D. L. Wood's The Choice is from The Deadly Decisions Collection.
Have you ever thought about what you would do with an unexpected guaranteed million-dollar gift? How about 90 million?
Sadie Miles is raising her best friend's son Matty with help from an older neighbor (Kyle) while she struggles to make expenses as a waitress. Her mom has passed away without ever answering a single question about who Sadie's father was, and it's always been a hurtful place in her heart to not know anything about who the man is or was.
A short note appears one day with two sentences that allude to Sadie's past, and she knows without a doubt if she has the opportunity to discover anything about her father, she will not refuse that chance.
When the mystery continues with meeting an attorney (Liam) who assures her he can answer her questions if she will follow the unusual directions without deviating from the plan, against Kyle's recommendation, Sadie is onboard -- which turns out to be literally. When everything is provided for her, she is taken to a super-yacht and introduced to four half-siblings she never knew she had.
To say they're hostile to her and to their father is an understatement.
From that moment on, this is the cruise from you-know-where. The only measurably good thing on the boat is Liam and staying in her cabin seems like the safest choice for her.
There's a lot going on between her newfound relatives and none of it's good.
The Choice is an interesting, conflict-infested story of the power of and love for money over family relationships. What does it mean to be without either or to have one and not the other?
My favorite few lines from the story comes early at the end of Chapter 3. Kyle responds to Sadie's assurance that she won't "do anything stupid" after agreeing to meet someone about the mysterious notes left for her:
"The thing is, people always say that. But most the time even smart people don't realize they're in the middle of stupid until it's too late."
It's a good story for mystery lovers, and even the readers will do some soul-searching at the premise.
Father, please continue to provide all that D. L. needs to write the stories you have just for her to tell. Bless her and keep her safe from all harm. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.