Marriage Made Me Do It Read online

  And, it formed a new plan—a new life goal and purpose—within hours after reading the last entry. The first item on the agenda: take a few of her mother’s favorite dresses and the journal full of the ugly, disgusting truth to the funeral home and have them burned right along with her mother, forever destroying the truth in a ball of flames.

  ***

  Pulling her maniacal thoughts back to the present, Carol nodded toward the door, ignoring the look of annoyance on Aunt Becca’s face.

  No, not Aunt Becca. Lunatic Bitch.

  With a fake smile, Carol fell in to step behind L.B. “I wish you could join me after the services at Eternal Slumber Acres. It’s going to be weird burying their urns alone.”

  Rebecca stopped, brow furrowing with irritation. “I’m sorry, Carol, but I told you I simply cannot change this meeting. I’ve been fighting for months about this and I’ve got to get things settled or we’ll end up in mediation—or worse. I’ve already got enough on my plate to deal with and then those idiots try and back out of the deal. I’m beyond ready to finalize things and have the issue of Grandma’s house off my plate.”

  Carol stiffened, unable to hide the look of anger from her face.

  “Honey, don’t look at me like that. I’m sorry, really. None of this has been easy on me, either. Why don’t you wait until tomorrow to take the urns? I’ll be able to go with you and we can bury them in private, okay? Maybe go shopping afterwards? Retail therapy does wonders for the soul.”

  “Okay,” Carol responded in a quiet whisper. “Just the two of us—our little secret. Right?”

  Planting a light kiss on Carol’s soft cheek, Rebecca said: “Just between us girls, I promise.”

  The sounds of faint organ music filled the small room as they entered. Carol spotted Liz and her family near the front. She let Rebecca go first to the podium then slid into the stiff pew next to Liz.

  “Hey, baby girl. You doing okay?” Liz asked, slipping an arm over Carol’s shoulder.

  Nodding, Carol didn’t say a word as she half-heartedly listened to Lunatic Bitch jabber on about her feelings about her deceased mother and sister.

  She didn’t have the inclination to listen—she was too busy planning out how things would go down at Eternal Slumber Acres the next day when it was just aunt and niece.

  Alone.

  Two would arrive; only one would leave. The other would remain, joining Benny’s corpse forever.

  Biting her cheek to keep from smiling, Carol knew there was no doubt: she was her mother’s daughter.

  Acknowledgements

  There are so many people I need to thank yet it would take an entire novel to list them all. However, there are some very special people I wish to thank:

  To my family: You all have been my rocks during the last six years! Mom, you even decided to join the madness and penned two novels with me! My dear husband, you’ve endured all the craziness, my bouts of anxiety, late nights typing away at the computer as each story poured out of me. Thank you, Michael, for being such an amazing man. Mom and Frankie--the two of you have been my biggest cheerleaders, encouraging me to continue on when I felt like giving up. And son, you are, and always have been, my reason for living. Your strength and determination inspires me each and every day. Dad and Cindy: your love and continued support as I navigated my way through the numerous perils of this journey is appreciated more than I can say. Allison, Brittney and Lindsey: the three of you bring tremendous joy to my life and I love you all as though you were my own. My heart belongs to each and every one of you.

  Jeff LaFerney: Author and friend. You have the patience of a saint, a heart of gold, and a brilliant way with words. When life’s woes buried me under a pile of mental rubble, your hand was the first to poke through the debris. You are a man of faith, family and morals—a rare combination in the world today. It is an honor to call you friend.

  Sabrina Stewart: You are more than an actress, voice-over artist, producer and director. You are a beautiful soul with enough passion and drive to sustain a roomful of people for their lifetimes! Love and warmth radiate from you like a beacon in the darkness. You share a special place in my heart because you believed enough in my writing to take on the monumental task of creating not one but two films based on my books. Your love for mankind and desire to create memorable works inspire me every single day.

  Andrea Emmes: Your talent is boundless! Your angelic voice gave the breath of life to words on a page above and beyond my wildest expectations. So much emotion and passion oozes out of you like sweet, raw honey. Every single time I listened to a chapter loaded up to ACX a lump of tears formed in my throat, completely awed by your talents to be the characters from my imagination. Your strong faith and kind demeanor speak volumes of about your love for God.

