Someone Like Me (Stillwaters Series) Read online

  SOMEONE LIKE ME

  NOVELS in the SIN SERIES

  By Crystal V. Rhodes

  SIN

  SWEET SACRIFICE

  SECRETS

  STRANGERS

  SHADOWS OF LOVE

  All books available in Ebook and Paperback format

  SOMEONE LIKE ME

  A novel by

  Crystal V. Rhodes

  CRYSTAL INK Publishing

  Indianapolis, Indiana

  SOMEONE LIKE ME

  Published in the United States of America by

  CRYSTAL INK Publishing

  P.O. Box 53511

  Indianapolis, Indiana 46253

  This is a work of fiction. All events, characters, places and incidents are strictly products of the author’s imagination. Any similarities to persons living or dead are completely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2016 by Crystal V. Rhodes

  First Edition

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission of the author.

  ISBN: 978-0-9963257-0-7

  Cover Art by Judy Bullard of Custom Ebook Covers

  DEDICATION

  This book is dedicated to my mother and her two sisters, three women who reigned over their earthly kingdoms like the queens that they were. It is also dedicated to those women who have yet to realize that they are queens and should be treated like royalty.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Thank you Eunice, Mel, Lillie, Jo Ann and everyone else who has encouraged and supported me on this writing journey.

  SOMEONE LIKE ME

  “Sisters are different flowers from the same garden.”

  (Anonymous)

  Dear Readers,

  This is the first novel in the three part Stillwaters book series in which extraordinary events occur in the lives of three ordinary sisters, each of whom is caught in difficult life circumstances.

  Someone Like Me introduces Melanie, the middle sister and the family “fixer”, who discovers that there comes a time when she has to “fix” some things in her own life.

  Hope you enjoy her story!

  CVR

  PROLOGUE

  Tears trickled down Melanie Taylor’s cheeks as she recalled the judge’s declaration.

  “Frank Taylor, Jr., I hereby sentence you to 15 years in the state penitentiary.”

  That meant that her oldest child would be thirty-five years old if he served the time without parole.

  “What was Frankie thinking when he robbed that store?” Her question wasn’t directed to anyone in the car in particular, but her mother thought that she might have the answer.

  “It was them drugs that caused that boy to do that,” Faith Carson declared.

  That truth only sharpened the pain that already shrouded Melanie in misery. Her child was a crack addict. He had been high when he committed the crime. Her older sister, Wanda, didn’t make her feel any better.

  “That boy’s just like his Daddy. He never did listen to a thing nobody had to tell him. Look where that got him.”

  Melanie rolled her eyes at her. She suspected that the only reason Wanda had volunteered to drive her home from the courthouse was to gloat over Melanie’s failure as a mother. Of course, Wanda couldn’t be voted Mother of the Year. Her two sons were in and out of jail constantly and her daughter was on drugs. Melanie’s younger sister, Jolene, hadn’t fared much better as a parent either with her three boys. She hadn’t even raised them.

  Just like their mother, each of the sisters had been teenage mothers. Between the three of them they had a total of ten children with Melanie being the only one who had married the father of her children. But that decision turned out to be a disaster.

  Giving a plaintive sigh, Melanie looked out the window at the passing scenery, seeing nothing. This was not the life that she wanted for herself and her children. How had things gone so wrong?

  She couldn’t remember when she wasn’t struggling financially. For most of her life, public assistance had been her main source of income, supplemented now and then by minimum wage jobs that kept her living from hand to mouth. Her childhood dreams and ambitions had faded long ago.

  Following in the footsteps of the other women in their family, Melanie’s oldest daughter, Layla, had two kids by the age of seventeen. Her younger son, Paul, was a high school dropout and spent his days hanging out on the streets. Melanie feared what would happen to her youngest child, Myra.

  “Will we ever see Frankie again?” The nine year old asked, looking up at her mother with fear filled eyes.

  Melanie tried to muster a smile. “Yes, we will. We’ll go visit him whenever we can.”

  She knew that she sounded more confident than she felt. The prison where her son would be sent was hundreds of miles away. Getting there wouldn’t be easy. Her old car was always in the shop, and money for the round trip bus ticket wasn’t readily available.

  Lord, she was tired of this day to day fight for survival. She was weary of sacrificing her children to despair. Things had to change, if not for her then for the child sitting beside her.

  Myra was her only hope that one of her children might make it out of the cycle of poverty that had weighed her family down for so long. Her baby girl was smart. She was a straight A student, and according to her teachers, she had a bright future. Yet, what chance did she have with a mother who hadn’t even graduated from high school?

  At that moment Melanie Taylor made a life altering decision. She swore to herself and on the life of her youngest child that a change was going to be made.

  CHAPTER 1

  Ten Years Later

  “If you put one more hand on my sister I will stomp you into the ground!” Melanie assured her sister’s ex-boyfriend. “Wanda told you to get out of her house and you better get out!”

