The Dinner...

Barely escaping a deadly snare created by her own devices, Paige is searching for healing and redemption. After two years of therapy, she is finally ready to face her demons. It won’t be as easy as it seems, when accusations are constantly launched at her, and people from her past continue to pop up.

A lover from the past is not ready to let go, and she soon finds herself making similar choices from her past. Will she open her heart up to love and be loved, and will she be convinced to open her life to Christ?

It's a #writerwednesday and I'm sharing the next book in A Woman's Design duology with you. It's A Woman's Design: Redemption.

I pulled into the driveway of my mother’s house and sat for a moment. I needed to have a talk with her and I wasn’t sure I was emotionally strong enough to pull it off. For so long, I had used sex as an outlet of my pain. My lackadaisical attitude towards life had almost cost me mine. Of course, my mother had raked me over the coals for my choices, and she had every right.

My sex-capades had run me into a nightmare situation with a psychopath, two years prior. David had been one of my lovers until he turned into a stalker. His decision to hold me hostage for several days led to a swat standoff, in which he finally released me. Convinced he was ready to surrender, I walked out of my condo with my hands in the air. As my foot stepped over the threshold I heard the pop of my handgun going off and immediately threw myself onto the floor.

My initial thought was that I had been shot until SWAT officers rushed into my condo. Looking back, I could see straight to my bedroom. David’s body was slumped on the ground, where he had blown his brains out.

I still cannot think back on that day and tears not come to my eyes. I suffered nightmares for a long time afterwards. While his actions were that of an insane person, I never expected him to commit suicide.

Pulling myself back to the present before I could drown in my emotions, I stepped out of the car and walked to my mother’s house, letting myself in.

“Paige, is that you, baby?” my mom called from the back.

“It’s me, Mommy.” I don’t know why she always asked that when I visited. No one else had the key to her house except for me.

“Are you ready?” I was cooking dinner for her. Taking her to dinner or cooking for her at my place had become a weekly event between me and her. I hoped that maybe we could discuss some controversial topics with a positive outcome.

“Yeah. Let me grab my purse.” I heard her voice coming from the rear.

I knew she was going to hit the roof when my father arrived. They pretended they could not stand one another, but the truth was they were as intertwined with one another as a pretzel, despite the distance between them.

I seldom spoke to him, but I always tried to keep in touch for my own peace of mind. I had been distant towards my father as an adult. I had difficulty dealing with the abuse heaped on my mother and me by him. I knew he would be full of excuses, but I didn’t care. As the two of them got older it was time for me to deal with some of the issues they had heaped upon me, so I could forgive them and heal. This meeting was not to make them feel guilty, but to face the truth.

My mom chatted the entire ride not realizing I had not spoken a single word. She kept her red cup close by her. She thought I didn’t know what she had in that cup. We’d be okay as long as she didn’t spill it in my car.

I glanced at her after I pulled into my garage. I had sold my condo after David committed suicide there. Even if he had not taken his life, after my abduction and torture, I had no plans to stay there anymore with its horrid memories. I put it up for sale and found a cute little townhouse in a gated community.
Safety? That was a relative word. It would probably be years before I would arrive at that state of mind again.

Mom was still chattering away about something she had seen on a gossip show.

“Mommy, be careful that you don’t spill the contents of your cup when you get out of the car,” I warned.

“Child, you think I don’t know how to handle my business? You act like I ain’t used to going out or something. You tell me that every week when we go to dinner, whether it’s at your house, or a restaurant. I’m not your child, you’re mine,” she chastised me.

“And every week, you grab that cup carelessly with the same hand you’re grabbing the door handle with. I think you’d have spilled something by now, if I didn’t say anything,” I reminded her.

“Hmmpph. You think you know me,” she said, rolling her eyes, and setting the cup on the floorboard, while opening the door. After she got out of the car, she bent back in to grab her cup with one hand and her purse with the other.  

While she unlocked the door to my townhome, I stayed behind a moment texting my father to see how far out he was.

We made small talk as I prepared the dinner. She was catching me up on the latest gossip about her neighbors and my cousins by the time my father showed up.

My heart beat faster as I went to answer the door. “Mom, go ahead and set the table for me, please,” I called over my shoulder as I left the kitchen heading into the living room.

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Women's fiction author and blogger, Chelle Ramsey brings a refreshing perspective into the lives of her readers and wants them to find entertainment, healing and inspiration in each novel. Using real problems and challenges faced by ordinary people, Chelle wants readers to become empowered to rise above life's adversities, with faith in God, and belief in themselves.

Her stories are relatable to individuals of diverse demographics, who have suffered a loss, been hurt, have low self-esteem, have lost hope, or need a word of encouragement. She strives to take your emotions on a roller coaster ride, one page at a time. Chelle holds an MBA in Human Resource Management, which she puts to use in her Human Resources role by day, while she writes her fiction novels at night. And in her spare time, she’s a blogger, freelance writer, and ghostwriter. 
Her most important roles are those of a wife and mother of three. During her “me time,” she becomes enraptured with the enthralling stories of Terry McMillan, Nora Roberts, James Patterson and Stuart Woods. Chelle Ramsey resides in a rural community in Atlanta, Georgia and enjoys writing, family time, and watching NBA games.

She hosts the annual 20 Days of Love authors’ blogging campaign, March Madness authors’ giveaways campaign, and showcases other authors on her blog at www.chelleramsey.com/beautifully-inspired-blog. Her novels can be found online at Chelle Ramsey Amazon.
 
LINKS:
WEB: www.chelleramsey.com
EMAIL: chelleramseywrites@gmail.com
FACEBOOK: ChelleWrites
TWITTER: @UndeniablyChell
PINTEREST: ChellesBooks
INSTAGRAM: UndeniablyChelle

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