FINDING RACHEL

A Moonshire Bay Small Town Romance

LAINA TURNER

For the best beta readers I could ever ask for - Denise Carlson and Nadine Peterse-Vrijhof. Thank you both for your eagle eyes, your time, and your support!

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Epilogue

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Also By Laina Turner (and L.C. Turner)

CHAPTER ONE

Rachel sat in her car and took one last look at the family home—well, if you considered two people a family, which was how she’d always thought of herself and her now ex-husband, Richard. They’d never had kids, not by choice but by biology, and while realizing that limitation had been tough, she’d been able to deal with it knowing that she had Richard. Until she’d learned that she didn’t.

She’d only recently found out that, apparently, he hadn’t felt the same way as she did about the “’til death do us part” vow. A wave of sadness washed over her as she fought back tears, but she was determined not to cry. She’d shed enough tears over him and had told herself that she had to stop the pity party and move on. Just as he had. She’d loved Richard and hadn’t wanted a divorce. She’d begged and pleaded to go to counseling to work things out, but he’d said there was nothing left to work out.

She’d finally realized that she couldn’t fight the inevitable. Her marriage was over. She needed to focus on moving on to the next chapter of her life, whatever that might hold, and stop dwelling on the past, which she couldn’t change.

If only it weren’t so hard. When you’d spent over twenty

years with someone who was your best friend, your lover, the most important person in your life, figuring out how to navigate life alone was hard. She tried not to think bitterly that Richard didn’t seem to have the same problem. She didn’t want to be that bitter woman scorned, but that was hard to avoid.

Richard already had a girlfriend, one fifteen years younger, as he had told her conversationally; one still young enough to have children, he hadn’t said, but the thought had lingered there between them. Richard had always assured her that not having kids was fine and that he only needed her, but she’d realized, after the fact, that she’d had her doubts about that. He hadn’t been trying to hurt her by telling her about his new companion, he’d said, but just wanted her to know before one of their mutual friends told her. How on earth had he thought that the news wouldn’t hurt her? She was a bit incredulous that he couldn’t grasp that it would. He wasn’t an idiot and was normally empathetic and compassionate. He’d seemed surprised that she’d been upset after he’d told her. She’d never understand how he could be so insensitive.

The divorce had been fairly easy, as far as divorces go. In fact, she would have thought it was as pain free as divorces could go until last week when she was coming out of the office of her ob-gyn only to run into Richard and his new fiancée, as Rachel hadn’t missed the sparkle of a diamond on the woman’s left ring finger. Though that hadn’t been the biggest shock. Seeing the bump on the woman’s belly had made it obvious why they were walking into the office Rachel was walking out of, and she thought she might throw up. Clearly his affair had been serious for a long time, and to use the same doctor she had gone to for years made her finally realize how little Richard cared about her and made her wonder if he ever had.

The house had been sold, the assets evenly divided, and she’d bought a condo across town. It wouldn’t be ready to move into until late August, as the sellers hadn’t moved out yet, and once they did she would be having some work done.

Since she had no place to live for a couple of months, she’d decided to put her stuﬀ in storage and take the summer oﬀ, something that she hadn’t done since she was a student. At that moment, she had the time and, fortunately, the money to do pretty much what she wanted, within reason. She’d rented a house for the summer in Michigan, in a lakeside community north-east of Detroit called Moonshire Bay.

It looked small and quaint and like the perfect place to spend some time figuring out how her life was going to look in her next chapter, or rather, how she wanted it to look. Everything that she’d always wanted in life she’d worked hard to make happen, but this time she didn’t have a long-term plan. She hadn’t thought about any plans that didn’t include Richard in years and she wasn’t sure she knew how to plan without him. She needed to figure out how any new plans were going to look. Flying solo was an adjustment and she knew she needed time to get used to the idea.

She backed out of the driveway for the last time and hit the road, determined to put the memories behind her as she did the miles.

After an uneventful drive, Rachel pulled into the driveway of her rental house a few hours later. A green Jeep was already there, waiting. She assumed it belonged to Laura Fuller, the caretaker of the property, who was meeting Rachel to give her the keys to what would be her new home for the summer, along with a quick overview of the place. She parked her car next to the other one and got out.

