Page 22

Six months later . . .

K atherine had never been more excited and nervous at the same time in her life. She had imagined this so many times but, honestly, she’d never believed it would happen to her.

She adjusted the three-carat platinum diamond on her left hand. “How do I look?” she asked Stephanie.

“Gorgeous as usual,” Stephanie told her. “Tyler’s a lucky guy.”

Katherine had her hair cut to her shoulders with several layers added in. She’d purchased new makeup and a pair of diamond earrings for her special day. She found out that a day shopping with Stephanie and Bethany was like going on a world tour. It was as if she’d had an entire life makeover. In reality, she had. She adjusted the buttons at her wrists; she didn’t want them getting in the way.

“Are you sure this is going to be successful? It’s scary,” Katherine said.

Stephanie adjusted Katherine’s collar, then fluffed her now much-shorter hair into what she called the “sexy messy look.”

Bethany came barreling through the doors. “K, they’re starting to go a little crazy out there. Do you want me to introduce you like we practiced?”

“Is she here?” Katherine asked. She was afraid to hear the answer, but when Bethany grinned and then hugged her so tight that she couldn’t breathe, Katherine had her answer.

“Go on, you introduce me, and I’ll be right behind you,” Katherine said. Her hands were shaking, and she felt tears pool in her eyes. Stephanie handed her a tissue.

“Don’t you dare cry—you’ll ruin your makeup. You can’t let your fans think you’re not as tough as the Girls with Unusual Powers. They’re your babies. Now go on, break a leg, or whatever it is they say at book signings.”

Katherine felt lightheaded as she walked down a short hall before stepping onto the stage. Bethany spoke into the microphone. Katherine knew this would give her gold status on the popularity rank. When Doc and Stephanie had mentioned Bethany was being a bit shy during her first year of high school, they’d planned this so she’d be a true rock star.

“Hey, y’all,” Bethany said into the microphone. “Is everyone excited this afternoon?”

The crowd cheered and hooted.

“How excited are you?” Bethany encouraged.

The audience grew louder by the minute as Katherine waited until her name was called. She wasn’t the only one who needed to shine today. In the front row, she knew she’d finally see the girls that she’d formed such an attachment to. Her niece Karrie would also be there. They’d had an instant friendship, despite the crimes her half-brother Jameson had committed against her. No doubt he had issues. Tyler had promised to work with him as soon as Jameson was done serving his latest sentence. Katherine hadn’t pressed charges, but the District Attorney had. Those charges were minor compared to what they could have been had she persisted. Jameson had been shy when he and Katherine finally met face-to-face. But like Katherine, he could now finally stand up and claim his heritage. It was only right that she share what their family had possessed for generations before them. She would never give Jameson full reign over the refineries, but there would be a place for him in the business.

Katherine’s hands were sweaty. She wondered if she would have to sign as many books as anticipated. When word of this event was made public, the publicity team had gone crazy. Katherine hadn’t realized so many of her readers would turn out for the event. They had been forced to change venues from a bookstore to the Asheville Stadium, where concerts were held. She peered around the curtain. It was packed. Her heart started beating so fast, she thought she would have a panic attack. Please, not now. Katherine took a deep breath; then, when she heard her name, she stepped out onto the stage, waving her hands at her fans. Tears ran down her face as they clapped, shouted, and whistled. Then they began to chant.

“Winston! Winston! Winston!”

Katherine had sent special invitations to the Friendlink group—even Walter. Once they all confirmed they would be able to attend K.C. Winston’s first book signing, she sent each a round-trip, open-ended airline ticket. They would be seated in the front row, as well. Rows would be called by number, and anyone who wanted their books signed would finally have their chance.

“Finally, fans, I am thrilled and truly honored to introduce my friend, K.C. Winston, the author of Girls with Unusual Powers!” Bethany exclaimed.

Katherine let the tears flow. This is what she wanted. She wanted people. She wanted noise. She wanted friends. She wanted to live. As she looked out at the crowd, she thought that all of the days she’d spent alone were worth this moment. Seeing the culmination of what she loved doing come to fruition in ways she’d never imagined, she waved at her friends. Tyler and Doc were in the front row with Karrie, Lola, Ashleigh, and Melissa, who was sitting next to Walter, who stood up and blew her a kiss.

Scanning the hundreds, maybe thousands of fans, Katherine stopped when she saw two women in the third row, seated side by side. Her mouth opened, and she stood stock-still on the stage. She blinked to clear her vision. The two women were not figments of her very wild and crazy imagination. She remembered Audrey. She hadn’t changed much.

It was the woman beside her. She had red hair, just like Jameson and Karrie. Her face could only be described as a nightmare. It all came flooding back. The attack in Africa. She knew this woman.

Her name was Helen.

Katherine’s Carolina Apple Pie

Flaky Pie Dough for 2 crust pie (or use store bought)

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt ⒉／⒊ cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening like Crisco (cold unsalted butter will also work) ⒈／⒋ cup cold water

Instructions:

In large bowl, combine flour and salt with fork or whisk.

Cut in shortening with pastry cutter or fingertips until it looks like coarse crumbs.

Add cold water and work mixture with your hands until it can be formed into a ball. Be careful not to overwork dough to avoid a tough crust. If dough is too dry to form ball (sometimes level of humidity may affect it), gradually add more water, a tablespoon at a time.

Divide dough into 2 flattened balls.

Lightly flour work surface, rolling pin, and top of flattened ball. Each flattened ball will be rolled out to about inch to fit in a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan.

Filling Ingredients:

6 cups peeled, cored, and thinly sliced apples (such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp) ⒈／⒉ cup to 1 cup apple butter 1 teaspoon orange zest 1 cup dried apples, coarsely chopped 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 cup granulated sugar ⒈／⒋ cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ⒈／⒋ teaspoon ground nutmeg teaspoon ground cloves 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (dotted on top)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

2. Roll out one of the pie crusts and place it in a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and orange zest.

4. Layer ? of the sliced apples into the pie crust.

5. Sprinkle with some of the sugar mixture and a portion of the dried apples.

6. Repeat the layers until all the apples, sugar mixture, and dried apples are used.

7. Drizzle the apple butter evenly over the filling.

8. Sprinkle with lemon juice and dot with the unsalted butter.

9. Roll out the second pie crust and place it over the filling. Trim the edges and crimp to seal.

10. Cut a few slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.

11. Optionally, brush the top crust with milk or an egg wash for a golden finish.

12. Place the pie on a baking sheet to catch any drips.

13. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.

14. Let the pie cool before serving.