Fate's Encore

Live for the Moment - Prologue & Chapter 1

PROLOGUE

MARCH 2012

This would be the hardest phone call Evelyn Harper had ever had to make. She sat in her living room just staring at her phone. One of her dearest, oldest friends had just announced she was dying of cancer. This was the first time Evelyn would talk to her since her twin brother Ethan had called with the news the week before. Taking a deep, shaky breath, she finally hit speed dial four and prayed. The phone rang five times before it was answered.

"Hello."

"Hey Francesca."

"Evie! Oh it's so good to hear from you."

"It's good to talk to you," Evelyn said. "I would have called sooner, but we were out of town for a week."

"It's okay," Francesca chuckled before gasping in pain. "Sorry, my meds are just starting to kick in."

"That's okay, sweetie. I just wanted to hear your voice."

"You mean my tired voice. This surgery took a lot out of me."

"You sound great Fran! So exactly what's going on?"

"Hey, I'm going to be drugged out of my mind here in about two minutes, can I have Jack explain?"

"Of course. You just take care of yourself. I love you."

"I love you too, Evie," she said, tears clouding her voice. "Here's Jack."

"Hey Evelyn."

"Hi Jack. So what's going on?"

Her very private, very intense friend sighed and she heard a sliding glass door open then close. "Fran has advanced stages of uterine cancer. They did exploratory surgery and it's worse than they thought it would be."

"Will they do chemo?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"No," he murmured.

"No?"

"They offered but she doesn't want it," he said softly. "It would just make her sick so she couldn't enjoy the few extra months it might give her. She declined. She says that it's fate and it's her time."

"How long?" Evelyn asked, her voice choked up. She herself didn't believe in fate but her husband Cole did.

"Six months to a year," he whispered.

"God, I'm so sorry."

"Thanks Evelyn."

"Do you guys need anything?"

"If you want to come help me with tourist season," he chuckled. "My damn brother-in-law Tyler broke his arm and doesn't get his cast off until we're a month into the season."

Evelyn knew she couldn't handle the job of taking tourists out on fishing expeditions, but she wished there was something she could do. "I wish I could help, or send one of my boys, but they're all wrapped up in their own lives."

"Oh I'm sure we'll handle it. My boy Kevin might be able to help out too if your niece will give him time off from the diner."

"Well that's good, and I'm sure Olivia will work with him. She loves that diner and everyone who works in it," she said. "What's up with Tyler's arm? I don't remember hearing about that."

"He was being a dumb ass," Jack grumbled. "We had a big storm and one of the boat ties broke. Instead of waiting for me to help, he tried to take care of it himself. Now we have a broken vessel and a broken operator."