A blonde woman in her late forties or early fifties came out onto the porch and waved. "You must be Rachel,” she said when Rachel reached the porch.

“I sure am.”

“Come on in. Can I get you something to drink? Water or iced tea? I made some for your arrival. Not the water—you’ll always have water—but the tea,” she joked.

“That was nice of you; you sure didn’t have to do that.”

“I know,” Laura responded matter-of-factly. “I just like guests to feel welcome.”

As they entered the kitchen and Rachel looked around, she observed that the pictures she’d viewed online didn’t begin to do the house justice. For a cottage in the woods, it was very modern, with white cabinetry, stainless steel appliances, and a beautiful granite countertop, nicer than the one in her old house. The walls in the kitchen were a soft, pale yellow with gray accents. The overall eﬀect was very homey, making the house feel lived in, in a good way. She could already picture herself drinking her morning coﬀee at one of the barstools while looking through the living room to the beautiful outdoors. A happy feeling washed over her for the first time in months. She embraced the optimism.

Laura poured them both a glass of tea and handed Rachel hers. “Follow me and I’ll give you a tour.”

The house wasn’t all that big, but it had an open floor plan that made it feel spacious. Rachel couldn’t help but think about how much Richard would’ve liked the house, a thought she tried to quickly banish. She didn’t want any thoughts of Richard tarnishing her fresh start. She needed to work on not thinking about him at all. If only there were a pill she could take for that, she mused.

“So, you’re staying the entire summer?”

Rachel nodded. “Is that unusual?”

“Frankly, yes. We mostly get families coming out for a week’s vacation or retirees like me who spend the whole summer, not young things like you.”

“You’re a retiree?” Rachel asked, shocked because Laura certainly didn’t look to be retirement age.

“Yep. Just turned sixty-five last month. My husband, Harvey, and I stay here summers. Our family is back in Pittsburgh, or we’d stay here permanently. But I just can’t give up seeing those grandkids all the time. I help out the owner in exchange for a reduced rate at their other property, and also to get me out of the house. I like to stay busy. So, here is my absolute favorite part of this property,” she said, changing the subject, “the patio.”

With a flourish, Laura opened the floor-length blinds on the patio door and slid the glass door open. Wow, Rachel thought. It was breathtaking. There was a large wooden deck with steps that led down to brick pavers that continued all the way to the beach. There was a hot tub in one corner, a bricked-in grill, an outdoor fridge, and a fire pit in the middle of a gorgeous, outdoor sectional with umbrellas to put up if you wanted to block the sun.

Rachel sucked in her breath.

“See, I told you this was the best part.” Laura smiled.

“You weren’t kidding. The rest of the house could be a

dump and who would care? Not that it is, but I might just spend all summer out here.”

“Will you be having any family join you while you’re here?”

There it was, the family word that felt like a punch to the gut, something else she was going to need to get used to.

“Nope. Just me,” she answered with forced cheerfulness and a smile that was probably more like a grimace.

“How nice,” Laura said without skipping a beat, though surely she noticed a fleeting glimpse of sadness on Rachel’s face. Laura wasn’t one to pry, clearly, because she didn’t comment. “Let me show you the rest of the house, especially the hot water heater. It can be temperamental at times. There’s also a binder on the kitchen counter that has all the house information you’ll need, as well as some restaurant menus and where to get groceries, that kind of thing.”

Laura took her through the rest of the house, and it was all beautiful. Rachel became more and more excited about her stay as they toured, feeling like it would be exactly what she needed.

“Listen, I’ll get out of your hair now so you can get settled, but if you want, let’s meet in town for lunch tomorrow. I’ll show you around there and introduce you to some people. We’re a very close-knit community, and the people here are great.”

“I would love that.”

“Great. Meet me at noon at May’s Café. It’s right in downtown on Main Street. You can’t miss it.”

