Farah's Deadline Read online

  Lizbet hadn’t moved. We gazed at each other for a long minute. “Farah,” she said. “I’m glad for you.”

  Tears filled my eyes. “Then be glad for me by please telling Edie.”

  Lizbet turned to leave, then paused. She leaned toward me, put one hand on each of my legs, and looked deeply into my eyes. “I have to do something first. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  The three of us watched her leave. Sam kept squeezing my hand as if he were keeping time to some invisible lullaby. An odd sense of peace flowed over me. I rubbed my free hand over my stomach.

  I love you. I love you. I love you.

  But I knew the truth.

  I can’t take care of you, little one. Not properly.

  I shook my head. I would talk to the Millers and get to know them. There was time.

  The peace hovered around me, circling, infiltrating. I leaned into Sam while we waited for Lizbet.

  A few minutes later, she rushed back into the den, and the atmosphere shifted. She stood still, letting each of us take a good look. Her hair had been chopped off right below the shoulders. Her face gleamed and I realized she was pretty, truly pretty.

  “Well?” she said, expectation written all over her face. “I did it. My declaration of independence, Farah. Remember? Do you like it?”

  I grinned, and laughter bubbled up in me. I stood. “Lizbet, you ding-bat. You cut it crooked.”

  I walked over to her. “Come on, I can straighten that out for you.”

  Her grin widened like a warm summer day as we walked off together toward the bathroom.

  About the Author

  Brenda Maxfield’s passion is writing! What could be more delicious than inventing new characters and seeing where they take you?

  Brenda is a teacher so she spends most of her waking hours with young people. She loves chatting with them and hearing their views on love and life. Her students are magical, and she is honored to be part of their lives.

  Brenda has lived in Honduras, Grand Cayman, and Costa Rica. Presently, she lives in Indiana with her husband, Paul. They have two grown children and a precious grandbaby, special delivery from Africa.

  When not teaching, Brenda loves to hole up in her lake cabin and write — often with a batch of popcorn nearby. (Plus a nice supply of dark chocolate!)

  Brenda enjoys getting to know her readers, so feel free to write her at: [email protected]. Visit her website to learn about all her books and some good, clean teen reads: www.brendamaxfield.com. Happy Reading!

  Also By Brenda Maxfield

  Read The Lance Temptation, Book One of The Edgemont Series. Sophomore Emili Jones has had it with being a boring, straight-A student. Itching for excitement, she sees plenty of it in classmate Farah Menin's life of frequent dates and edgy adventure. Hoping the popularity will rub off, Emili latches onto Farah and manipulates herself into best friend status. The connection helps her land the hot new guy, Lance Jankins, but there's a catch.

  Now a pawn in Farah's dating games, Emili is on a crash course to betrayal. Will she realize it in time to save herself?

  Read Along Came Jordan, Book Two of The Edgemont Series. When it comes to love, sophomore Emili Jones is famous for brainless decisions. At her new school, she falls for Jordan Lawman but stuffs down her feelings, believing they can only lead to pain. When Laine Meadow, the reigning social queen, sets her sights on Jordan and senses competition in Emili, war is declared.

  On top of Laine’s jealous torment, Emili struggles to help her little sister who suffers from selective mutism and will speak only to Emili. Her mother’s suspicious behavior and her father’s job loss add to the turmoil.

  Can Emili save them all while learning to love again?

  Read the novella Someday You’ll Laugh, A (mostly) True Love Story. Stunned when her boyfriend announces they should be free to see others when he leaves for college, Brenda pastes a smile on her face and walks away. Far away. Only to find herself irresistibly drawn into the arms of another guy.

  Brenda’s previous boyfriend finds out, claims he made a huge mistake, and wants her back. She will receive a marriage proposal, but from which one?

  Later, on her wedding day, Brenda awakens knowing something is wrong. Will she make it through the ceremony?