Chapter 1 Sneak Peek- Holding Onto Hope!
One of the things I find fascinating about life in general is how two people can be in the same place at the same time and have vastly different experiences.
Remember the scene in the beginning of Sliver of Truth when the mill girls are shopping at Paisley’s? Cece's struggle was the focus. But each of the other mill girls’ quirks were coming though. I included the feeling Kimber was exhausted even while keeping up the rapport with her closest girlfriends.
While I wasn’t quite sure at the time where the entire plot of Holding Onto Hope was headed, re-reading that scene gave me the perfect opportunity to flip everything around and peek into Kimber's mind. She was still struggling with the choices she made in the past and how it affected her and Trig's future.
I'm excited August is getting closer to share all of Holding Onto Hope with you. Until then, scroll down to read the first chapter!
Holding Onto Hope
—Chapter 1—
“But are you living your best life?” I pose the question to Cece that’s been on my mind as of late.
It’s mill girls’ day. A bunch of us are meeting up at our favorite boutique in downtown Brighton and getting coffee next door at Baked Beans afterward. Only Sloan, Cece, and I have shown up so far. The two of them have already sifted through half of Paisley’s racks while Sloan plays the role of Cece’s personal stylist, something she’s well-suited to.
The sun is shining through the plate glass. As glad as I am to be hanging out with my best friends this morning, my eyes haven’t adjusted to the light. Thank goodness no one cares I haven’t taken off my dark sunglasses. I’m using my late shift at Sweet Caroline’s and the drive back-and-forth to drop my son off with his pseudo grandparents for all it’s worth. But, in my defense, I didn’t roll my eyes when I asked Cece if she was happy.
I love Cees and her ambition to go after a career she was meant for. But she’s been so focused she’s forgotten to have fun. Cece is more than ten years younger than I am, and I don’t want her to have the same regrets I do about the lost years before I met my husband, Trig. I wish I’d appreciated how easy life was when I had the chance, instead of stumbling over the roadblocks I’d put in my way.
With age, I’ve also come to know Cece won’t understand my perspective for another decade. So, a bit of playful teasing that she has to dump the tub of vanilla ice cream she’s currently in a serious relationship with is as far as I’m willing to push it.
Cece shrugs with a half-hearted and self-conscious smile as Sloan, my partner in crime, continues snagging clothes off the rack and putting them up to admire the colors against Cece’s flawless skin.
It’s a little unfair. I’ve got a stupid zit on my chin—the kind that’s so far under the skin it hurts like a bitch—and a ton of concealer on to hide the