Getting Lucky Read Online Free PDF Page A

beautiful black hair, along with a dimple in her chin and big round eyes that Julie had no doubt would be crystal clear blue in a few weeks.
       DNA was just a formality. The baby did not belong to Derrick Wayne Williams, III. When Julie filled out the birth certificate, she left the father's space blank and named her daughter Annie Grace Donavan, because one thing Julie would insist on was her maiden name back. Annie was not a Williams and Julie wanted nothing from Derrick, not his property or his name.
       She never did blame Derrick. Maybe he was trying to make the marriage work and felt betrayed. Julie certainly had felt that way when she discovered the affair with his engineer. She took her baby home from the hospital, moved into the garage apartment her parents rented out for extra cash, and paid her mother to keep Annie while she taught school.
       Five years later her Aunt Flossie died and left Julie her entire estate. It wasn't millions, but it was enough to buy the Lassiter property. She folded the pink dress and packed it into the garbage sack, hoping the memories would stay in the sack and not haunt her anymore. Evidently Lucky had left a pregnant wife behind when he went to Iraq, because Lizzy and Annie were born only two days apart. They were almost the same height, the same size, and could easily pass for twins.
       Julie felt sorry for his wife. She'd been the wife; she didn't ever want to be the other woman. That must be why he pretended not to remember her that day. He sure didn't want to go home and explain that he'd just run into a drunken one-night stand and the little girl that it had produced.
       "Momma, can I bring the kittens inside?" Annie whispered.
       Julie jumped. "You scared me," she said.
       "It's hot out there and there's a spider on the back porch and I know the kittens are afraid of it. Can I bring them in the house?"
       She nodded. "We'll have to make a litter pan in case they need to go when they are visiting you in the house. I'll find an old pan and put some gravel from the driveway in it. You go bring them into your room and I'll turn on the air conditioner in there. And I'll take care of that spider on my way to the driveway."
       "You are the best momma in the whole world," Annie beamed. "But you know what? I wish Lizzy was my sister, then I'd have a real person to play with instead of the kittens, and we could play with them together. I bet she'd like yellow kittens, Momma, I just know it."
       "I've been thinking some about that little girl, Annie. Some folks say that everybody has a double. Do you know what that means?"
       Annie shook her head.
       "It means somewhere in the world there is a little girl who looks so much like you that it was like you were looking in the mirror if you looked at her. I think Lizzy is your double."
       Annie hung her head. "Can she be my sister if I wish real, real hard?"
       "I don't think so. Now you go get your baby kittens and I'll get them a potty box."
       "And some milk in a bowl for snack time?" Annie pushed.
       Julie smiled. "Yes, but just a tiny bit. Their momma is still feeding them and her milk is better than the kind we buy in a jug. It's special just for them."
       A while later Julie hauled the garbage bag out to the storage shed and brought in a box marked "Julie's Stuff" on the side. She organized as she unpacked. Shirts. Slacks. Jeans. Dress clothes. Looking at her closet she felt peace. She'd made the right decision when she bought the place. She was home.
       Griffin Luckadeau could just stay out of her way and she'd do her best to grant him the same favor.

Chapter 2

    THE SAINT JO METHODIST CHURCH WAS LOCATED ON Boggess Street, which was also Highway 677 from Saint Jo up to Illinois Bend. It was an old, red brick, two-story church with two entrances at the front, a peaked roof over part of it, and a corner that looked as if kids had been playing with LEGO blocks, built a