Sundays on Squire's Isle

By Geonn Cannon

This is Squire's Isle, Washington.

A small, mostly unremarkable island in the Pacific Northwest where same-sex couples don't have to face secrecy or discrimination and are allowed to be together openly. "Sundays on Squire's Isle" focuses on the most prominent couples on the island for one day each month, providing a snapshot of the island over the course of a year.

* Nadine Butler and Miranda Powell, the disc jockey who started the equality revolution with a very public and inadvertent outing and the manager of her radio station.
* Kate Price and Amy Wellis, a reporter and the owner of the island's most popular coffeeshop, whose relationship with Nicole Bronwyn will grow into something much more special over the course of the year.
* Molly Page and Shane Sanborn, chefs at the island's favorite eatery, who may decide to take their relationship to the next level.
* Alex Crawford and Rachel Tom, a firefighter and a doctor who moved to the island after a harrowing ordeal and found peace in a slower pace of life.
* Jill and Patricia Hood-Colby, the fifth-grade teacher and her wife, who embarks on a possibly foolish campaign to unseat a legacy and become the island's first openly-gay mayor while dealing with the blooming of their son's first romance.

By the end of the year, lives will be changed and romances will evolve, and the citizens of Squire's Isle will discover that sometimes big changes don't happen with fanfare. Sometimes lives can be changed during the course of a quiet Sunday afternoon.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Supposed Crimes, LLC
• Release date: Dec 27, 2012
• ISBN: 9781938108112

Geonn Cannon

Geonn Cannon was born in a barn and raised to know better than that. He was born and raised in Oklahoma where he’s been enslaved by a series of cats, dogs, two birds and one unexpected turtle. He’s spent his entire life creating stories but only became serious about it when he realized it was a talent that could impress girls. Learning to write well was easier than learning to juggle, so a career was underway. His high school years were spent writing stories among a small group of friends and reading whatever books he could get his hands on.Geonn was inspired to create the fictional Squire’s Isle after a 2004 trip to San Juan Island in Washington State. His first novel set on the island, On the Air, was written almost as a side project to another story he wanted to tell. Reception to the story was so strong that the original story was put on the back burner to deal with the world created in On the Air. His second novel set in the same universe, Gemini, was also very well received and went on to win the Golden Crown Literary Society Award for Best Novel, Dramatic/General Fiction. Geonn was the first male author to receive the honor.While some of his novels haven’t focused as heavily on Squire’s Isle, the vast majority of Geonn’s works take place in the same universe and have connections back to the island and its cast of characters (the exception being the Riley Parra series). In addition to writing more novels based on the inhabitants of Squire’s Isle, Geonn hopes to one day move to the real-life equivalent to inspire further stories.Geonn is currently working on a tie-in novel to the television series Stargate SG-1, and a script for a webseries version of Riley Parra.

Book preview

Sundays on Squire’s Isle

Geonn Cannon

Smashwords Edition

Supposed Crimes LLC, Falls Church, Virginia

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright 2012 Geonn Cannon

All Rights Reserved

Published in the United States.

ISBN: 978-1-938108-11-2

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

January 8, 2012: Girl on a Bicycle (Nadine Butler/Miranda Powell)

February 12, 2012: Born to Run (Jill and Patricia Hood-Colby)

March 4, 2012: Scissoring (Alex Crawford/Rachel Tom)

April 8, 2012: Easter Parade (ensemble)

May 13, 2012: Mama's Girl (Nadine Butler/Miranda Powell)

June 24, 2012: The Waiting (Amy Wellis/Kate Price, Nicole Bronwyn)

July 22, 2012: Open Doors (Alex Crawford/Rachel Tom)

August 5, 2012: No Place Like It (Nadine Butler/Miranda Powell)

September 9, 2012: Candidate Bed Death (Jill and Patricia Hood-Colby)

October 7, 2012: October Surprise (Molly Page/Shane Sanborn)

November 4, 2012: Sunday Drive (Alicia Ryan/Laura Dugan)

December 9, 2012: A Warm December (ensemble)

January 8, 2012

Girl on a Bicycle

Nadine woke early and saw that it was just after seven.

She carefully freed herself from beneath Miranda's arm, then crawled out from under the blankets to sit on the edge of the bed. She shivered in the cold of the bedroom and blinked blearily at her bare feet as she decided whether she was really awake for good. After a week of unseasonably warm temperatures, it seemed the weather suddenly realized it was winter and started acting accordingly.

After a minute or two of wakefulness, she decided sleeping in wouldn't be an option. She tucked her hands up into the sleeves of her undershirt and padded barefoot to the thermostat. She pushed it up a few degrees, then went back to the bedroom and pecked her wife on the cheek. Miranda murmured, but didn't wake.