  She hoped this fool got the message, especially since she was standing in front of the little shrimp holding a table lamp that she fully intended to use if he didn’t comply. Her younger sister was standing next to her holding a steel baseball bat, increasing the danger he was in, and she didn’t mince words.

  “Get to steppin’, sucker, unless you want some of this.” Jolene was short and as thin as a rail. At her best weight, she barely tipped the scales at 110 pounds, but she was a fighter, and she was about to bust this man upside his head. She tightened her hold on the weapon fully prepared to swing. “I know you don’t think you can break into my sister’s house and threaten her!”

  In case he needed more persuasion, Wanda stood by the screen door that he had kicked off its hinges and she was breathing fire. She was ready to pounce on him too.

  Wanda was the exact opposite of her baby sister. Although average in height, she was a large woman, whose round body still displayed remnants of the shapely young girl she used to be. Unlike Jolene, Wanda was more mouth than anything else, but there were times that she would spring into action and take care of business. This was one of those times.

  Realizing that he was outnumbered, the diminutive, Willie D, as he was known on the street, backed down. Enraged, he tossed a barrage of parting curses at the women as he weaved unsteadily out of the house and down the cracked steps of the ramshackle house. The sisters watched as he tumbled into his oversized sedan and drove away with tires screeching. It wasn’t until his vehicle was out of sight that Melanie whirled on her sister.

  “I’m sick and tired of this, Wanda! Every time you hook up with these no good men and things go wrong, you call me to help you get out of a jam!”

  “I didn’t
call you,” Wanda snapped. “Mama did. We was on the phone talkin’ when she heard that idiot breaking down my screen door and she panicked.” Her eyes narrowed. “Anyway, don’t tell me, since you goin’ to college and all, you too good to help family now.”

  “You mean since she’s sittin’ by that computer screen pretendin’ to go to college.” Jolene sniggered, as she returned the bat back to its usual spot behind the front door.

  Melanie had been taking online college courses for so many years that her efforts had become the bunt of family jokes.

  Jolene continued. “Girl, I told her not to waste her money on that computer. Them things are a rip-off.” Wanda nodded in agreement.

  “I guess you would know,” Melanie retorted sarcastically. Sadly, neither of her sisters had ever tried to use one. The era of technology was leaving them behind.

  Ignoring the snide remark, Jolene turned her criticism toward Wanda. “And Willie D’s actin’ a fool should be a wakeup call to you. Get that landlord to install a security door in this place.”

  Wanda sniffed. “That cheap ass man ain’t gonna spend no money on somethin’ like that, but I do need one. On top of it he’s probably gonna charge an arm and leg for that busted screen door even if it wasn’t my fault!”

  Melanie snatched her purse up and prepared to leave. “Why don’t you get that good for nothin’ Willie D to buy one for you? That’s the least he owes you after all the hell you let him put you through.”

  She couldn’t count the number of times the volatile couple had fought during the short time they’d been together and, unfortunately, she had heard about every fight.

  Wanda didn’t appreciate her suggestion. “I ain’t askin’ Willie D for nothin’. I’m through with him.”

  Melanie shrugged. “Suit yourself. I’ll see you two. I’ve got to go.”

  Moving swiftly, she hoped that she could get out the door, down the walk and into her car before her sister could say what she knew was coming next. It didn’t happen. She had reached the end of the walk when Wanda called out to her.

  “Hey, Melanie, can I borrow a couple of dollars from you to get another screen door?”

  Taking a steadying breath, Melanie turned to Wanda. “You know good and well I don’t have any money to loan you. I’ve got bills to pay.”

  “I’ll pay you back,” Wanda said testily.

  “Yeah, just like the hundreds of other times you didn’t. Besides, it’s the first of the month and you just got your check for the twins.” Wanda was the legal guardian of her daughter’s two children.

  “That little piece of change ain’t gonna get me far and I sure ain’t got no extra money for a door. I’ve got to pay rent, and buy food…”

  “So do I, “Melanie interjected. “Plus I’ve got to send money to Myra at school. College is expensive.”

  “Oh, Lord! Here we go with that college mess again.” Jolene stood in the doorway beside Wanda. “If Myra had kept her butt in Bauer she wouldn’t need no money. Damn, Melanie, all your kids are grown and out of the house, you can loan her something!”

  “Thanks for your unwanted opinion,” Melanie hollered over the top of the car. “And since you’re so concerned, why don’t you loan her some money? Or she can call Willie D!” Sliding inside the car, she slammed the door and drove away.

  Melanie was seething. She was fed up with her sisters’ snide remarks. It used to be that the three Carson sisters stood together as a united front. Now it seemed that unless there was a fight she was called to help referee it was two Carson sisters against one. Things had definitely changed, especially since she had enrolled in college

  As she drove to her job at the discount store, she forced herself not to think about them. Instead, she concentrated on the final exam she had to take tomorrow. Passing it would mean she would have achieved the goal toward which she had worked for so long—a college education. She smiled.