Rachel walked Laura to the door, said goodbye, and then brought the rest of her things in. By the time she’d unpacked and roamed around, checking out all the nooks and crannies, she was thirsty, so she refilled her iced tea from the pitcher that Laura had so thoughtfully provided and went back out onto the deck.

Settling down in a heavily padded, yellow and white striped chaise lounge, she took a deep breath and sighed. It was not an unhappy sigh, but rather one of contentment now that she was in this beautiful house overlooking the beach. She was sitting and watching several families out enjoying the sand, when a man caught her eye. The beach was probably three or four hundred feet away, so while she couldn’t make him out clearly, she could tell that he was probably about her age. He had quite a nice physique and she squinted to get a better look. She started laughing even though no one was around to hear her. The thought of being attracted to someone and dating again seemed so absurd to her; she hadn’t considered being with anyone else since splitting from Richard. She’d lain awake many nights thinking that that part of her life was over, though maybe it wasn’t. She wasn’t sure she was ready to open herself up to anyone again, but maybe she shouldn’t rule it out entirely.

CHAPTER TWO

Rachel woke up the next morning and checked the clock. It was an old wind-up that had been on the nightstand, and she’d decided to use it because the soft ticking sound reminded her of her grandfather. He’d had a clock like that in his bedroom when she’d been a girl. She didn’t think she’d used a wind-up clock in over twenty years.

The clock said 10 a.m., and she bolted upright. She couldn’t believe how late it was. She’d gone to bed early, tired from the drive, and had thought she’d be awake significantly earlier. Though she didn’t think that in the past year she’d had a full night’s sleep, and hadn’t expected one the previous night. Rachel had assumed that she’d wake up in the night like she normally did, often around 3 a.m., tossing and turning for hours before finally falling back to sleep right before the alarm went oﬀ. At the very least, she hadn’t expected to sleep for over twelve hours straight. She felt great for the first time in months—not groggy, not exhausted, but like a normal person.

She grabbed a soft, grey sweatshirt and threw it over her tank top and sleep shorts and she headed down to the kitchen to make some coﬀee. It was a little chilly in the house from the air conditioning, though the sun was shining brightly outside. A few minutes later, she was on the deck, coﬀee in hand, standing at the railing and just looking at the beach, relishing the sun beating down on her face. The deck was already her favorite place. The next day, she planned to take a morning walk, but for now, she was content with the sun and the view.

She sat there enjoying the peace and quiet for a good hour, until she decided that it was time to shower and get ready to head into town to meet Laura. While she had come to Moonshire Bay to have alone time, she didn’t feel the need to spend every minute by herself. She was looking forward to meeting people.

She was a social person, and she and Richard had shared a wide circle of friends that had grown more narrow with the divorce. People didn’t know how to handle being friends with both of them, and most had aligned with either Rachel or Richard. They hadn’t wanted to pick sides, many people had assured her, but they had anyway. Due to the nature of Richard’s job, there was more of an upside to being his friend, so many had flocked his way instead of hers. It was sad, but she understood.

Wrapped up in a towel after her shower, she left her wavy, shoulder-length, brown hair to air-dry and looked in the closet at her clothes. She decided on a yellow sundress, since yellow seemed to be the theme of the house, and slipped into her undergarments, then pulled the dress over her head. She looked in the mirror and thought that she would probably look better with Spanx on, but she decided that she didn’t care. Her body was good enough, which was not something that she always felt, but today she was embracing her confidence. A swipe of mascara and eyebrow pencil, since her eyebrows had thinned over the last few years to the point where they were barely noticeable, along with an application of sheer pink lip-gloss was her only makeup.

Rachel had never been a big makeup person anyway, and she didn’t see the need to get all glammed up for a trip to town.

This was a vacation, after all. Her mind quickly flitted to Richard’s new girlfriend, who was Rachel’s opposite. The pictures that she’d seen of her while stalking Richard’s Facebook page a few times when she had lost all resolve to not be that woman—the kind who tortured herself by stalking her ex—showed not a hair out of place and the makeup of a perfect woman. And Rachel had to begrudgingly admit that the woman didn’t even need it; she was already beautiful. She wondered if that was what Richard was attracted to, the perfectly put-together woman? Rachel wasn’t that person. She’d never been that person. She wondered if that was why he left.

