Converge: Circumstances of Fate, #1

By Frankie Pendles

Anna and Sam's lives converged in the most unexpected way.

Their lives had been running almost in parallel - so close, but never quite connecting. Now, though, life finally brought them to each other. But is it too late? Just as things are heating up between them, they both face personal challenges that are taking their paths in opposite directions.

While fate brought Sam and Anna together, the circumstances of life threaten to pull them apart.

"... a spicy, intriguing novel about love, fate, and desire."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Frankie Pendles
• Release date: Apr 20, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224512089

Frankie Pendles

About Frankie Pendles  Frankie Pendles is an accomplished novelist with a passion for entertaining readers with her creative imagination. She resides in Texas with her husband and a full crew of rescue dogs. To keep up with the latest releases from Frankie, sign up for updates at frankiependles.com or follower her at bookbub.com/authors/frankie-pendles  In addition to the Circumstances of Fate series, Frankie's other books are listed on her website at frankiependles.com. She also publishes stories chapter by chapter on Patreon and Radish. 

Book preview

Chapter 1

Anna

The monotonous sound of the newscaster droned on from the living room. While the heaviness of Anna’s empty house loomed in the air, it was cut by doom and gloom from the TV. Political strife. A budget deficit. A bad move by the White House. What’s new?

Anna shook away her rising anxiety about the stress of the outside world and turned her attention to the onion she was slicing. The sharp smell of the white onion in her hand made her eyes water, but it did little to detract from the emptiness of the house. After her husband moved out, nothing had been the same.

Only a few years had passed since she and James had bought the house. The fixer-upper was one of the few homes on the market that fit their tight budget. Soon after moving in, they got to work replacing the worn carpet with wood flooring. A fresh coat of cream paint brightened the walls, and homey touches were added here and there to make the place their own. Since the divorce, Anna had let the place go. She simply didn’t have the time or energy to update the paint. It had faded to a sad color. The curtains were equally dull, either due to dust or sunlight. Probably both. The wood floors were scuffed, and they could use some cleaning.

Anna sighed. For a brief moment, the tender thought of their first encounter crossed her mind. They were in the college library, both in their junior year. Midterms were only days away, and they were both cramming at opposite ends of the room. Anna shifted her gaze upward, taking a break from the tiny print in her history book. At the same time, James glanced her way. Neither could keep their heads in their books after that. The next two years of school flew by, and they moved in together soon after graduation.

Their romance was hot and heavy, but there was more to it than spice in the bedroom. They had fun together. They clicked. Almost like soulmates, Anna thought. Almost...

The paint was still fresh on the walls of their small home when Anna first got a twinge of uneasiness. A busy work schedule consumed James, but it was more than that. He no longer reached for her hand walking through a parking lot. Cuddling on the couch simply did not happen anymore. He was distant. At first, Anna was hurt and even scared. What was going on? Was this the beginning of the end? The commitment to build their lives together seemed farther away with each passing day.

The raw pain of the situation gradually shifted to anger. She didn’t need evidence to know that her husband’s attention had shifted to another woman. The thought of him throwing away the life they’d built enraged her. This anger faded as well as the months dragged on. She never confronted him. What’s the point? Fighting for a man who no longer loves you is like trying to stay dry walking to the bus stop on a rainy day. Pointless. Instead, the pain and the anger gave way to indifference. She’d fallen out of love with him. Enough time had passed to realize she’d be just fine without him – even as a single mom. Probably better.

While the ink on the divorce agreement had dried long ago, Anna felt the depth of her loneliness every day. She’d moved on, of course. She sure didn’t miss James, but she wanted intimacy. Pillow talk. A lover who was also a best friend, a partner in life.

As Anna moved around the kitchen, she caught a glimpse of herself, and a subtle smile spread across her rosy lips. She had always been beautiful, and her 31 years had been kind to her. Fair skin with a few small freckles across her nose and cheeks. Brown, wavy hair that cascaded down her back. Her hazel eyes reflected her intelligence and confidence. And loneliness.

