Naked Ladies: Secrets of the Heart

By ML (Mary) Coley

When ten female family members gather for a retreat, their facilitator offers a challenge: tell each other your darkest secret, your most embarrassing moment. Your bond with each other will grow stronger if you bare your soul.
The Ten Stories:
1. St. Paddy’s Day Leprechaun –Cheryl’s world is crumbling around her. Should she let her car, and herself, just wash away to end the misery?
2. The New Year’s Eve Curse –Shannon has had bad luck with boyfriends lately, and her breakups happen after New Year’s Eve. This year, she’s in love with Justin, and scared. Will she be alone once more come New Year’s Day?
3. Unlikely Deliverance –Rebecca harbors a terrible secret. When a student, Jace, discovers – and reveals - her secret, she finds that his father’s wrath rivals that of her own physically abusive father. Rebecca wonders: Will I ever feel safe again?
4. The Liar –Kendra's father is terrorizing her family. Distraught over the hopelessness of her life at home, she strikes out at a popular high school teacher. Can she admit her mistakes and find an ally who will help her save the lives of both she and her younger brother?
5. The Headless Horseman – For Leah, the opportunity for her son, 16-year-old Ryan, to play the Headless Horseman in his high school play is bittersweet. She’s unable to trust the mysterious drama teacher. Should Leah give in – both to her growing attraction to the man and her son’s insistence that Mr. Hayes is trustworthy?
6. Years Without Sleep –Marjorie struggles to get to sleep – and then stay asleep. When her marriage with Dan begins to suffer, she takes advice from friends, but the problem only gets worse. Will Margie find an answer to her sleep woes in time to save her career, her friendships and her marriage?
7. Beauty Queen Baby – When Krista enters her three-year-old daughter, Lacey, in a baby beauty pageant, she doesn’t expect her to win. When Lacey is crowned queen, a whole new world opens up for Krista. Will she carry the beauty pageantry too far, and harm Lacey?
8. Honeymoon from Hell – Jennifer fell hard for Matt, and in only a few months the pair were married and on their way to a honeymoon week in Acapulco. Life-threatening accidents make her wonder: will I survive my honeymoon?
9. Bidding for a Boyfriend –Karon relocates to a new town with her parents, determined not to fit in or make friends. Can Karon change her outlook and make friends after all? The Sadie Hawkins week auction is her chance to find out.
10. Collecting can be Fatal! –Anna is passionate about antiques, and spends her weekends going from garage sale to estate sale looking for her favorite collectables. One Saturday, Anna finds herself alone, trapped in a burning barn full of collectables. Will she survive to hunt another day?

• Language: English
• Publisher: ML (Mary) Coley
• Release date: Aug 21, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301968428

ML (Mary) Coley

ML (Mary) Coley lives in Tulsa, OK and Santa Fe, NM. A lifelong, award-winning writer, she has published nonfiction for children and fiction for all ages.

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Naked Ladies: Seasons of the Heart

By ML Coley

Copyright 2013 ML Coley

Smashwords Edition

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Table of Contents

Chapter One – Family Reunion

Chapter Two – Cheryl’s Story: St. Paddy’s Day Leprechaun

Chapter Three – Shannon’s Story: The New Year’s Eve Curse

Chapter Four – Rebecca’s Story: Unlikely Deliverance

Chapter Five –Kendra’s Story: The Liar

Chapter Six – Leah’s Story: The Headless Horseman

Chapter Seven – Marjorie’s Story: Years Without Sleep

Chapter Eight – Krista’s Story: Beauty Queen Baby

Chapter Nine – Jennfer’s Story: Honeymoon from Hell

Chapter Ten – Karon’s Story: Bidding for a Boyfriend

Chapter Eleven – Anna’s Story: Collecting can be Fatal

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Naked Ladies: Seasons of the Heart

Ten female members of the same family get together for a retreat, not realizing the organizer has a special event planned, a group ‘story time,’ during which each woman will tell the others one of her deepest, darkest secrets.

The Ten Stories:

St. Paddy’s Day Leprechaun –Cheryl’s world is crumbling around her. With a convict for a husband, now she’s lost her job, and has no prospects for future work. When her favorite holiday finally rolls around, so does a powerful storm. With no electricity and flood waters rising around her, she feels overwhelmed. Should she let her car, and herself, just wash away to end the misery?