She had to stop allowing herself to think this way. Negative thinking was something she was working to curtail. There was nothing wrong with her. She hadn’t changed; Richard had. Thinking like this wasn’t healthy, and there was no point to it. It wasn’t going to change anything.

Resolving to put Richard and his fiancée out of her mind, she put in a pair of simple, river stud earrings, headed downstairs, grabbed her purse, and walked to the car.

The drive was short, and May’s Café was easy to find, as Laura had told her it would be. When she walked in, the bell on the door clanged, and Laura waved from a booth in the back corner. Rachel made her way back there and joined her.

“Find it okay?”

“Just like you said. Can’t miss it.”

“The advantages of a small town. Don’t need GPS. You can see from one end to the other.”

A young waitress in her early twenties, or so Rachel surmised, walked up to the table. “I know what you want, Ms. Laura, but what can I get you to drink?” she asked, turning to Rachel.

“Iced tea with lemon, please.”

“You got it. I’ll get those drinks and be back to take your order.”

“What’s good here?” Rachel asked, looking over the menu, which featured standard diner fare. She had a feeling that no matter what she ordered, it would be good. In her experience, places like this weren’t fancy, but they made up for that in taste and portions.

“I’ve never had a bad meal here, but I’m partial to the BLTs.

It’s the best bacon and tomatoes you’ve ever tasted.”

“That’s good with me,” Rachel said and put down her menu.

When their food came, Rachel learned that Laura was right. The BLT was divine. For such a simple sandwich, it tasted delicious. The ladies were chatting and enjoying their meal when the ding of the front doorbell caused Rachel to turn her head toward it. She did a double-take at the man who walked in. She was pretty sure it was the same man she’d seen on the beach. He had the same light brown hair and attractive physique that she’d admired from afar. Even the T-shirt and jeans that he wore at that moment, instead of the swim trunks he’d had on the day before, didn’t hide the fact that he stayed in shape.

Laura noticed Rachel looking but didn’t say anything, instead waving to the man. “Hey, Evan. Come over and say hi to our newest resident.”

Rachel’s heart pounded as Evan walked over and slid into the booth next to Laura, staring directly at Rachel. Heat crept over her cheeks. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had stared at her so intently. She definitely knew that Richard hadn’t for years.

“Evan, this is Rachel. Rachel, Evan.”

“Nice to meet you,” he said, holding his hand out over the table to shake. She took his hand. Her pulse started to race, startling her and causing her to quickly pull her hand away.

She faked a coughing spell to make it look like that was why she had withdrawn, but she had a feeling, based on the fact that his smile had grown even wider, that he knew she was faking it. She was embarrassed, though at least he didn’t call her out. She’d give him points for being a gentleman.

“Evan is a permanent resident and runs the town’s only bar, aptly named Evan’s Bar, so if you have any questions about anything, he’s your guy,” Laura explained. “People seem to tell him everything.”

“Oh. Have you lived here your entire life?” Rachel asked.

He shook his head. “No, just the last ten years or so. I’m originally from Oregon. Listen, ladies, I’d love to stay and chat, but I need to get back to work. I’m just here to pick up my lunch.”

“Don’t you have food at your place?” Laura teased.

“The special today is meatloaf, and nothing on my menu can compete with Claire’s meatloaf. Just don’t tell Bert that. See you ladies later.”

Laura watched him walk away. “He’s such a good guy.”

“You said he runs the bar?”

“Yep. Bought it when he moved here and has been a fixture of the community ever since.”

“Does he have a family?”

“If you’re asking if he’s married, no. He’s very much single, though not for lack of the women around here trying. Just that none have been successful. You interested?”

“Oh, God, no,” Rachel replied, horrified that Laura might have noticed her earlier reaction to his touch. “I was just making conversation.”

Laura burst out laughing. “Relax, I’m teasing. Now, let’s order some pie. Claire, the owner, makes the best pies.”

