but failed miserably. Despair bubbled up inside her. She’d been so sure the doctor would share good news with them at this visit. Now, she didn’t trust herself to know whether she was getting better or not. Or even worse, if she ever would.
“Hey, the doctor said this happens sometimes. That’s why they test routinely. Your body knows how much it can take. You needed a breather. That’s all.”
“Essie and Zander are going to be so disappointed,” Tiffanie said, wishing she could skip telling anyone.
“This is your business. You don’t have to share the news,” Ivan reminded her. “I won’t say a word.”
“Maybe until the next results come through? Could we pretend everything is great?”
“Yes.”
His simple answer said so much about him. Ivan was her older brother. He’d protected her from bullies at school and shielded her from the worst of people as she’d matured. “Thanks, Ivan. What would I do without you?”
“Hopefully, you’ll never have to figure that out. Unless I don’t get that staircase fixed in the carriage house. Are you still okay if I stop to pick up some supplies while we’re in town?”
“Of course. Maybe you could drop me off at the library. I’d like to pick up a couple of books to read. Do you want the next novel in that LitRPG you’ve enjoyed? The one with the guy in boxers and the talking cat?”
“I finished book four. If you find book five, I’ll make your favorite for dinner,” he said with a smile.
“The mac and cheese with the béchamel sauce?” she asked. Her mouth started watering at the mere thought of that delectable, gooey meal.
“Yep, that one,” Ivan said in his poor-me, I’m-so-taken-advantage-of tone.
Tiffanie suspected he liked that decadent concoction as much as she did. “Deal!”
A few minutes later, she walked up the steps to the decades old library. Tiffanie searched for herself first. Ivan would need thirty minutes or more to find, purchase, and load all the supplies he required for the stairs. Essie had arranged a line of credit for Ferguson’s Folly at the hardware store.
Essie’s confidence in Ivan’s integrity didn’t surprise Tiffanie. Her brother was a stellar human being. Tiffanie trusted him completely, and she remembered the pranks her older brother had subjected her to as a teenager. Nothing bad, of course. She had learned never to leave a half-full soft drink can unattended. That horrible taste of pepper in cola still lingered in her memory. Yuck!
“That was quite a face,” a deep voice said from farther down the row.
Tiffanie glanced up to see Phineas Green, the library’s director, pushing an old-fashioned cart laden with books to place back on the shelves. “Hi there. Sorry, a trick my brother played on me years ago popped into my head. I’m sure you didn’t play any jokes on your siblings.”
“Are you kidding? That’s what brothers live to do. If your house was anything like mine, my three older sisters gave as good as they got.”
That made her laugh. “Oh, we have our ways to exact revenge.” Laughing felt good. Normal. She liked the reminder that she was a real person with childhood memories and not just a patient.
“Definitely. Can I help you find an author or a genre in particular?” Phineas asked.
“Oh, I’m searching for a trashy romance. I’m sure you don’t have a lot of experience with those.”