Nadine used the bathroom and then stripped out of her pajamas, exchanging them for jeans and a thick sweater over a long-sleeved T-shirt. She slipped quietly out of the bedroom, leaving the lights off as she moved through the house. She found her sneakers under the coffee table and sat down to slip them on. She tied them slowly, then put her chin on her fist and gazed out the window for a few minutes trying to wake up enough to stand again.

Finally, she sighed and forced herself to her feet. She went out through the back door, since it was farther from her sleeping wife and it was slightly quieter when it closed. Outside, the sky was still holding on to the darkness of night, but the sun was beginning to brighten the far edges of the eastern sky over the neighbor's roof. Her shoes crunched the dry fallen leaves as she walked around the side of the house to get her bicycle.

There was no guard on duty at the front gate, as he was usually only there for the morning drive and rush hour. She punched her code into the keypad, waited for the gate to slowly swing open, and rode through. She checked over her shoulder to make sure the gate closed behind her before she pedaled away.

December Harbor was still asleep except for her, so she took the rare opportunity to ride her bike down the middle of the street. Occasionally a car or truck came by, and she veered onto the sidewalk to let them pass. She was in no particular hurry, meandering down side streets on a trajectory that would end up at the harbor.

She could see the masts of sailboats over the buildings of downtown. When she arrived at the ferry lanes, which was once more a parking lot for people waiting for the first ferry of the day, she parked her bike in front of Gail's. She'd left it there before and knew it would be safe. She set off on foot down the boardwalk, hands in her pockets and face turned toward the water to watch as it slowly gained light and color from the sun.

A few months ago a new coffee shop had opened on the boardwalk, not far from Gail's, and Nadine sat on the bench outside. The ferry arrived through an early morning fogbank like a mythical carriage, golden light pouring from the windows and reflecting off the still waters. The cold and exercise had woken her up enough that she was feeling the cold. And she felt alert enough that she would remember how beautiful it was later.

The problem with going to work at ten in the morning was she never got a chance to appreciate the pre-dawn stillness. She lived in one of the most beautiful places in the world, and she never took the time to just sit and watch the day begin. She breathed in deep and sighed, smiling at a tourist couple who passed by her. It was solitary and peaceful, but she would have traded the quiet for the warm body of her wife to snuggle up against.

In rapid succession, the sky turned from dark violet to lavender to navy blue. As it paled to robin's egg, and the streets around her became more active, she got up and went into the coffee shop. She ordered Miranda's favorite coffee, and one for herself, and got a drink carrier to take it all back to her bicycle. She had a basket under the seat, and the carrier fit snugly inside. The sunlight was like white-gold, cutting strips up and down the streets. The buildings were outlined in sharp relief, every surface outlined with bold shadows.

The front gate was open when Nadine got home, and she waved to the guard as she zipped past. She parked at home and carried the coffee inside.

Miranda? She glanced into the kitchen, but the front of the house was still dark. She carried the coffees into the bedroom.

The bathroom door opened and Miranda emerged wearing a fluffy yellow towel. Her hair was wet and combed away from her face, which was devoid of makeup. She smiled and Nadine's heart did back flips.

I knew you'd show up if I stopped waiting. Where were you?

Exercise, sightseeing... coffee. She checked the lids. Here. I noticed you've been getting these since that place opened.

Miranda took the cup and sipped. Mm. Oh, Dean, heaven. But I would have preferred having you wake me up.

Well, drink the coffee and we can have a do-over with the benefit of being wide-awake.

Oh, I like that. She stepped closer and kissed Nadine good morning. The kiss lingered. When they parted, Miranda stroked Nadine's hair and said, You're cold. Hop in the shower. I'll be waiting.

In the towel?

Doubtful.

Nadine grinned and patted Miranda's rear end as she ducked into the bathroom. She put her coffee on the counter for after the shower and looked at her reflection in the mirror.

It was still early, but it was shaping up to be a pretty good day.

February 12, 2012

Born to Run

Patricia pinched the knot of her tie, winced, and tugged it free to start over again. Her blazer was visible on the closet door behind her. Her hair was neatly braided, Jill's handiwork, and she was wearing her eyeglasses for a more professional look. She had saved the tie for last because she knew it would be a pain in the ass.

She glanced at the clock out of the corner of her eye, sneered at it, and went back to trying to make the perfect Windsor knot. She had to meet James Dugan at a lunch meeting that would be attended by the entire city council. It was there that she would officially announce her candidacy for mayor, and Mayor Dugan would endorse her. She figured having a sloppy tie would only count against her.

Jill appeared in the bedroom door, still dressed in sweatpants and a tank top.

How's it going?

Once I get this tie figured out, I'll be fine.

Jill put a hand on Patricia's shoulder and turned her around. She undid the tangle Patricia had been working on and started over.

You should have worn that red dress.

Patricia smiled, her chin in the air to give Jill room to work. You just hate that I'm wearing a suit.

I don't think a woman has to dress like a man in order to get respect.

"That's because you're not a man. The people I'm going