"A Moment's Notice"

By Victoria Deviney

There are not many times in a person's life where they are presented a second chance. As Henry David Thoreau once said, "the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation."
"A Moment's Notice" chronicles the lives of four people who are racing through life letting it's busyness lead them to make choices not out of passion or purpose, but for convenience sake.
Then out of nowhere comes a surprised interruption. An inheritance which leads them to slow down, and consider their lives and what really is important. The choices and decisions they make will eventually lead them down roads they would have never dreamed of,and will not only effect them personally but also those closest to them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Victoria Deviney
• Release date: Feb 5, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301977765

Victoria Deviney

Victoria is a Ordained Minister/Missionary with a passion to serve God and to write about Him. She has served in the Local Church as well as overseas settings. She has written two other devotional books, "God's Legacy to Us" volumes 1-2. "A Moment's Notice" is her first Christian fiction book, and she hopes to be able to write more in the future. For more information you may visit her website at www.wakinghearts.org or follow her on Twitter, or Facebook.

Book preview

A MOMENT’S NOTICE

by

VICTORIA LYNN DEVINEY

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2013 by Victoria Lynn Deviney

All Rights Reserved.

Cover Art by Miss Mae

Chapter One

Nicole was walking out of the Dr’s office when her cell phone buzzed in her purse. Hello she said a little out of breath.

Is this Nicole Chambers, the voice said on the other line?

Why yes it is, how can I help you?

Well, it seems that you are a recipient of an inheritance left by a Mr. Simpson.

A little frustrated, she responded I’m sorry I don’t know who you are talking about.

Well, you will know more tomorrow as we are having a brief meeting at 3 p.m. in the Anderson building downtown. We’re located on the fifteenth floor.

Well, thanks for the invite, but I will have to check and see with my husband first.

I understand, the lady said.

By the way, Nicole said, what is your name, I seemed to have missed it?

Oh, my name is Claire, and I look forward to meeting you tomorrow.

Letting the phone fall back into her purse, she sighed and thought of all the things she didn’t have time or energy for, it was this. In fact she was still in shock with the prognosis the doctor had just given her. Cancer, she repeated to herself as she opened her car door. How in the world could this be? I eat healthy, have always had mammograms, and exercise regularly. What will Rob say, or for that matter the girls? Lord, I know that I haven’t been as faithful to you as I should have been, but please, please let this be a wrong diagnosis. Wiping a tear from her eye, she headed out towards the interstate secretly wishing she could just skip town for a while.

* * *

Clay’s phone rang as he briskly walked to his office on the 33rd floor. Hitting his blue tooth, he heard a woman’s voice on the other line asking if this was Clay Henderson. Yes, it is, he held the phone tightly to his ear. Blasted phone, he murmured, can’t hear a thing when you’re outdoors.

Excuse me? said Claire, introducing herself.

Oh, nothing, Clay said.

Well, I just wanted to let you know about a 3 p.m. meeting tomorrow at the Anderson building.

Hold on, he said as he flipped through his phone calendar, only to see it blank for that time frame. I seemed to be open, he commented, but explain to me what the meeting is all about, and what your name might be.

Of course, please forgive me. It’s about an inheritance given to you by a Mr. Simpson, and my name is Claire, I’ll be there to help you with any questions you may have regarding this matter. Are you familiar with the Anderson building downtown? she continued on.

Of course, I go there quite frequently for business meetings.

Well, we are located on the fifteenth floor.

I can’t give you an answer until I get to my desk, Clay responded, but I will put it down tentatively, but only because this has sparked my curiosity.

With that she laughed and said she hoped to see him soon. Snapping the phone shut he mumbled to himself that he didn’t have time for this nonsense. His mind was solely on the big merger going on that could perhaps be the end of his job.

* * *

Katy had just finished dropping off her kids at school and thinking about all she needed to get done before 3 p.m. when her phone rang. Great, she muttered to herself, this is the wrong time to ask me anything, thinking it was Tom calling to check in with her. He always seemed to call when she was in the car driving. Ignoring the persistent ringing, she grudgingly picked it up and said, Hello. Hearing the sound of a woman’s voice asking for her caught her off guard for just a second, Yes, this is Katy Anderson, how can I help you?

Hi, Katy, the friendly woman answered back. My name is Claire, and I’m calling about a meeting that will be held tomorrow afternoon at the Anderson building.

I’m sorry I think you have the wrong Katy. I’m a stay-at-home Mom, and usually don’t get downtown that often.

Let me explain a little, the lady went on. This concerns an inheritance left by a Mr. Simpson, and you are listed as one of the recipients.

I don’t believe I know a Mr. Simpson.

That matter will be cleared up soon enough. I will be the one meeting with you tomorrow. Katy responded saying that would be impossible as I have my children to care for.," But the lady stated that she had already taken the liberty to hire a babysitter. Taken back and getting a little impatient, Katy let the lady know that in no uncertain terms did she allow strangers to care for her children. Claire added that Beth, her neighbor was going to pick them up and watch them. Katy’s questions were always met with a nice, but curt answer. The rest of the conversation was a blur as she hurried home to call Beth and confirm what the stranger had said.

