In the vein of Meg Donohue and Sarah Jio, Cecilia Galante's second novel
delivers the powerful story of one young woman who's faced with an
impossible choice--one that could have her making the biggest mistake of
her life.
Thirteen days. That's all Bernadette, "Bird," Sincavage has left to go
until she's done with her probation and can be free again. Free from
making payments to the supermarket she wrote bad checks to. Free from
living at home with her overzealous mother who's constantly nagging her
about attending church again. Free to give her four-year-old son, Angus,
the normal life he deserves. Her impending freedom and move to Moon
Lake, where she's plunked down a deposit on a brand new apartment, is so
close she can almost taste it. What trouble could she possibly get into
in just thirteen days?
But trouble does follow in the form of James Rittenhouse--someone she
worked with a few years ago. At first, Bird is stunned to see James make
the evening news when he's arrested for assaulting someone in a local
bar. But that's nothing compared to the shock she gets when she
discovers James hiding out in an abandoned church choir loft. Somehow he
escaped police custody, broke his leg, and got his hand on a gun, which
he's now pointing at her.
Although Bird doesn't tell anyone she saw James, there's no way she's
helping him. She can't screw up her probation or her second chance for a
new future. And she has her son's welfare to think about. Still. If only
she could stop thinking about the terrified look in James' eyes and the
fact that he's hurt. If only she could forget that once, long ago, James
helped her out, and she owes him a debt like no other.
Will Bird jeopardize her future for someone who helped her out in the
past? A past that holds secrets she's not quite sure she's ready to
face? Or will she turn a blind eye and learn to live with the
consequences?
