Wishes, Lies, & Fireflies (A Sewing Circle Suspense) Cozy Mystery by Claire Yezbak Fadden ➱ Book Tour with Giveaway
A Sewing Circle Suspense
Wishes, Lies, & Fireflies
A Sewing Circle Suspense Book 1
by Claire Yezbak Fadden
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Addie Burhan never allowed the
choice she made eighteen years ago to control her life. A goal not
easily accomplished in 1940, when an unplanned pregnancy left women
with few options. But after hearing gossip about her former boyfriend
Barry Gallatin at the weekly Sewing Circle – codename for ladies’
poker night–Addie realizes everything she held sacred is about to
be crushed.
Barry and his family have returned to her
sleepy town in southwestern Pennsylvania. It’s bad enough that he
broke her heart to marry her then-friend, Nora, but now Addie’s
close-knit circle wants to welcome the two-faced woman back into
their group.
Within weeks, her teenage son meets the
Gallatins’ daughter. A romance blooms, swirling Addie into a panic.
She can't let him fall in love with this girl. Her Lebanese
upbringing and strong faith have kept her from revealing her past.
And now that secret will destroy two families. But if she doesn’t
tell the truth–those same lives will be shattered.
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Addie passed her a Lucky Strike. She clicked open the lid of
her silver lighter and flicked the flint wheel. Sparks ignited the wick, and
seconds later, Beth blew smoke out her mouth in a billowy puff. “Okay, let’s
hear it.”
“Hear what?”
“Cut the crap. You’ve been dying to tell me everything wrong
with Nora and why she’s not welcome.”
Addie lit her own cigarette, rolled down her window, and blew
a puff of smoke into the atmosphere. “For God’s sake, Beth. You know what she
did to me. What he did to me. How could you even consider being her friend
again? After all these years.”
“Exactly, after all…these…years.” For as strong and smart as
Addie had proven to be, Beth couldn’t understand how a high-school broken heart
had ruined her little sister in small ways. Not that most folks would notice.
Giant chunks of Addie’s soul had been ripped out and died somewhere during the
summer of 1939. Only her stubborn streak survived.
“You’re my sister. That’s a bond that can’t be changed,
broken, or diminished. I will always love you. I will always be here for you.”
Addie shook her head. “Yeah, I know. You love your family,
but you choose your friends. Isn’t that what Nora always said?”
“Sure, she said that because she didn’t have a sister. Just a
mess of brothers who never gave her the time of day until she married well.”
Addie huffed. “That she did.”
“You know I love you above anyone else, except my kids, of
course.” Beth rested her case. “What?” she finally asked when no response came.
“I’m waiting for the but…”
“There is no but,” Beth said.
“Then why are we having this conversation?”
Beth didn’t answer.
“I’ll tell you why. Because you want to pick up where you
left off eighteen years ago. I don’t…I can’t.”
“We’re different people now,” Beth pleaded. “This isn’t high
school anymore. This is real life.”
“Real life. You want to know what’s real life? Having your
heart squashed by the man you thought loved you and then finding out that he
dumped you for your sister’s best friend.”
Addie tapped the ash off her cigarette, sending residue
cascading into the darkening night. “I couldn’t even come crying to you.” She
swallowed. “I turned to Ahren.” The words were whispered so quietly Beth could
barely hear.
“Playing the heartbroken damsel was your choice. And now you
want to blame Nora. Well, baby sister, that ship has sailed. Grow up. And move
the hell on.”
Addie sucked on the end of her cigarette, filling her lungs
before releasing a long, slow stream of smoke through her lips. “You are
inviting her to join us?”
“Don’t know yet. Either way, this has nothing to do with
Barry Gallatin breaking your heart during senior year. Who knows? Maybe she
doesn’t want anything to do with me, you, or the ladies.”
“I doubt that,” Addie said. “But I can hope.”
“Hope what? That you’ll spend the rest of your days envying a
life you chose not to live?” Beth tossed her extinguished cigarette butt out
the window, turned the key, and the engine jumped to life. “Is that what you
want? I hope not. You have a husband who adores you and a son who needs you.
And frankly, all of us who love you deserve better than the meager effort
you’ve shown lately.”
“You are so dramatic. How do you know what choices I made?
This isn’t a movie where you get to make big, sweeping statements about my
life.”
“That’s not fair—”
“Fair? You think this is about what’s fair?” Beth watched
Addie’s eyes fire with rage. “You think you know me, but sister, you don’t. You
haven’t known me. I think you never knew me at all.”
Beth turned from Addie, moved the gear shift into drive, and
pulled away from the curb.
Maybe she didn’t know everything there was to know about her
sister and that summer. The events after Addie’s graduation blurred together.
Had she missed something? Something important. Something seminal in Addie’s
life.
She could keep guessing or ask Addie to tell. But tonight
wasn’t the time. She’d wait for the right moment. That much she did know.
Addie was as stubborn as a red wine stain on a white silk
blouse. Unless you handled her carefully and used the right amount of coaxing,
Addie wouldn’t budge.
Driving down the quiet street, Beth decided to be patient.
With Nora back in town, the long-buried truth, the reason why Addie had never
embraced her life, would surface.
And yes, whatever reality faced Addie, Beth would be there
for her.
Pennsylvania-native Claire Yezbak Fadden lives in Orange County, California with her husband and two spoiled dogs. She spends her spare time playing with her four grandchildren and immersing herself in the words of other authors.
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I hope your followers will enjoy meeting Addie and Beth and the rest of the Sewing Circle ladies. Thank you for featuring Wishes, Lies, & Fireflies featured on your blog.
ReplyDeleteThe excerpt sounds really good. I would enjoy reading this one.
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