Just then, Viv burst through the door, and the small, single-story home filled with cheer. Since little Vivian made her first soft cry in the delivery room, she had been the focus of Anna’s life. Everything revolved around Viv’s feedings and naptimes. As she grew, Viv’s smile and laughter were contagious. All of her toddler antics – like the time she squeezed a whole bottle of sunscreen on her legs and the floor before a pool day – were overwritten by the happiness she brought to Anna’s life.

But as soon as she heard the harsh slam of the front door, Anna knew something wasn’t right. Her suspicions were confirmed when Viv rounded the corner. The little girl’s face was red and sweaty. From the bright spot on her left cheek that showed up only when Viv cried, Anna knew that whatever happened had been bad. Despite her cheerful disposition, Viv had an angry streak, ut she rarely cried.

What happened, hun?

Vivian’s big, hazel eyes shifted toward her mother. Anna had always been a supportive, caring yet stern mother. As Anna scraped the chopped onions into a frying pan on the old, white stove, Viv spilled the beans.

This boy at school, he’s just mean, Mom.

What do you mean? Anna tried to dig deeper.

Viv said, He’s always picking on girls. Like the other day, he made Shawnda cry. Shawnda was Viv’s best friend. She had a dramatic side and always seemed one step away from tears, so Anna initially thought it must not be too bad.

To confirm that she understood, Anna’s head bobbed subtly up and down as she murmured, Uh huh.

Viv continued, Today, Grayson ran into me in P.E. And he did it on purpose, Mom. He ran straight into me at full blast, and I fell on my butt. It hurt, Mom. He hit me hard. Then, he called me a baby and laughed.

To Anna, Grayson sounded like a typical 9-year-old boy. But Viv went on, Then Grayson yelled at his friends, and they all got around me. They all laughed and called me names. One of them pulled my shorts down, and they all ran off. I think Coach Dawson saw, but he didn’t do anything. He never does.

Anna’s mind wandered to her own childhood. She had been teased relentlessly about her hand-me-downs. Heavily worn, sometimes holey, and all that her parents could afford. Only her oldest sister got new clothes, and those were usually from the consignment store. After a particularly tormented day, Anna had enough. She walked into the school counselor’s office and cried as she described her typical day at school. School was a place that she had grown to hate, despite the free lunch – the one full meal that she got every day.

The counselor looked at her blankly, likely taking in Anna’s tattered clothes and thin stature. Anna saw that all-too-common look that others had given her over her whole life. The judgment of being from a poor family. There was no pity there, no understanding. The counselor essentially wrote her off, proving to little Anna once again that nobody gave a shit.

The onion sizzled in the warm butter on the frying pan. Anna looked at Viv, at a reflection of her own tortured self from two decades ago. Compassion radiated down on Viv, but that wasn’t enough to make her brown-eyed girl feel any better. At all.

Anna gave her the typical advice. Advice that had never worked for her. Talk to your teacher about it. Mrs. Evans will do something even if Coach Dawson doesn’t. Talk to your counselor, too.

Viv just shook her head and turned to walk away. Anna knew that she had said and done nothing to help her daughter. That sense that she had let her daughter down crept in. It consumed her as the sun set low in the sky and the dinner dishes were loaded in the dishwasher.

At times, the weight of the world felt too heavy to carry. This was one of those times. Since James left, money had been tight. He didn’t always pay child support on time. Or at all. Living paycheck to paycheck didn’t come close to describing how tight her budget was as a single mom. Anna was tied to her job, and she’d endure anything to keep a roof over their heads and food in their bellies. Viv wasn’t suffering from the same level of poverty as Anna did as a child. Anna was proud to provide a better life for her, but there simply wasn’t any money left over. A hospital visit. A fender bender. Things can and do happen, and they would send their finances spiraling down the drain...

As a result, Anna’s typical workday was anything but bearable. Her job as a financial analyst should have allowed her to work mostly independently in her tight cubicle. Several times a day, though, the quiet hum of office machines and the steady taps of fingers throughout the office were harshly interrupted by sharp, barking orders from her boss. He commanded the room, but he failed to get respect. Anna and her coworkers cowered from him, always anxious about what asinine thing he wanted next. But Anna had another reason to shy away from him.

