Living Separate Lives
by Paulette Harper
Genre: Christian Fiction, Novella
ASIN: B00GLF5BW0
ISBN: 978-0989969109
Publisher: Thy Word Publishing (November 10, 2013)
Four Friends, One Secret and The Weekend That Changed Their Destiny
Candace Walker, Kaylan Smith, Jordan Tate, and Tiffany Thomas have their share of sorrows, but neither of them realizes how deep the sorrow goes. What happens when they agree to meet for a weekend of relaxation in beautiful Napa County? Which one will leave the same or worse?
For Candace Walker, life has left her battered and bruised. Kaylan Smith has struggled with prejudice from her in-laws. After fifteen years of marriage, bitterness is trying to raise its ugly head for Jordan Tate, whose husband wants to call it quits. And for Tiffany Thomas, dealing with rejection has never been one of her greatest feats.
Although they have been friends for years, they thought they knew each other well. But will a secret destroy their relationship and bring the sisterhood to a complete halt? Will they be able to forgive and allow God to mend that which might be torn?
“Father, in the name of Jesus, thank you for blessing us with this weekend. Thank you for Kaylan, who opened her home like she has. Bless the food, and allow it to bring nourishment to our bodies. We rebuke the calories and the fat that this weekend will leave on our hips. In Jesus’ name. Amen.” After they chuckled, they said, “Amen” in unison.
For the next hour or so, they did not raise their heads; nor did they say a word. They feasted slowly, savoring all the flavors, herbs, and spices from the seafood and noodles. Tonight was not the night to have manners, not with crab and tiger prawns. They licked lips and fingers, and smacked on the food the entire time.
After savoring over tonight’s meal, the caterers brought them each a warm towel for their hands and mouth. The cheese cake would have to wait until later; they were too stuffed to even consider taking a small slice. But a cup of flavored coffee seemed to hit the spot.
“Jordan, are you okay?” Kaylan peered at her. “Is something bothering you? I can tell you are in another place and time. That’s what this weekend is for, so we could bond, get free, and allow God to heal us.”
Tiffany moved her chair closer, and looked Jordan directly in the eyes. “I’m sure we got a whole lot to talk about this weekend.” Tiffany continued to emphasize her point. “These men, I just don’t know about them. Some of them don’t want to commit, some of them want to sleep around, and some of them don’t know when they have a good woman.” It appeared that Tiffany wanted to continue her rant, but the look Jordan gave her indicated that it was time to move on. “Oops, my bad. Sorry, Kaylan, you were talking to Jordan, huh?”
The room fell silent. Jordan nodded, but didn’t smile. “Something is, but I’ll wait till later to talk about it. I don’t want to spoil our lunch,” she said sadly. Kaylan saw the worry in Jordan’s eyes, as well as her effort to try and control her emotions.
The look of shock was evident on Kaylan’s face. Those words pierced her sharply as though a knife had been thrust in her chest. What in the world was Tiffany talking about when she said ‘Men sleeping around.’ Whose husband was she referring to? Considering there are only two married women at the retreat, she is either talking about Bryan or Eric. And I know she ain’t talking about my husband, Kaylan pondered.
Kaylan took a sip of coffee before she spoke. “Now Tiffany done got me wondering what she’s talking about.” She stared at Jordan and reached for her hand. “Jordan, when you’re ready, we are all ears.” Out of the corner of her eye, she took a glimpse at Candace, who was squirming in her seat.
Kaylan leaned back in her chair and looked back and forth at her three friends. Friends since high school, but she wondered did she really know them like she thought. It was quite obvious that Tiffany knew something about somebody’s husband, Jordan was going through a major test, and Candace was uncomfortable, but why? She said a silent prayer: “Lord, please don’t let nothing jump off up in here.”
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Paulette Harper is an award-winning and best-selling author. She is the owner of Write Now Literary Virtual Book Tours and is passionate about helping authors succeed in publishing and marketing their books. Paulette has been writing and publishing books since 2008. Paulette is the author of That Was Then, This is Now, Completely Whole and The Sanctuary. Her articles have appeared on-line and in print.
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