  Pulling into the parking lot of the strip mall where her job was located she thought about how life would be so much better when she had that piece of paper hanging on her wall. She hated her job. The pay was minimal. The hours were long and the work was boring, but she had a plan that would make things better very soon.

  Her cell phone rang just as she turned off the car ignition. Melanie didn’t have to look at caller ID. It was her mother, again, calling about Wanda.

  Laying her head on the steering wheel, she took a deep breath to gather her resolve. She knew that she would need it. Her family was so predictable. Reluctantly, she answered, trying not to sound irritated, but she failed.

  “Hey, Mama, I’m getting ready to go into work. What’s wrong now?”

  As usual, Faith Carson ignored her middle child’s impatience. “I want to know why you can’t loan your sister a little bit of money to help her buy a new screen door?”

  “What’s wrong with Jolene? Why are you bugging me?”

  “Because you’re the only one workin’ now…”

  “Don’t you mean ever,” Melanie shot back. “I can’t afford to take care of Wanda, Jolene and myself too! They’re full grown and healthy as horses, let them get up off their behinds and get jobs.”

  “I guess that goes for me too.” Faith sounded offended.

  Melanie didn’t bother to address that statement. Faith had never worked a day in her life. She never had to. When she was younger she had been a stunningly beautiful woman. Her daughters had heard people described her as resembling the great Lena Horne. There had always been men eager to help pay her bills and do her bidding. Faith was now in her sixties and still attractive, but lately she had

  been between men. Her income came from babysitting and contributions from her girls—mostly Melanie—who decided to cut this conversation short.

  “I’m not loaning her a penny, Mama! End of story. I’ve got to clock in now. Goodbye.”

  Disconnecting the call before her mother could say another word, she wanted to scream. She had worked so hard over the past ten years with the hope that she would eventually get out from under this pressure, both financial and familial. Would this ever end?

  She had tried so hard to do everything right. She had gone to night school to get her G.E.D. After that, she had commuted back and forth from Bauer to the town of Anders, thirty miles away, traveling by car, by bus, anyway she could get there, in order to attend the community college, so that she could earn an Associates degree. When she failed at that effort, she didn’t give up. For the last six years she had been taking online college courses working toward a Bachelor’s degree. No matter the setbacks, personal or financial, in spite of the skepticism and ridicule of her mother, her sisters, and her fellow employees, she had been steadfast in her efforts. Only her daughter Myra, and her mother’s best friend, Emma Owens, had been there for support. Sometimes she felt as though she was on a merry-go-round, spinning faster and faster out of control. There had to be that brass ring at the end of this ride. There just had to be.

  Steeling herself to go inside to her job, Melanie repeated the mantra that had gotten her through everything in life that she had endured: Soon—very soon—things will be better.

  ****

  Scott Stillwaters fought the butterflies in his stomach as he looked out the window of his father’s luxury aircraft.

  There it was below, his destination, his home town—Stillwaters.

  In his more than fifty years on earth, he had lived in or visited nearly every continent on earth. Why he was nervous about returning to this tiny hamlet in the middle of nowhere he couldn’t understand. He knew this place well. Stillwaters was his family’s private Shangri-La.

  From the air, it looked foreboding with a high stone wall surrounding its entire perimeter and an admittance gate that was even higher. Yet, behind that wall was an enclave of wealth and power that few knew existed.

  The town was a grid of spotless avenues and well planned neighborhoods, with houses that could compete with those in the most affluent areas in this nation. The lake,
around which many of the homes were built, was so clear that he could see the reflection of their airplane as they approached Stillwaters’ private landing strip. The town’s park was a green oasis, containing everything from playground equipment to a soccer field. Scott could distinguish Stillwater’s commercial district by the brightly colored buildings dotting its main street.

  He hadn’t been back here since the death of his grandmother, the family’s beloved matriarch, Esther Stillwaters, lovingly called Grandy. It had been she and her husband, William, who founded the town.

  “It looks like more stores have been built since my last trip here,” Scott observed.

  “You’re right,” Gerald Stillwaters confirmed as he prepared for landing. “Business is booming. Your Aunt Ginny has opened up the shopping area from just weekends to seven days a week.”

  That was news to Scott, and a detail that he would have liked to have known. He had agreed to come home because he needed a change in his life. In the process, his father had talked him into doing something Scott wasn’t sure he wanted to do. He was to take over as City Manager of Stillwaters, a position second only to that of the mayor. His father’s sister, Ginny, held that distinction.

  “I wish you had told me about all of this expansion,” Scott told his father. “You know I don’t like surprises.”

  “Uh huh,” was Gerald’s only reply.

  Little did Scott know that after landing and arriving at his father’s spacious home, he was in for an even bigger surprise.