Often, he would walk up behind her without saying a word. He wasn’t stealthy, though. She could hear the heavy sound of his breathing. In and out, in and out. Sometimes, he would stand very close behind her for long minutes at a time, brushing up too close to her back. The warmth of his breath wafted down with an usually sour smell. Other times, he’d gently massage her shoulders and upper arms, spending too much time around her neck. His grubby hands creeping just a bit too close to her breasts. The cubicles were mostly enclosed. Nobody could see her discomfort or his clear lust. She didn’t know if others endured this same torture as well.

But the stress of that daily hell seemed pale in comparison to what her daughter was going through. Anna had been there herself. Those events had shaped her entire childhood. In fact, her entire life.  And she didn’t want her sweet girl to live through that. That was a fact.

As she laid in bed that night, Anna’s eyes were wide open, staring at the ceiling. Initially, she felt guilty about doing nothing helpful about the situation. But, what was she supposed to do? The school knew what was happening, and they did nothing. Anna couldn’t confront the boy herself. What would she even say? How inappropriate would that be?

The uneasiness grew as the minutes ticked away. At the same time, her conviction to do something grew. She didn’t want her daughter – or any of the other kids who’d endured this kid’s wrath – to go through that nightmare for another day.

In that moment, Anna decided to reach out to the coach. She was the parent, after all. It was her responsibility to escalate the matter. Even if the school knew about it and has done nothing, a parent’s complaint can turn the tables. If Coach Dawson didn’t take control of this kid’s behavior, she’d take it to the principal.

Bleary-eyed from a significant lack of sleep, Anna moved around the kitchen in slow motion. She had just woken Viv up for school, and the comforting smell of coffee floated through the air. Anna had long ago stopped buying the hazelnut coffee that she and James agreed on. Now, she savored a variety of flavors depending on her mood. Today, it was mocha java with sweet cream.

She’d only taken a few sips from her favorite mug when Viv walked in. Right away, Anna knew that going to school was the last thing she wanted to do. Her face was covered with her embarrassment and anger from yesterday. Anna's conviction to take action and protect her daughter was reinforced. She’d call him today.

They both sat quietly at the breakfast table, lost in thought. Their spoons found a way to their mouths but at such a slow pace that the bowls were eventually half-filled with mushy little donut shapes. Anna broke the silence.

She said, I’m going to talk to Coach Dawson for you.

Viv’s eyes got large. Small creases formed on her brow. Anna knew a protest was coming.

Mom, no! Just no. He’ll hate me, Viv said.

Why do you think that?

Viv’s exasperation with the situation was written all over her face as she explained, He’ll think I’m a whiny baby. He won’t do anything about it still, and he’ll be mean. Coach Dawson is always in a bad mood. You’ll just make it worse.

The explanation made sense in Viv’s 9-year-old mind, but to Anna, it sounded rather childish.

Anna said, He won’t hate you. I can get him to see the situation. Then, he’ll handle that mean kid, and you won’t have to worry. It’ll be okay, hun. You’ll see.

The darkness in Viv’s eyes began to reflect more light. Tears pooled subtly along the brim of her lower eyelids, glistening in the early morning sunlight streaming through the window. Anna felt heartsick, but she persisted.

This needs to be done. I’ll call him on my lunch break today.

Viv’s voice grew louder, more adamant. Mom, I’ll hate you if you do it. I have to go there every day, not you! It’s bad enough with how mean that boy is. Now, I'll have to deal with him AND a mean teacher. I won’t ever go to school again if you do this.

Anna didn’t personally know Coach Dawson. She’d seen him during various school functions. Thanksgiving lunch at school. Field Day. Randomly in the school office when she picked Viv up early one day. He was undeniably handsome, but Viv was right. There was a brooding, distracted quality about him. A shadow of sadness followed him.

We’ll see, Anna said.

I’ll hate you, Mom.

Later in the office, a bright beam of sunshine streamed from the two windows. The sky was blue, and the air had been perfectly nippy in a good