CHAPTER THREE

Evan made it back to work with his takeout order, but instead of looking forward to Claire’s amazing meatloaf, something that he usually anticipated every week, he couldn’t stop thinking about the women he’d just met.

Rachel. When he’d touched her hand, he’d felt something that he hadn’t experienced in years, a feeling that he’d never thought he’d have again, and if he wasn’t mistaken, she’d felt it too. Though, admittedly, his skills in feelings were rusty. After Lisa, he’d shut down his emotions permanently, or so he’d thought. He’d felt determined that that part of his life would forever be over. In the ten years he’d been in Moonshire Bay, a handful of ladies had tried to pursue him, but he’d never been interested. He hadn’t even cared or thought about what, as they put it, he’d been missing. But this woman was diﬀerent.

He shook his head at his own stupidity. How in the hell could he even say that? He’d met her for all of five minutes. He hadn’t learned anything about her that actually indicated that she was diﬀerent. Chances were, she was probably visiting with her husband and kids, like most of the people who came to town in the summer. Not that being married stopped people from engaging in the kinds of activities that were currently on his mind, but it certainly stopped him from doing so. Marriage vows were something that he took seriously, even when they weren’t his own.

He took a bite of his meatloaf, not savoring it like he normally did because his mind couldn’t stop focusing on Rachel. He threw down his fork in frustration that the highlight of his week was ruined. The fact that meatloaf was the highlight of his week was a sad state of aﬀairs and didn’t escape him. He was barely over fifty; he wasn’t dead yet. Maybe he did need to change up his life a little, but a relationship was still not something he was willing to pursue.

He wasn’t good for anyone emotionally, but he’d also never been one for flings, so that left him at an impasse.

“Hey, man, where do you want these?”

Evan was startled by Rob, the beer distributor, who had arrived with his weekly shipment.

“The usual. Back to the storage room. Thanks, Rob.”

Rob nodded and headed in that direction with his dolly stacked with cases of beer. Evan shook his head. He needed to get a grip. He scarfed down the rest of his meatloaf, not even tasting it, and went to help Rob unload. Rob was a great guy, but tended to put stuﬀ wherever it was convenient, and if Evan didn’t help, he wouldn’t be able to find things.

By the time he’d finished helping Rob unload and had organized everything the way he wanted it, Celeste, one of his three employees, had arrived for her shift.

“You could have left that for me, boss.”

“Nah. It’s been slow. You can check the reach-in behind the bar to see what we need and get that ready for the evening crowd. It’s trivia night. Should be busy.”

Celeste nodded and started writing down what needed to be restocked. Evan looked up and saw Laura walk through the door. He sighed. He knew why she was stopping by; she’d noticed the attraction between him and Rachel. Nothing got by that woman.

He leaned against the bar, and she took a seat on a stool, looking at him with a smile on her face.

“What?” he asked, knowing full well what. He wasn’t going to make it easy for her. He had a great relationship with Laura and her husband. Over the years, they’d become friends, and he’d often go to dinner at their house. So she felt comfortable harassing him about his love life, or lack thereof, and he didn’t mind. She never pushed too hard. She knew what he’d been through.

“You like her,” Laura said matter-of-factly.

“I don’t even know her,” he scoﬀed.

“That doesn’t matter. I saw you two. There was a spark.”

“You’re crazy, lady. You know how I feel about that. There was no spark.”

“And you know how I feel. How all of your friends here feel. You need to stop punishing yourself, Evan. You deserve a life.”

“No, I don’t. Now, if you don’t mind, I have work to do. Go boss someone else around,” he said good-naturedly, knowing that Laura felt she had his best interest at heart, though he was still not willing to bend.

“Sure, hide in work,” she chuckled as she slid oﬀ the stool. “But mark my words. You might not stand a chance of keeping yourself closed oﬀ from this one. She’s pretty great, Evan.”

Laura turned and walked out of the bar, and though he didn’t want to believe her, he couldn’t help but think that maybe she was right. And that, maybe, he wanted her to be right.

CHAPTER FOUR

Rachel meandered up and down the aisles of the one grocery store in the town, amazed at the wide selection of brands they oﬀered, considering it was such a small town. They even had her favorite creamer. Sometimes, it was the small things that made you happy.