The New Year’s Eve Curse –Shannon has had bad luck with boyfriends lately, and her breakups all seem to have one thing in common, the breakups happen on New Year’s Eve. This year, she’s in love with Justin, and scared. Will she be alone once more come New Year’s Day?

Unlikely Deliverance –Rebecca works as a teacher’s aide, and harbors a terrible secret – her father is serving time in prison. When a student, Jace, discovers – and reveals - her secret, she tries to get the young man suspended from school, only to find that his father’s wrath rivals that of her own physically abusive father. To make matters worse, Rebecca’s dad gets out on parole. Rebecca wonders: Will I ever feel safe again?

The Liar –Kendra has a horrible secret – her father is terrorizing her family. Distraught over the hopelessness of her life at home, she strikes out at a popular high school teacher. Her web of lies threatens to destroy that teacher’s career. Then, Kendra’s home situation escalates. After all her deceit, can she admit her mistakes and find an ally who will help her save the lives of both she and her younger brother?

The Headless Horseman – For Leah, the opportunity for her son, 16-year-old Ryan, to play the Headless Horseman in his high school play is bittersweet. She’s unable to trust the mysterious drama teacher, Enoch Hayes, because he refuses to tell anyone what techniques will be used in the final, climactic staging of the frightening tale. Should Leah give in – both to her growing attraction to the man and her son’s insistence that Mr. Hayes is trustworthy?

Years Without Sleep –Marjorie struggles to get to sleep – and then stay asleep. After tossing and turning all night long, she feels tired and edgy all day. When her marriage with Dan begins to suffer, she takes advice from friends, but the problem only gets worse. Will Margie find an answer to her sleep woes in time to save her career, her friendships and her marriage?

Beauty Queen Baby – When Krista enters her three-year-old daughter, Lacey, in a baby beauty pageant, she doesn’t expect her to win. Then Lacey is crowned queen, and a whole new world opens up for Krista. Sadly, her pride in having a beautiful daughter still can’t make up for her own feelings of plainness. Will she carry the beauty pageantry too far, and harm Lacey?

Honeymoon from Hell – Jennifer fell hard for Matt, and in only a few months the pair were married and on their way to a honeymoon week in Acapulco. Unfortunately, one of her husband’s high school flames, Sarah, is also taking her honeymoon that week. It is soon obvious that Sarah’s fire for Matt still burns brightly. And Jennifer begins to wonder if Matt still feels the fire, too. After life-threatening accidents she wonders if Matt or Sarah might be responsible. And then a bigger question arises: will Jennifer survive her honeymoon?

Bidding for a Boyfriend –Karon relocates to a new town with her parents, determined not to fit in or make friends. She builds a reputation as the weird new kid on purpose, hoping her parents will let her go back to her former town to finish high school. But when she drives there without permission, and wrecks her car, all hope of returning is crushed. Can Karon change her outlook and make friends after all? The Sadie Hawkins week auction is her chance to find out.

Collecting can be Fatal! –Anna is passionate about antiques, and spends her weekends going from garage sale to estate sale looking for her favorite collectables. One Saturday, on a search for medium green Fiesta Ware, she realizes a disgruntled bidder from an estate sale might be stalking her. Within hours, Anna finds herself alone, trapped in a burning barn full of collectables. Will she survive to hunt another day?

~ ~ ~ ~

Chapter One

Family Reunion

A lesson I learned from the worst thing that’s ever happened to me? Anna stared around the room at her sisters, cousins and nieces. How can you ask me to tell such a story? It’s embarrassing. None of you will ever think the same way about me again. She grabbed another chocolate chip cookie from the tray on the end table, unable to resist the heavenly scent for another minute. Stress always seemed to drive her to food – but today, she didn’t care.

Anna covered her face with her hands and then peeked through her fingers to look around the room at the women members of her family. Even fortified by a bite of the sugary cookie, her body quivered. You all will think I’m an absolute lunatic.

Nervous laughter twittered around the room. Outside the wide windows, the beautifully manicured lawn and huge oak trees made the retreat center a picturesque place. The setting was part of the reason all ten of them had agreed to come, perhaps more so than the opportunity to spend a weekend with family members they didn’t really know much about.