* * *

Matthew had just settled into his cubicle when his cell vibrated. He quickly picked it up and murmured hello so as not to attract undue attention. Listening to the lady instruct him about a predetermined meeting tomorrow downtown, all he remembered saying was, I believe you have the wrong number, and he hung up shaking his head. He didn’t want to get caught taking personal phone calls while his boss was just a few doors away. Just as soon as he laid the phone down and picked up his pen to write another lengthy summary of a long-awaited insurance adjustment, his cell rang again. As he was muting it, something told him to answer it just to see….

* * *

Despite their busy lives, they all seemed to clear their calendar for the 3 p.m. Wednesday meeting. Claire met them at the entrance of the building and led them up to the 15th floor conference room. She briefly asked if they would like coffee as she passed out their individual envelopes. They were instructed not to open them, but to please take them home, look them over as they would be meeting together again next week. With that remark, they all looked at one another strangely.

Claire stated that they were all called together because of the reading of a will. Clay was the first to speak up and said, Whose? With that, an older, slender gentleman walked into the room with a briefcase. As he was pulling out a document, he answered them saying that a certain man named William Peterson recently passed away and had left each of them a portion of his inheritance. Hearing that, they all spoke up at once stating they had never heard of the man. With a brief nod, Mr. Roberts cleared his throat, and said, What you don’t know is that each of you met the man briefly and left an impact on his life, and he wanted to repay your kind gesture. He continued saying, The details are enclosed in these individual envelopes you have just received. He then began to reading the stipulations of the will, which stated that they were each given certain challenges that were to be fulfilled before they received their portion of the inheritance. They were also required to meet for six weeks as a sort of accountability group.

As the questions started, the man held up his hand and said that he had nothing else to add, and that he would see all of them at the end of their six weeks. With that, he quickly gathered up his papers, and headed out the door. Looking at each other, they struggled as to whether they needed to laugh or be upset with this strange turn of events. While they were all giving their own opinion as to what just happened, Claire came in, and closed the meeting by thanking them for coming, and pulling out her calendar to see what day they would like to meet again next week. Pulling out their cell phones to check, the only day seemed to be Wednesday, and with that settled, the meeting was adjourned.

Nicole stayed behind as the others were filing out as she noticed she hadn’t received an envelope from Claire. Asking the secretary where hers might be, Claire told her that it was not quite ready and not to worry she would be getting it at the next meeting. Interesting, she thought, but she really didn’t care either way. She had a chemo apt to get to, and she quickly gathered her things and headed out the door.

Suddenly she heard Claire call her name. Turning around, she heard her say that she would be praying for her appointment today. Nicole remembered saying thank you, all the while wondering how in the world anyone but her close friends and family knew what she was going through. This day is just getting stranger by the minute, she said mumbling to herself as she closed the door and headed down the elevator. Holding the elevator door open, Katy asked what had just happened.

Somehow I think they know more about us then we think, Nicole said shaking her head.

Let’s go for a cup of coffee, Katy said with a smile.

Oh, I wish I could, but I have an appointment in fifteen minutes, and if I don’t leave now, I’m going to be late for sure.

Oh, I see, well maybe next time.

Sure, Nicole said, it’s a date!

Chapter Two

Matthew, Katy, and Clay each opened up their challenges, and we’re surprised at how and where they had met the dead man. It was of no real consequence to them, but apparently it had meant a lot to Mr. Peterson. Katy vaguely remembered him at a church function the members had for new visitors. Every month they would have a covered dish dinner to introduce those who had come and were interested in finding out more about the church, and how they could get involved. She had given Mr. Peterson his food and sat down just a moment to talk to him.

As she kept reading the information, she pulled out her challenge, and was shocked to find out that a desire she had long since forgotten was hers to fulfill should she accept. Sitting down quickly, she thought to herself, This cannot be for real. How in the world did this dead man know what she had been longing to do for so many years? Secretly, she had always wanted to minister to abused women – now her dream looked as if it might become a reality at last! Amazing. She couldn’t wait to talk to Tom about this turn of events, and all because she had taken the time to stop and talk to a lonely man at her church.

After a long day Clay opened his envelope late that evening. Already tired, he wasn’t ready for what hit him. Reading the note it said that he needed to find his birth parents. What? Jumping up, he grabbed his already poured drink and gulped it down in one swallow. He hadn’t thought of them in years, and had no desire to find out where they were. Clay always considered his adopted parents his real parents. He kept reading only to find out how he had met this Mr. Peterson. Apparently, he had come to his office a year ago for some extra investment opportunities, and he had been assigned to take care of him. He remembered feeling a bit of compassion for the old man as he seemed awful lonely. Interesting, he said to himself, I have never taken that much time with someone before, but spending an hour with an old man and a cup of coffee has now led to this. He wasn’t sure how he felt, all he knew was that he wasn’t the least bit interested in accepting this challenge.

Matthew’s day was hectic, but finally having a break, he grabbed a soda and sat down in the lunch room. Opening up the envelope from the early morning meeting left him speechless. He re-read his challenge only to find his excitement building and his heart beating so loudly that he was afraid someone would hear it in the next room. Wow, whistling to himself, how in the world did this dead man know that he had been called into the ministry seven years ago? Could this be from God? he questioned himself., If so, then he felt that the Lord was giving him a second chance at life….After he calmed down a bit, he noted in the letter that somehow he had met Mr. Peterson at a local AA meeting that was held weekly at his church. He had volunteered to help out once a month and set up the room and take care of preparing coffee