Georgia Bristol’s life hasn’t turned out the way she’d imagined…but it’s a good life. Despite that fact, she finds herself yearning for something she can’t define. Haunted by the choices of her youth. Regrets. Everyone has them. What if? Everyone wonders at times. Lost in town a few heartbeats shy of deserted, Georgia encounters a mysterious woman who gives her a second chance to regain the life she thought she missed out on. Some say getting lost is the best way to find where you’re going. And sometimes everything must be stripped away before you realize that what you have, is what you wanted all along. The Space Between is one woman’s unconventional journey to regain what she holds dear, filled with heartbreak, friendship, and love. A thought provoking tale that will have you relating to her struggles and celebrating her triumphs.
Her hands hung motionless, reddened knuckles submerged beneath the sparse bubbles. A soft breeze blew the yellow curtain above the sink. The pale fabric framed the world outside her modest kitchen—a yard that held a large dog and two little girls dancing in circles, bare feet hidden in the slightly overgrown grass. Her mouth lifted on both sides. It was a pleasant sight.
The loud bang of a door shook her out of her thoughts. She wiped her hands on the dish towel draped on the edge of the counter and pushed the wisps of copper hair off of her temples. Another smile graced her pale skin—the one reserved for her husband.
A warm hand pressed against the silken fabric of her sundress, cupping her just on the edge of forceful. Her back naturally arched in response. The breath at her ear was hot and moist—much like the spot being caressed. The deft fingers lifted the material and gripped her hips, then one against her back, forcing her to lean against the sink.
The backyard was now an empty expanse of green. The swing creaked and swayed as if ridden by a phantom. Back and forth, back and forth. The sight of the childless view should have concerned her, but she couldn’t grasp the emotion as it flitted away as quickly as it occurred to her.
Veins and bones pushed against the skin of her fingers, as she gripped the silver metal of the sink’s edge. Barefoot and restless—her mouth lay open, but the noises she was sure she was making had no vibration. The only sound was the panting coming from behind her. The voice murmuring shocking things—things that made her feel dirty and sexy all at once.
Her body shuddered and shook as she jolted from the pillow cradling her head. The sweat beading on her lower back slid down into her underwear as she sat up. Once she gained her bearings, she pushed the damp hair off her forehead. For the briefest of moments, she was angry at the man laying beside her…for all she’d given up…because he wasn’t the man in her dream. The man from her dream hadn’t touched her in real life in over a decade, but still managed to hold court in her subconscious when least expected.
Her breath slowed and her anger fell away. The kids from the yard were in their small bedrooms down the hall. Their father snored softly beside her, oblivious to her extra-marital fantasies. Guilt was the next emotion to surface, but she couldn’t control who appeared in her dreams any more than she could control the weather.
She loved her kids. She loved her husband…She had a pleasant life.
But pleasant, as of late, left her feeling hollow and wanting.
Nikki Mathis Thompson spent her formative years singing, dancing and creating her own world of make-believe. From an early age she developed a love of reading that has grown exponentially to near addiction. She has a business degree from the University of Texas at Dallas. Her degree looks great in the frame, but hasn't been utilized in years. She gladly left the cubicle life behind to raise her daughter and a son was added to the mix some years later. You can find her devouring a book while drinking a glass of wine, doing her part to save the planet or lip-synching to her favorite songs while running through her suburb. She lives outside of Dallas with her family.