In some ways, Anna felt betrayed; no one had told her they were going to have to bare their souls to one another. There were teenagers here. What could they possibly have to share, and why would they want to hear what women in their forties – and fifties – had to confess?

A slender woman in a beige dress, wearing a bright turquoise and red scarf, rose from her chair. I’m Grace Morgan. One of you asked me to come out here to spend the day with you and help you forge closer bonds. Short of setting up a ropes course and making you climb walls and swing across rope bridges, this is the best way I know how. Grace smiled at the ten women who sat around the comfortable room on overstuffed couches and chairs. The younger ones lounged on the floor. I’ll repeat my request one more time, and then let’s spend 30 minutes apart. That should be time enough for each of you to get your thoughts together before sharing time.

The women stirred, some of them muttering to one another.

Here are some note cards. Sometimes a few words, partial sentences, will help you to pull your thoughts together and get the chronology of your story right. Could be that after today, you’ll want to write your story down for posterity.

Anna snorted. She didn’t think so. It was bad enough that these relatives would know her secrets.

But remember, I’m holding you to this promise. The stories shared here stay here if that’s the wish of the story teller. No doubt some of you regret more than others, but there will probably be something in your story you are ashamed of. It could be something you did at some point in your life that wasn’t exactly honest, or right, but you learned something. Maybe it was a moral lesson, maybe it was a lesson in love, and maybe the event helped you learn more about yourself. Whatever it was, that’s what I want you to share.

Anna turned to her slightly older sister, Leah, and frowned. Where’s Marjorie? What was she thinking when she hired this woman to do this workshop at our reunion?

On cue, her oldest sister, Marjorie, stepped up. Okay, Sis. I can see you’re upset. But I promise you, this will be a day none of us will ever forget. We’ll know each other better than we thought possible by the time we leave here tomorrow. We’ll all seem more alive to one another, and I will guarantee we’ll stay in touch more often.

Marjorie swiped a tear from the corner of her eye. We’re not getting any younger, Anna. I don’t want to feel like I don’t really know any of my closest female relatives. And right now, I don’t feel like I know any of you. We never talk to one another, and even if we get together for holidays it’s all surface conversations. We don’t hear about the things that matter, the things that have defined us.

Anna gently put her arms around her sister. Okay. But for the record, I’m not crazy about this. Anna looked around the room, worrying her lip.

Cousin Cheryl stepped up, and put her arm around Marjorie. I like this, honey. Not that I’m going to be proud of my story, but if someone else can learn from my mistake, so much the better. I already know what tale I’m going to tell.

Anna stared at Cheryl. You do? We’ll, I’m going to have to give this some thought. Anna thought that Cheryl’s story probably was the easiest one to come up with. Her ex was in prison, and she’d lost one daughter to suicide. Between those two details alone, she no doubt had lots of life lessons to share. Anna spotted Cheryl’s granddaughter, Kendra, across the room. She looked miserable. Probably didn’t want to tell her story, either.

Anna glanced at her daughter, Karon. I have a feeling I might know what Karon will share. The sixteen-year-old was deep in conversation with Kendra, and eating from a bag of pretzels.

Oh, yeah? Well, I can’t imagine what Krista and Jennifer will come up with. Maybe I don’t want to know, Marjorie said.

And at that instant, three of the younger members of the group converged on their mother/grandmother, Cheryl. The quartet moved out onto the porch in a line, closing the door firmly behind them.

Leah turned to her sisters, Marjorie and Anna. I for one think this will be great for all of us. And I know just the story to tell. Her eyes glowed when she smiled, and Anna smirked.

I can just guess, dear sister. Something about your handsome new fiancé. Can’t wait to hear.

Leah’s smile broadened. You’ll hear soon enough. Think I’ll go get another lemonade. Anyone else want one? She crossed the room to the door that led to the kitchen.

Anna let out a long sigh. Today was ranking right up there with the worst days of her entire life.

"So, are you ready? Who’s first?" Grace Morgan asked.

Anna had expected they would draw straws, she couldn’t imagine anyone actually volunteering to put their problems out there for all to see, but Cousin Cheryl raised her hand. My little family group has agreed to go first, and we’ll tell our stories in order of our age. I’ll go first, then my daughters, Shannon and Rebecca, and finally my granddaughter, Kendra. Cheryl looked around at the rest of her small group. I know this will be tough for some of us, but I know we are among ladies who love us unconditionally and will always support us. Cheryl pushed her brown hair off her forehead, and began.

