Chapter 2

(two days later, in another town)

"Oh, my god, Jessie, what are you going to do?" Leslie Noonan asked as she slid a cup of tea across the counter to her friend, Jessica Mayberry.

"I don't know, Les. I'm still in shock."

"Well, yeah. I mean, what about Kasey? I could take her, of course, but I..."

"I know, Les. You have things you need to do. No, I couldn't burden you with Kasey. You need to get settled in Central City."

"The girls are going to flip out on us, you know."

"Yeah, I can't say that I blame them."

The two ladies sat at the counter quietly, each wrapped in her thoughts. Leslie tried to think of a way to help Jessie out. If only she had more time, she and Jennifer could take Kasey with them. The girls were as close, no closer, friends than their mothers. The divorce decree and the sale of this house left Leslie with just enough money to make the move to Central City and try the one thing she had always wanted, to own her own fabric store. Things were too tight to include Kasey in the equation. She would only get one shot at this and if she failed, both she and Jennifer would pay the price.

Jessica's thoughts were running on a different track. She knew that Leslie would happily sacrifice her dream for Kasey, but Jessica couldn't allow that to happen. She needed to go to Central City for another reason. She needed to see Kasey's father.

Kasey's father had no clue about her. Jessica had moved away after that fateful night. Don moved away too. She was hurt when the letters she sent went unanswered, but a few years ago, she'd found out that Don never saw them. She had come to terms with her life and now it was ending. The cancer was too far advanced, the doctor said. Two months, maybe less, he told her when she asked how long.

"No way, Jenny!" the women heard Janey yell as the front door burst open. The three amigas, Janey, Kasey and Jenny stormed into the house as only three fourteen year olds can.

"Hi Mom!" the trio chorused as they hurried to Jenny's bedroom.

"Way," Jenny replied, pulling a picture out of the diary on her desk. It was Axe Woodson with his guitar and his sexy smile.

"It is him," Janey swooned, staring lovingly at the picture Jenny showed her. Axe Woodson was their heartthrob. Each one of the trio thought of him in their nightly fantasies. "Wow! And you got to talk to him too! Way cool. Can you believe it, Crystal Layne dumped him. It was in the paper this morning."

"Yeah, what a bitch."

"What time is it? Damn, I wish I could stay and drool over this all night, but Mom said dinner was at six. I can't be late again, so I better go. Bye."

Ten minutes later, Jessie and Kasey left. Kasey sensed something was going on the way Leslie hugged her mother. She walked quietly beside her mom wondering what was up and thinking how lucky Jenny had been to meet their idol.

"Kasey, sit down, honey, we have to talk," Jessie said as soon as they were back in their house.

"What's up, Mom?"

"Oh, God, I don't know how to tell you this, honey." Jessie couldn't help the tears that streamed down her face. She was leaving Kasey all by herself in the world. It was too much to bear.

"What is it, Mom?" Kasey was really nervous now. She'd only seen her mom cry twice, when each of her grandparents died. They didn't have any other family. She didn't know her father, and she knew that he didn't know about her.

Jessie hugged her daughter to her, still in tears. "I wish I didn't have to tell you this, baby." She pulled back and held Kasey's hands in hers. "You know I haven't felt well lately." Kasey nodded.

"Well, Doctor Jenkins got the test results back today. I have liver cancer, very advanced and inoperable. I, oh God..." The tears rolled down her face as she shook and held her only child in a death grip.

Kasey wasn't sure what this meant, but she knew that cancer and inoperable were a bad combination. Surely it didn't mean...