TODAY MIGHT NOT START out as a good day, but don’t despair — in the end, you will remember it as the best day of your life.
Kennedy Bennett frowned after reading her horoscope in that morning’s paper. Now she knew why her morning had gotten off to such a rough start. She’d gotten dressed for work only to discover that she’d forgotten to pick up the jacket she intended to wear today from the cleaners. That meant borrowing one of Sebrina’s jackets. Or did the jacket belong to Victoria? Didn’t matter. It was a good thing that her three housemates — Victoria, Monica and Sebrina — were also her cousins. Even better, they were the same size and had no problem sharing.
After getting dressed, she’d pulled out the shoes that went with her outfit, and noticed a broken heel. To top things off, moments later, she received a text from her dad letting her know that his best friend, Morgan Viscount, had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
So far, her horoscope was batting a thousand. She only hoped the rest of it was right, and that her day would end much better than it started.
Her fascination with astrology had begun a couple of years ago when she’d run into one of her friends from her teen years — Faith Norwood. Back when they were young, Kennedy and Faith, along with Faith’s twin sister Grace, had been inseparable. Needless to say, the three of them had always managed to get into quite a bit of trouble while growing up, but all three of them had eventually settled down. Faith was now a professor at a university in Nevada, and Grace worked as an accountant in a firm in New York.
Faith had come back to St. Paul for their grandmother’s funeral — that’s where she and Kennedy had reconnected. Grace left a couple of days after the services to return to New York, but Faith had remained in St. Paul a couple of weeks longer to help her parents disperse of her grandmother’s belongings.
Over lunch, Faith had confessed to Kennedy that she’d gotten into astrology in a big way. In fact, she believed daily readings were a way to gain a sense of meaning in one’s life. And she challenged Kennedy to at least try it a few times.
At first, Kennedy had indulged for entertainment purposes only. Then, after a few predictions came true, it had freaked her out. That’s when she began taking astrology more seriously. Now she made it a point to read her horoscope daily.
“Aren’t you going to be late for work, Kennedy?”
She glanced over at her cousin Sebrina. She was a doctor, having followed in their older cousin Rae’jean’s footsteps. “No, I’m okay. All of the marketing analysts have a meeting today at one, which means I don’t have to go into the office until then. And it’s a good thing. I have a few errands to run this morning. Besides, I put in a lot of overtime. A little time away from Rivers, even if it’s just a few hours, can never hurt.”
Since graduating from college with a Master’s degree in Marketing four years ago, she’d worked as an analyst for one of the top marketing firms in St. Paul. The job paid well, provided good benefits, and offered opportunities for advancement… Or at least, that’s what she’d thought. Two weeks ago, she’d been overlooked for a junior management position, a promotion she’d worked hard for, and according to everyone in the office, totally deserved.
When Kennedy had discovered who’d beat her out for the job, she’d been furious. Larry Matthews had been with the company a shorter time than Kennedy, was known for missing deadlines, and had the worst attendance record in the department. Kennedy got angry every time she thought about it. Obviously, his new supervisor had no idea he was known around the water cooler as “Lazy Larry.”
“Is that my jacket?”
Sebrina’s question pulled Kennedy away from her thoughts. “Yes, it’s yours. I forgot to pick mine up from the cleaners, and this one works with my outfit. I hope you don’t mind if I borrow it.”
Sebrina smiled as she poured herself a cup of coffee and joined Kennedy at the table. “Of course, I don’t mind. I guess Monica and Victoria have left already.”
“Yes, they were on their way out when I walked into the kitchen twenty minutes ago.”
Kennedy didn’t say anything for a few moments, letting her mind wander as she enjoyed her coffee. Although she and her three cousins had gone to different universities, Monica, Sebrina, and Victoria had agreed to move with her to St. Paul after college and now, they were housemates.
“I’m really sorry you didn’t get that promotion, Kennedy. I know how hard you’ve worked. Sometimes, life isn’t fair.”
Yes, she had worked hard. She tried not to let the thought that Lazy Larry would soon be her boss bother her.
“Have you heard from Charles lately, Kennedy?”
More anger sliced through her at the mention of her ex-fiancé. “No, and after my last conversation with him, I doubt I will again.”
“What happened? Did you let the old you come out again? The one with the ability to slice a man in two with your tongue?”
Kennedy shrugged. So what if she had a stubborn, rebellious streak? Charles had deserved everything she’d given him.
Her quick temper was something her father and his wife Taye had warned her about on numerous occasions. She had mellowed somewhat over the years, working at mastering the art of self-discipline and keeping her cool. However, no one had deserved a Kennedy Bennett no-holds-barred tongue lashing more than Charles. He’d honestly thought she would take him back after what he’d done. Like he could be forgiven for being caught in bed with another woman. Fat chance!
It had been hard going the past five months, but she’d survived. The daily readings of her horoscope had helped provide her with a better understanding of how to deal with some of the crap she was going through. A protective shield now covered her heart, and she didn’t plan on removing it any time soon. Since then, she’d tried getting back into dating, but discovered she just didn’t have time for any man’s BS. She had no intention of being hurt again.
The situation with Charles did more than upset her — it totally annoyed her. He honestly thought she should forgive and forget and resume plans for their June wedding? Like hell! Out of the four cousins, she was the one who never took any crap — from anyone. That was the reason so few guys had asked her out in college. She refused to be manipulated or controlled…and a defiant woman wasn’t usually the one guys sought out. More than once, Charles had told her that he liked her feistiness. And since they got along really well, she’d honestly believed he’d been the one. She would not have agreed to marry him if she hadn’t.
“Why are you asking about Charles, Bree?” Kennedy wondered if Charles had told anyone of her threat to cut off his most precious body part if he contacted her again.
“Because the two of you were to have been married in six weeks. I spoke to your dad yesterday…he’s worried about you, Kennedy.”
Her father, Michael Bennett, would always worry about her. It had been just the two of them after her mother passed away when Kennedy was seven. She knew she hadn’t made things easy for her father — especially when she’d turned thirteen. She’d started getting into all kinds of trouble and hanging out with the wrong crowd. In hindsight, she guessed she’d truly earned the title of ‘hellion’.