She made her way to the produce aisle and was trying to decide between Pink Lady and Macintosh apples when she heard someone call out her name. She looked up to see that it was Evan, and she couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face.

“Pink Lady,” he said, and she raised her eyebrows questioningly.

“The apples in your hands. I assume you’re trying to decide which ones to get.”

Rachel laughed. “A man who knows his apples; impressive. You caught me. It’s a very hard decision. I take these kinds of things very seriously.”

“Absolutely. It’s hard to tell now what kind of apple you’ll be in the mood for later,” he said with a straight face, like they were discussing something significant, which Rachel couldn’t help but find endearing. “Maybe you should get a couple of both, you know, to cover all your bases.”

“Good plan. I like a strategic thinker.” She bagged up her apples and put them in her cart, before looking back up to him. She found that she didn’t want to stop their conversation, but she didn’t know what to say next. The apple conversation could only be taken so far. “What are you shopping for?” she asked, and immediately regretted it. What a stupid question, she thought. They were in a grocery store, after all. It was pretty obvious that she was reaching for something to talk about.

“Dinner. I just got oﬀ work and felt like grilling. You? Are you here for more than apples? I recommend the freshly baked baguettes in the bakery.”

“Also dinner, though I hadn’t been planning to grill. Although, that does sound good. Since I just came into town yesterday, I need to stock up so I don’t starve to death. Not that there’s any real chance of that,” she said ruefully, self-consciously glancing down at herself before looking back up at him.

“You look great,” he said, more forcefully than he’d intended. She was a little taken aback by his tone. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said it like that. But you do look great, really. I hate seeing beautiful women cut themselves down.”

“It’s fine.” His comment had surprised her, but it also made her feel good that a stranger who owed her nothing had been complimentary toward her. It made her realize that while Richard had been a kind man, he had stopped complimenting how she looked years ago. She hadn’t really considered it a bad thing; she and Richard had been together so long those things somehow fell by the wayside over the years. She’d assumed that was just the way things went, but maybe she’d been wrong. Was that why Richard had left her, because she’d also stopped giving compliments and doing sweet things for him, just as he’d stopped doing them for her? Had she been more at fault than she’d realized?

“Would you like to join me for dinner? Nothing fancy, just steaks on the grill and maybe a baked potato?” he oﬀered.

Rachel's eyes grew wide and she started to stammer.

“No pressure. I know I’m essentially a stranger, but I promise I do grill a mean steak, and Laura can vouch for me.” He smiled as he said it and Rachel couldn’t help but think what a nice smile he had.

“Sure,” she responded before she could chicken out.

“Great. What’s your number?”

“My number?”

“Your phone number, so I can send you my address.”

“Oh, yeah, right.” Her eyes darted away, not meeting his for a moment before giving him her number.

He quickly texted her directions.

They stood there for a second in a kind of awkward silence until he finally spoke up. “I'd better finish my shopping if I’m going to have food to grill. See you about seven?”

“Sounds good. What can I bring?”

“Just yourself and your appetite.”

“Okay, I’ll see you around seven. Bye, Evan.”

They went in separate directions, and Rachel hurried to the front to check out, grabbing a bottle of wine along the way that she thought would pair well with a steak. She didn’t want to show up empty-handed. She hadn’t yet gotten everything on her list, but she didn’t want to run into him in the store again. She needed time to process what she’d just agreed to.

It wasn’t like her to accept a date from a stranger. Was it even a date, she wondered. She looked at her watch on the way out to her car and it was just a few minutes before five. So she had almost two hours to figure out what to wear and to freak out about going to the house of a man whom she hardly knew for dinner.

Thirty minutes later, she was looking at her closet, armed with a glass of red wine. It was a small glass, because she’d been so anxious when she’d gotten home that she’d felt she needed some liquid courage and had poured herself just a little. As she viewed her closet, she wondered if she should even bother changing. This was a casual thing; it didn’t require her going all out. Doing so might make the evening seem more date-like, and this wasn’t a date, right? She questioned herself again.

