ANNIE'S SONG
copyright 2007 by Sabra Brown Steinsiek
Whiskey Creek Press
ISBN
E-Book 928-1593-74-810-4 Paperback 928-1593-74-810-8
ATTENTION: Only the first nine chapters will be posted here before Annie’s Song is released by Whiskey Creek Press on November 1, 2007. Reading this excerpt may be addicting and you may feel compelled to buy the book (I hope!). No amount of whining or gifts of chocolate will make me reveal anything past the end of
Chapter 9! You’ve been warned!
Chapter 3
Brunch with the extended Morgan family was never a quiet affair. There were her parents, of course, and Annie’s sisters, Betta and Meg, each with a husband and two daughters. Rosina, the Morgans’ former housekeeper and long-time friend, was now Nanny to all four of the granddaughters. Only Annie’s grandparents, who lived in Ireland, were missing.
Table conversation had been lively, and now, according to family tradition, the men were doing the dishes while the women, who had prepared the feast, relaxed. The children had gone off to the spacious playroom, although Annie expected Kat, the eldest of the girls, to be back in soon.
“You really outdid yourself on Dante’s dress, Betta,” Annie said. Betta was the owner of the trendy Morganna’s that featured her own designs as well as those of up-and-coming young designers. Her specialty was wedding dresses, custom designed in her studio on the second floor of Morganna’s. A gown by Elizabetta was the dream of many a young woman.
“Thanks. I thought it turned out well,” Betta answered. “It didn’t hurt that Dante has that beautiful dancer’s body. I could have dressed her in burlap, and she would have looked like an angel.”
“An itchy angel,” Meg commented.
“I’m glad you went with something more traditional,” Laura said, laughing. “That fabric was heavenly.”
“I found it in Italy on our last trip, and I had to have it. I bought enough to do pretty much any kind of dress. Since Dante chose something simple, I have quite a bit left over. I thought I’d save it for first communion dresses for the little girls and party dresses for Kat and Rhen—and maybe a christening gown for Annie’s first child.”
Both Rosina and Laura crossed themselves and looked up in supplication. Annie snorted and said, “Yeah, right. I think I have to find time to date someone first before I consider having children.”
“Any news on that front?” her mother asked, oh-so-casually.
“Let’s see. I do seven shows a week—that takes up most nights. I have dance, voice, and yoga classes that take up the daylight hours before I go to the theater, and on my one day off, I do laundry and grocery shopping. That leaves lots of time for dating—not!”
“That’s fine with me,” her father said from the doorway. “You other two got lucky in finding men good enough for you, but Annie hangs around with theater riff-raff. We all know how bad they are.”
“Horrible,” Laura said as he came to sit on the arm of her chair. “No woman should have to put up with that!”
Their daughters laughed. Taylor Morgan had been one of the biggest stars on Broadway when he’d done a charity concert in Albuquerque and met newspaper reporter Laura Collins. They had adopted Meg and Betta the year they were married, but it was seven years before Annie had come along. Still very much in love, Taylor and Laura would be celebrating their thirtieth wedding anniversary on New Year’s Day.
Rosina asked, “What will you do now that Dante has moved out? Will you be finding another roommate?”
Annie shook her head. “I don’t know yet. As long as Betta doesn’t raise my rent, I can probably swing it by myself.” Annie’s loft was on the top floor of Morganna’s. “Finding someone seems like so much trouble, but I have to admit that the apartment felt pretty empty when I got home last night.”
“I’ll loan you my girls,” Meg offered, and Betta quickly added, “Mine, too!”
“Not what I had in mind,” Annie said. “I don’t have to rush into anything, so I think I’ll leave things as they are for right now.”
Annie was relieved when the conversation turned to other topics. She loved her family, but being the youngest meant all of them were constantly “watching out” for her. It didn’t seem to matter that she’d been on her own for five years now.
She noticed Kat in the doorway and motioned for her to come sit beside her. Jami Kaitlin was the oldest of the granddaughters. She was nearly thirteen and caught in that time warp where she was too old to be a child but too young to be a teen. Rhen was next in age at nearly twelve and was also poised to leave childhood behind. Laurierose at six and Maria at five were just starting out. While Annie adored all her nieces, she’d always had a special bond with Kat. With only ten years between them, she was actually closer in age to Kat than she’d been to her sisters. Annie smiled at Kat and beckoned her to come sit with her as she moved over in the chair to make room. Kat snuggled in beside her, and they listened to the conversations whirling around them.
(October 1)
