Page 1 of Splintered Shadow
Chapter One
Sarah
Another end to a long day.
The silence of the empty apartment greeted Sarah as she dumped her bag and keys at the table next to the front door. Working at a bookstore sounded great—plenty of things to read and new stock arriving daily—and it would be if it weren’t for all the customers.
I want the book they talked about on the radio.No clue about the name or even what program they heard it on.
It was on the radio, the customer repeated, like it should be obvious.
Or, a perennial favorite,I’m looking for a book. It’s blue.
Customers were the absolute worst.
Sarah wanted a shower, and then she wanted to stuff her face with something unhealthy. The day had worn her out. Her feet hurt, and her patience was long since gone, but the laundry demanded to be done. She wore her last clean pair of underwear, and there was no chance of wearing the same work shirt tomorrow.
Sarah frowned down at the barbeque sauce stain gracing the front of her unflattering polo.
Yup. Laundry had to be done. Such a glamorous life she led.
After a quick shower, she ran the first load and finished the leftover mac and cheese in the fridge. She caught up on the latest episodes of a baking competition while the laundry ran.
The phone chirped, reminding her of an important system update.
“They’re all important,” she grumbled and dismissed the message. She should update, but the last time she tried, it demanded to be plugged into the charger, and the charger was all the way in the bedroom.
Sarah imagined getting off the comfy couch and just couldn’t find it in her. “Tomorrow,” she promised.
She carried the basket into her bedroom. “No, I’m tired. I’ll fold you tomorrow,” she said.
The basket had heard that before.
She sighed and dumped the basket out on the bed. “Fine, I’ll be an adult, but I’m not happy about this. Some people have those things, whatsits,friends, and a life. I should get one of those.”
She had friends, but most were partnered up and having babies. Everyone was too busy or too tired to hang out. Honestly, now that she approached her thirties, leaving the apartment after work just seemed like a waste of energy. Adulting was no joke.
She popped in her earbuds, cued up an audiobook, and set to folding. Losing herself in the narrator’s voice, she matched socks and folded shirts.
The phone vibrated.
“David has the baby. Let’s get an adult beverage!”
Sarah smiled at Trisha’s message.“Can’t,”she replied.
“OMG, that means you’re sitting at home in your underwear.”
“I’m wearing pants!”For some inexplicable reason.
“You’re so old.”
Sarah checked the time and did the math. She lived on the other side of the city from Trisha. With driving time and the fact that Trisha would insist on coffee and then a late-night cheesesteak, she’d be out all night.
“I have to open tomorrow,”Sarah wrote.
The reply came instantly.“Poo. I hate that you live so far away now.”
Sarah sucked in her breath. Her friends knew why she moved, even though no one talked about it.
