Read No Sunshine When She's Gone for Free Online Page A

repeated and suffered occasional dizziness. Despite her hardships, Carrie never lost hope. She believed she deserved better. She stayed positive.
    Jill had refused to leave Carrie behind when they’d moved. Her brother went to an attorney and had the paperwork drawn up, giving their mother custody of her best friend. Carrie’s father had willingly signed the document. He’d never tried to contact his daughter.
    Jill released the bad memories. She and Carrie were survivors. That’s all that mattered. They were family.
    “Jillie, are you still there?” Carrie sounded concerned. “Is everything okay?”
    Her thoughts had drifted, as they so often did. “I’m twenty minutes from the market.” She quickly calculated. She’d passed a promotional billboard on her way to the boardwalk. The farmers’ market was rural. She was coming from the beach. “Where shall I meet you?”
    “I’ll be at the main gate. There’s a coffee vendor close by, I’ll grab a cup while I wait.” She paused, then added, “You’re on your way now, right? Not in an hour?”
    “I’ll be there shortly, promise.”
    She disconnected, then tipped her shoulder bag until her car keys appeared. She unlocked the Triumph and slipped onto the seat. The inside of the car felt like a sauna; the backs of her legs stuck to the leather seat. She rolled down the window by hand to let the hot air escape.
    Her mechanic had serviced the vintage sports car before she’d left Richmond. The engine turned over easily and hummed. She drove to the outskirts of town.
    She soon came upon the sign pointing to the turnoff for the farmers’ market. The line of traffic seemed endless. The market stretched over five acres. Vendors from all over the state had set up stalls. Enormous sailcloth tents covered the produce and protected customers from the sun. Jill parked a half mile from the entrance. She grabbed her bag, slipped on her sandals, and power walked.
    Carrie caught sight of her and waved. Her braces flashed when she smiled. She’d waited years to get her teeth straightened and, at thirty-two, finally had the funds to do so. Her hair was pulled into a high auburn ponytail; she wore an aqua sundress, and held two Styrofoam cups of coffee. Carrie sipped from one and handed Jill the other.
    “Regular coffee with hazelnut creamer,” she said. “How was the psychic fair? Did you get a reading?”
    No, but I gave one . Jill hesitated. She’d never kept anything back from her friend; there were no secrets between them. However a part of her wasn’t ready to discuss Aidan Cates. She wanted to keep him to herself a little longer. “The boardwalk was crowded,” she said. “I’ll stick with fortune cookies to tell my future.”
    “The last time we ate Chinese food, your fortune said ‘Travel is imminent’,” Carrie recalled. “And here we are in Barefoot William.”
    “Ancient words of wisdom,” Jill agreed.
    Carrie held up a flyer. “Let’s get started. There’s so much to see. We can produce shop ’til we drop.”
    Jill let Carrie lead the way. Her friend already knew the layout of the stalls. They strolled the grounds, unhurried and appreciative of the fruits and vegetables; the plants, flowers, and herbs; the baked goods and variety of nuts.
    Carrie bought a red wicker basket to carry the items they purchased. Jill filled it with a container of raw Tropical Blossom honey and a small sack of sunflower seeds. Carrie chose an orchid plant and an enormous beefsteak tomato. She loved fried tomato sandwiches. She’d created the sandwich as a kid. Something easy to make. She would fry sliced tomatoes in a skillet, and once cooked, she’d put them on toast with a little mayonnaise.
    Jill stubbed her toe on a crate of grapefruit as they exited a stall selling citrus. She’d been eyeing a bag of tangelos and not watching where she was going.
    “You’re leaving a trail of beads,” Carrie said, looking down on Jill’s sandals.
    Jill lowered her gaze and