Laina Villeneuve [Villeneuve - Kat’s Nine Lives

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Copyright 2018 by Laina Villeneuve

Bella Books, Inc.

P.O. Box 10543

Tallahassee, FL 32302

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the authors imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

First Bella Books Edition 2018

eBook released 2018

Editor: Cath Walker

Cover Designer: Judith Fellows

ISBN: 978-1-59493-608-1

PUBLISHERS NOTE

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the authors rights is appreciated.

Wedding bells are ringing for Kat Morehartjust not her own. When the church she works for refuses to let a gay couple marry in the sanctuary, she aims to make it up to them by offering her home as the perfect venue. It will take an act of faith to pull it off at the historic home she shares with her quirky parents.

Caterer Wendy Archer enjoys the business Kat directs her way and their friendship even more. Though she loves how much Kat cares for others, Wendy has to wonder at times how she fits into Kats life.

As they work together to create the perfect setting for the wedding, Kat and Wendy struggle to fight what simmers between them.

Return to Paradise

The Right Thing Easy

Such Happiness as This

Take Only Pictures

I am so grateful to my colleague Eric, who said just the right thing when I posed my dilemma of revising a finished draft of one book or starting this new book. Many thanks to my early cheerleaders, Roberta and Diane, who encouraged me chapter by chapter. I am also indebted to my Bella colleagues for their keen suggestions: Jaime Clevenger for her insights on writing a first page that grabs a reader, Rachel Gold for her tutelage on description, and Blayne Cooper for advice about pacing. Ruth, thank you for sharing all you know about commas!

Im so lucky to have been able to work with Cath Walker on this fifth book. She had a special knack for leaving suggestions with me and patiently waiting through the drafts for me to figure out she was right. I may not have learned my lesson about certain verbs or rules of capitalization, but I have learned a lot about deleting details that detract from the plot. This is a tough story for me to launch, and the confidence I have in it now comes a lot from the faith Cath had in the story and in me.

My friend Heather has been my best fan from before I even started publishing. She and her wife Samantha gave me great readers perspective before I sent in the final draft.

Thank you again to my mom, who read pieces of the draft when she could and answered all sorts of questions to help me understand my characters better. My dad filled in factual details, especially in terms of the legal vs the religious response to the legislation of same-sex marriage. My wife and kids graciously accepted the eighties soundtrack delivered by warbled mix tapes I dug out of the garage to help find the right songs for this couple. My wife has weathered a lot of emotional turmoil in the working of this book and has been especially gentle with me during each step. She also deserves all the credit for Wendys culinary backstory, graciously filling in when I left [some cooking thing] in the draft.

When I was a kid, there was a commercial that ended with the line Big sisters always make things easier. My big sister has done just that from day one, and this story is my attempt to say thank you.

Laina Villeneuve is the baby of three. She and her brother and sister grew up with the handprint of a famous silent-movie star in their backyard, a fact her own three children have yet to appreciate. In real life, her sister has never kissed a girl. Her mother has. The AIDS crisis in the 80s significantly changed her fathers dating habits, and her parents celebrate fifty years of marriage this fall.

For my sister, Katherine

Who deserves a happily ever after.

I wish hers had come sooner

And lasted longer.

By 2015, thirty-seven states in the USA had made same-sex marriages legal either by state action or federal ruling. Because Ohio was not one of those states, Jim Obergefell and John Arthur flew to Maryland to marry. John Arthur had Lou Gehrigs disease. They sued the state of Ohio when they learned that the union would neither allow them to be listed as married on Arthurs death certificate, nor recognize Obergefell as his surviving spouse.

The case was reviewed by the Supreme Court of the United States, and on June 26, 2015, with a 5-4 decision, the court legalized marriage for gay and lesbian couples in all fifty states. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote, No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were.

The ruling did not, however, end all conflict. In many states, couples continue to be denied services from many in the wedding industry, such as bakers, florists and photographers. Liberal churches celebrated the opportunity to officiate weddings for gays and lesbians. Though many conservative churches authorized clergy to perform these weddings, the decision is ultimately left to individual clergy.

Step by step, the LGBTQ+ community continues to move toward true equality.

Guess whos getting married!

Kat looked up to find her favorite couple in her doorway. Married? she said. She knew the couple refused to wed until marriage equality was available throughout the United States.

The Supreme Courts ruling is out, and its time to celebrate! Evan said.

The volunteers in the outer office squealed with delight. Kat joined them and rushed to the pair to give them both a tight squeeze. She had only ever seen them in their Sunday slacks and ties. Seeing them in baggy cords and sweaters made them seem more like friends than parishioners. I hadnt heard! she said.

The news just broke, Evan gushed. Years had done nothing to minimize his strong jawline with his cleft chin, and his pale blue eyes shone brightly. I was still glued to the news report, and this one was already popping the question!

Jeremys salt-and-pepper beard almost hid the smile on his rounder face, but he was clearly emotional when he took Evans hand and said, We have a big anniversary coming up, and we want to talk to Reverend Thorn about making it our wedding day.

Kat clasped her hands over her heart, a surge of happiness lifting her. A wedding! Even though her own fifteen-year marriage had ended in divorce, weddings still thrilled her to her core. She loved every detail of a couples plan for the ceremony and the reception: the music, the food, the favors! While her official duties at Kindred Souls Church did not extend beyond managing the facilities, she got pulled into many of the other details since she had the keys and alarm codes for the buildings. She had worked with so many photographers, florists and caterers that she often knew what couples needed before they did.