While the Fourth of July has always been one of my favorite holidays, it was hard to celebrate in Arizona. I grew up in Phoenix, and July was always the hottest month of the year. I remember my parents taking my siblings and me to a fireworks show when I was very young. However, I really didn’t understand the significance of it at the time. More often than not, we spent the holiday at our summer home near Flagstaff. The weather was so much nicer. Unfortunately, the fire danger was also high, so no fireworks, but it was okay. We hung out as a family and had some nice quality time.
Years later, when I was living in Tucson, I got lucky. A nearby resort always had a big fireworks show, which I could see, for free, from my driveway. Granted, it was a mile or so away, but I could see it without the headache of fighting the traffic to get home.
The Stalker is a contemporary romance novel also set in Tucson. Rachel, a leading character, is trying to enjoy the Fourth of July holiday in peace. However, her mother is pressuring her to take Craig, a former coworker, to court. Rachel had once considered Craig a mentor until the had a falling out over a promotion he felt she didn’t deserve, and he’s been stalking and harassing her ever since. Rachel too wants to live her life in peace, but she can’t shake the feeling that taking Craig to court will not end well. Enjoy this sample read and Happy Fourth of July.
Marina Marindale
***
The Fourth of July was always a quiet event in Tucson, and this year would be no exception. While there were plenty of fireworks shows around town, it was also the hottest time of the year, with many people fleeing the desert heat to spend their holiday in the cool, northern Arizona mountains or on a southern California beach. Shane, too, had wanted to spend the holiday in the mountains, but Rachel still worried they were moving too fast. She suggested postponing it until late September, right after Alice’s wedding. Realizing she was right, Shane made reservations for a week’s stay at a lodge in the picturesque town of Sedona. They would leave the morning after the wedding, and both looked forward to the trip.
They spent the holiday relaxing around Bruce and Julie’s pool. Their annual Fourth of July bar-be-cue had become a family tradition. The new school year would start soon after, so the bar-be-cue was always their last big event of the summer. This year, however, Craig Walker would be the main topic of their poolside conversation.
“I’ve already told you, three times now, that Craig has been served.” Everyone could hear the edginess in Rachel’s voice.
“I know that,” said an equally frustrated Julie, “but he’s a bully, and right now you’re letting him get away with it.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are. That injunction, restraining order, whatever you want to call it, isn’t much more than a piece of paper. You still need to file a lawsuit.”
As Rachel and her mother argued back and forth, Alice looked at Donny and Shane and shrugged.
“Trust me, Mother, I’ve been keeping an eye out, and I haven’t seen his truck anywhere since he’s been served. It’s as if he’s beamed back up to the mother ship.”
“But an injunction doesn’t last forever. Who’s to say he won’t show up the day it expires.”
Rachel wasn’t giving in. “Then I’ll have to file another one. Look, I know you mean well, and I love you for it, but I’ve been saying all along that I have a really bad feeling about filing this lawsuit, so let’s just leave well enough alone, shall we? We’ve locked him out of my computer. Shane and Alice are monitoring his Facebook and Twitter pages, and he’s not said a word about me on social media for some time now. I think we’ve finally turned a corner, so let’s move on to some other equally stressful topics of conversation.”
The Stalker is available on Amazon, Barnesandnoble,com, and with other online booksellers.
Marina’s Journal does not include AI (Artificial Intelligence) generated content or use AI software of any kind. It is written and edited by a real human being. No part of this blog may be used or reproduced or transmitted in any form, or used in any matter by AI, without the express written consent Good Oak Press, LLC. Requests for permission must be addressed to Good Oak Press, LLC, P.O. Box 51244, Denton, TX 76206-1244.