I call my story, St. Paddy’s Day Leprechaun." I think you’ll get the connection."

~ ~ ~ ~

Chapter Two

Cheryl’s story:

St. Paddy’s Day Leprechaun

The heater clanked as it came on, one more thing falling apart and one more bill to go unpaid.

I’d bought a six-pack last week to celebrate today’s holiday - St. Patrick’s Day. It sat in the refrigerator. I had nothing to celebrate.

Yesterday, my boss had announced my department was being outsourced; someone in a foreign country would do my job. They gave me one day to pack up my office. As of today, my ten-year stint with the company was over.

In the hours since his announcement I had done nothing but worry. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep. I imagined the worst. Unable to pay the mortgage on the house my husband and I had bought twenty years ago, the bank foreclosed. My bank repossessed my car, a two-year old Honda. I would be homeless with nothing to eat, unable to find another job. The worst of all possible scenarios was bound to happen.

Last night, when I called to tell my daughters about the lay-off, they offered their homes and invited me to stay with them until things smoothed out. My second daughter, Shannon, was a single parent of my grandson, Nate, and I wanted nothing more than to spend some unhindered time with them. My youngest, Rebecca, was on her own and wanted to be. I understood. Right now my pity party wasn’t over; I wasn’t fit company for anyone.

I needed to handle this myself, just like I had handled most everything since their father went to prison seven years ago. Eventually I would, but I had to get over my depression first.

I told my kids I had a busy weekend ahead and no time to come visit for another week or so. Then I stayed home alone, my calendar empty. The pity party began.

I took stock of my life. I had poured myself into my job after Trey went to prison, working more than sixty hours each week as an inventory specialist for a manufacturing firm. It had been months since I had done anything socially with anyone. I rarely even saw the people whom I considered my close friends. I’d been too busy.

Now, I would have time for people again. Trouble was, I couldn’t think of anything I wanted to say to my friends, or anything I might do with them. What did we have in common now?

I was unemployed and middle-aged. I was overweight. My hair was turning gray. What did I have to offer anyone? What hope was there for my future?

My self-pity poured down inside me like the rain outside the wide windows of my little house on the edge of the National Forest.

This morning, my sister, Anna, had asked me to meet her in a nearby town to spend the day antiquing. I said no. My excuse had been the rain, which had been pouring down for hours and was supposed to continue throughout the day. I’d rather stay here, bundled in a thick woolen Irish sweater my mother had brought me after her final visit to the home country thirty years ago, and drink hot cocoa.

I kicked around the house, trying to find something useful to do, to get my mind off this situation. The last thing I needed was to be stuck in this house alone on a rainy St. Patrick’s Day. I opened the French doors that went out to the covered patio and left them ajar, letting the scent of rain waft into the house on the fresh spring air.

In reality, I felt like curling up on the sofa and going to sleep. I found myself thinking it would be nice if I never woke up. Then I wouldn’t have to live through this crisis. Alone.

I pulled open the door to the pantry. The little room desperately needed to be cleaned out. Hanging off the edge of the top shelf was the green plastic derby and shamrock garland from last year’s St. Paddy’s Day party. We’d had a family celebration which included my then-boyfriend Richard donning his green blazer (the official Chamber of Commerce Ambassador coat) and the silly little derby. That romance had gone the way of last year’s spring rains - it dried up and disappeared by July.

I put on the derby and draped the garland around my neck, and then went on to clean out the pantry. I couldn’t make order in my life, but I could make order here. It was a start.

I checked expiration dates on boxes and cans and began to accumulate a pile of food goods to trash. Good food gone to waste. Only me in this house, but I still shopped and stored food as if I was going to feed an army. That had to stop now. No money for it.

The kitchen light flickered once, then again, and finally went out. In the gray light of the stormy afternoon, I reached for the flashlight in the cupboard above the dryer. With that light shining, I reached up on the pantry’s top shelf for loose candles and located several scattered about. At work, I’d been so proud of my organizational skills. But my home was a wreck. I was such a failure.

With a sigh, I took the candles into the kitchen to find candle sticks and holders. Finally, I lit the candles and set them around the room.

I called the electric company’s trouble line from my cell phone to report the outage. No surprise: They said