  Sara Morsey: Strong, confident and artistic, you are a woman who knows how to take charge and live each day to the fullest. You’ve been with me on this journey from the very beginning, encouraging me to keep writing, keep digging deep for inspiration and to keep pounding the words out. Your vocal range astounds me with each book you’ve narrated for me. No one can pull off the sexy southern dialect like you do!

  Rebecca Roberts: Tough and full of spunk, you are honest about your thoughts and opinions, urging me to step out of my comfort zone and believe in my work as much as you did. Without your backbone of support and insistence I seek out an agent to take things to the next level, I wouldn’t have had the guts to write Marriage Made Me Do It. The one little sentence you spoke in a phone conversation changed my life: “Your sense of humor is wickedly funny so you should write a dark comedy.” I took the challenge and look what happened! You kicked me out of my comfortable nest, forcing me to fly. Now, we are soaring together.

  Elaine Raco Chase: Mentor and personal confidant—you are a cheerleader extraordinaire! With a smile and a loving spirit, you have been a staunch supporter from day one and a loyal friend. Witty, charming, and with a wicked sense of humor, we clicked from the beginning and haven’t slowed down since. My ears are always ready to listen to your sage advice and playful banter.

  Janelle Taylor: Inspiration is the first word that comes to mind when I think about you, followed by the close second of determination. You have the heart of a true steel magnolia. The love you have for the craft of writing and the heights you’ve achieved during your glorious career are inspirational. One of the first people I ever interviewed on my radio show, I recall how nervous I was to speak with you—until your sweet, Georgia-tinged voice assured me things would be just fine—and they were after you graciously walked me through interviewing you. Just like Elaine Raco Chase, you’ve been an avid supporter, encouraging me to continue on, and that means the world to me.

  Linda Langton: Superwoman. That is my nickname for you, Linda. You went above and beyond the duties of a literary agent. You took time to assist me from start to finish in a world I was unfamiliar with, encouraging me throughout the entire process, helping me achieve a dream I’ve had for years. Thank you for everything. Your cape is in the mail. J

  Betty Dravis: Like Elaine and Janelle, you’ve been a part of this crazy journey with me since the minute I took my first step on the path of writing. Like an archaeologist, you looked past the dirt and debris of the unpolished words, recognizing the hidden treasure just below the surface. With gentle urging and reassurances the raw talent just needed some spot cleaning, you’ve been my rock. Thank you for the guidance, friendship, and most importantly for being you. When God fashioned you, He broke the mold.

  Joanna Lee Doster: My New York Soul Sister! Your friendship and encouragement mean more to me than I can properly put into words. We’ve shared so many wonderful moments over the years and countless hours on the phone while swapping stories, tips, ideas and more. Allow me to publicly apologize for giving you nightmares as I read chapters from my zombie series to you over the phone, and thank you for being such a wonderful soundboard as I hash out new plots and tales. For you, the world.

&n
bsp; Donna Lickteig, Donna Thompson, and Pam Carroway Jones: Better known as “Ashley’s Angels” because of the role all three of you have played in my life. Support, encouragement and friendship to boot—books drew us together yet our comradery will keep us connected. Allow me to express my heartfelt thanks to all three of you for being a part of my life and walking alongside me on this journey.

  Kathryn Cheshire, Editor, Killer Reads: Words cannot aptly express how thankful I am for your expert guidance, superior patience and belief in my work. You are a treasure and I hope one day to meet you face-to-face and give you a hug!

  To my fans: You didn’t think I’d forgotten about all of you, right? Of course I didn’t! Each and every one of you and all the downloads, reviews, shares, tweets, comments and support made all the falls and stumbles during the past six years tolerable and the reason I kept going!

  Tomorrow is promised to none—embrace the present and say what’s on your heart to those who’ve made your time here on this planet memorable. Pass along the gratitude to the lives of others and guess what? You’ll discover a whole new attitude in your own.

  About the Author

  Award-winning and international bestselling author Ashley Fontainne enjoys stories that immerse the reader deep into the human psyche and the monsters lurking within each of us. She writes in numerous genres including mystery, suspense, horror, sci-fi and sometimes poetry. Two of her novels, The Lie and Ruined Wings, are currently in production for feature films. Find out more by visiting her website at www.ashleyfontainne.com

  Ashley lives in Arkansas with her husband and is the proud mother of one son and three daughters.

  @AshleyFontainne

  /ashley.fontainne

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