Pivotal Moments

Pivotal Moments

Chanel Ryan weathered a hardship in her life and decided it was time to make a drastic change. Her soul in tatters, she moves from her sunny hometown in Florida to Alaska. As she adjusts to a completely different climate and lifestyle, she notices changes in herself for the better. She finds herself evolving into a stronger more confident image of her former self. Pivotal Moments By Cheryl LaBruzzo AuthorHouse Copyright © 2017 Cheryl LaBruzzo All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-5246-5513-6 CHAPTER 1 Seriously? When had she become so incredibly boring ? Honestly, it was almost impossible to recall the last time she had been even remotely impulsive. For too long now, she had been labeled as the practical, reliable, dependable — and oh yeah, let's not forget to mention incredibly boring — Chanel Ryan. Chanel leaned back in her chair when it dawned on her that she was never impulsive anymore. What had happened to her inner child? The one who was full of fun and had such a delightful sense of adventure? Somehow she must have gotten kicked to the curb when the responsibilities of Chanel's life had taken over. Well, not anymore. Leaning forward again, Chanel grabbed the pen, and without hesitation signed on the dotted line. Oh, yeah, not so predictable now, am I? Okay, maybe it was impulsive, but that was what made it fun. From now on, Chanel decided, she was going to be more impulsive and trust her instincts. She was simply going to have faith that her life would work itself out. Besides, being the responsible one all the time was exhausting. Closing the door behind the real estate agent Chanel turned and stepped back into the massive hallway. Crossing the downstairs living area, she opened the French doors to her balcony, stepped outside, and gripped the railing while leaning forward to take a deep breath of the cool, fresh air. Drinking in the view from her newly purchased home, Chanel was certain she had made the right choice. She loved this house, and even though buying a house on impulse was completely out of character for her, in a crazy way, she felt more in control of her life than she had in a very, very long time. The midmorning sun was warm as it caressed her skin, and she leaned farther out to allow her eyes to drift lazily over the boats in the harbor before they slowly wandered up to the snow-dusted mountains in the distance. Her view was simply breathtaking. Basking in its splendor, she allowed herself a few more delightful minutes of complete bliss before turning to go back inside. Realizing that she had put it off long enough, she decided it was time to call her mother and fill her in on her latest, well, as her mother would say, "Shenanigans." As she searched for her phone, Chanel silently rehearsed her lines and mentally braced herself for a scolding. Without a doubt, this kind of ridiculously crazy behavior would cause her mother to wonder if she'd completely lost her mind, therefore guaranteeing a lengthy lecture. Oh, well, I might as well get it over with. Just then her cell phone buzzed, identifying its location on the corner table, and the caller ID showed her mom's face smiling at her from the screen. As usual, her timing is perfect. "Hi, Mom," she said trying to sound carefree and cheerful but not quite succeeding. "Chanel, what's going on? Where are you?" "I'm in Sitka, Mom. Hey, guess what? I bought a house!" "You bought a house? In Sitka? Where is that? Isn't it over by Marco Island?" Chanel couldn't hold back the small nervous chuckle that bubbled out. "No, Mom. Sitka's not in Florida, it's in Alaska." "Alaska!?" her mom chirped in a high, anxious pitch. There was a brief pause and then Chanel heard her mom call out, "Clifford, do you know where your daughter is? Do you have any idea what she's up to now?" Chanel adjusted her grip on the cell phone and briefly considered hanging up. Oops. Sorry, Mom. Bad reception and all. But of course, that just meant that her parents would jump on board their private jet and head out of the Sunshine State on their way to the Last Frontier. Nope, the best thing to do was just deal with it right now and get it over with. Chanel turned her attention back to the phone when she heard her mother squeal, "Is Alaska even in the United States?" Even though she tried to hold it in, a very unladylike snort escaped before she could reply, "Gee, I think so, Mom. Let me go check my map." Her mother was not amused. "Clifford, you need to go and get your daughter. Right now!" "Mom, relax. I'm a grown woman. I can make my own decisions. You raised me well." She paused before adding proudly, "Remember, I am the CEO of my own company." "CEO? What are you talking about? You sell spices over that Internet thingy." Chanel rolled her eyes and patiently replied, "We sell herbal remedies, Mom." She added smugly, "I'll have you know that C.R. Botanicals sold more than 2.7 million dollars of products last year alone." Either her mom didn't hear her, or she