A Little New Year's Romance Read Online Free Page B

stare at me.”
     
    ~~*~~
     
    Why did she allow herself to get irritated with her mother? Allison knew that the woman hadn’t meant anything other than what she’d stated. And she was right—Allison could call her more often. But some part of her felt as though Ruby always attacked her. She didn’t understand it—didn’t like it, either—but that’s the way it was.
    She’d been a happy person until her eighteenth birthday. That was when her father was killed by a drunk driver. Her life was changed forever that day. And yes, she was still upset about it, although it had been ten years.
    Having showered and dressed for the day, she wandered through the apartment that wouldn’t be hers much longer. Strangely, she couldn’t help thinking about her life. Why was it that on this, of all days, she felt compelled to reflect on it? And why did she have a need to blame the only One who never stopped loving her? The One to whom she’d always prayed—until that day.
    The answer was simple. Thanks to Him, her life was a mess. She was good at what she did for a living, but every time she had a good thing going, wham ! He’d make sure she fell flat on her face. But was that really true? Was God really to blame, or was He just a convenient target for her anger?
    A better question was whether He was the one she’d had that conversation with the previous day. It seemed logical that it was Him, though a part of her still wanted to doubt.
    Okay, that was more than enough introspection. She had somewhere to go, and the cab would soon be here to pick her up. Where was it that she was going? The card was in the pocket of her coat hanging on a hook next to the front door. She pulled it out and looked at it. Oh, yeah. A church in the Bronx.
    Why would that man—Daniel?—want to meet her at a church? On New Year’s Day? She couldn’t make much sense of it. But then, he did say something about giving her life some meaning—the same thing she’d inadvertently prayed for only moments before she bumped into him. Her curiosity was piqued, so that was good enough reason to find out what he’d meant. Besides, she didn’t have anything else to do, and it might even turn out to be a good day. She could use a few of those.
    There was another card in the same coat pocket from James, the cab driver. Noting the time on her watch, she went to the window to see if he was early. He wasn’t, but he’d be arriving within the next ten minutes. Still enough time to check her hair and makeup in the mirror. Yep, it was acceptable.
    She made her way across the living room one more time, heading toward the door, and grabbed her purse and keys as she went. Slipping her arms into the coat, she spoke aloud.
    “Okay, Allison. Time to go see what this is all about.”
    She’d intended the words to impart encouragement to herself, though they sounded odd in the still, silent, sparsely furnished apartment.
    With a sigh, she pulled the door open, stepped out into the corridor, made sure the door was locked, and headed down the stairs from the second floor. She stood at the main door of the building for a few minutes, waiting for James to arrive. Before long, the cab pulled up at the curb and she hurried out to make the trip to the Bronx.
    An excitement welled up within her. The expectancy and anticipation of beginning a new journey enfolded her, and she couldn’t help feeling like a child again. In the deep recesses of her soul, she knew that today she’d take the first step of a new life.
     
     

 
    CHAPTER FOUR
     
    The church on Baychester Avenue would never be a rival in size to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, though it was large enough to hold several hundred worshippers. Allison had barely closed the door behind her when a middle-aged woman greeted her with an outstretched hand.
    “Hello! I’m Maggie. Are you here to help?” The woman’s voice was pleasant.
    Allison gave her hand a polite shake. “I’m not entirely sure.” That was true. She