She almost felt like calling Laura for advice but had the feeling that Laura would be ecstatic that the two of them were having dinner. Better to keep it to herself, Rachel thought, since, as Laura had said several times, this was a small town, and she didn’t want any gossip to start up—certainly not on her second day in Moonshire Bay.

About fifteen minutes before seven, she backed out of her driveway. The GPS told her that Evan’s place was twelve minutes away, so as long as the GPS was right, she would be there just a couple of minutes early. She was so nervous, which seemed silly. Evan was just a potential friend. There was no reason to let that make her nervous. Dinner with a friend should be nothing to fret over, even if the friend was handsome and single.

On her short drive, the thoughts kept tumbling around in her head. Did she want to date? Was this even a real date? Maybe he wasn’t attracted to her and it was all in her head. Was she even attracted to him? More than once she contemplated turning around to go home and texting to cancel but then she took a deep breath. It was just dinner, she told herself. You can handle this.

CHAPTER FIVE

She quickly pulled up to the address that he’d given her. The GPS had been right about the drive taking twelve minutes. Evan’s house was a pretty two-story that looked like it had been built back in the twenties. It didn’t fit in with the cottage look of the other houses in the area. Rachel walked up to the door and was raising her hand to knock when a dog barked and she just about jumped out of her skin.

“Quiet, Duke,” she heard Evan’s muﬄed call from behind the door. “Sorry about that. I hope he didn’t scare you,” Evan said when he opened the door, Duke sitting patiently by his side.

“Not at all. I love dogs.” Rachel walked in and immediately petted Duke, a handsome German Shepherd. “You’re a good boy, aren’t you,” she whispered, and Duke lay down and rolled over so she could scratch his stomach.

“Some guard dog you are,” Evan said sarcastically to the animal, but Rachel could tell that he was joking. “Do you have pets? I mean, most people are scared of Duke when they first meet him. Not that he’s got a mean bone in his body, as you can tell, but he is intimidating if you’re not used to dogs.”

“I grew up with dogs but haven’t had my own in years.”

“Well, he certainly likes you. Come on in. Can I oﬀer you a

glass of wine?”

“Darn it. I bought a bottle of wine to bring and left it at home.”

“Don’t worry about it. Save it for some other time.”

“Well, in that case, I would love a glass,” she said, following him into the kitchen. It wasn’t as big as the one in her rental, but it was still spacious and looked new.

“White or red?”

“You said you were grilling steak, right?”

“Yep, so red?”

She nodded, and he poured her a glass and handed it to her.

“Your kitchen is beautiful.”

“Thank you. I remodeled it myself over the winter.”

“Wow. That takes a lot of talent and hard work.”

“Hard work, most definitely. Talent, not so sure about that. I did watch a lot of YouTube videos to figure stuﬀ out, though. Let’s go out back.”

She followed him through the living room to a set of French doors opening out to a stone-paved patio. While his home didn’t have direct access to the beach like hers, you could still see the water, and it was a beautiful view.

“The steaks won’t take long. How do you like yours cooked?”

“Medium is fine. Whatever, really. I’m easy,” she replied, and then almost choked on her wine when she realized that had sounded like a double entendre. She was thankful that he hadn’t seemed to notice what she’d said.

“Please have a seat at the table there, and I’ll have dinner on in a minute.”

She wandered over to the wood-slatted patio table nestled underneath an umbrella. He had the table set with pink and white striped plastic dishes, with matching water tumblers and napkins.

“So, you like pink, I take it?”

“What? Oh, the table décor?” He started laughing. “That’s compliments of my niece, who stayed with me for her spring break. She said that my stuﬀ was too boyish. She’s six,” he added, which explained why her comment made sense.

“Well, I think she made a good choice. I love the colors.

Does she live close?”

“Not that close, but not too far either. Four hours away, just outside Columbus.” He came over and set the steaks and baked potatoes on the table. “Please, help yourself.”

“It smells wonderful. Everything tastes better on the grill.”

“I completely agree. I sometimes even grill outdoors in the middle of winter. It’s worth freezing to death for a good steak.”

Rachel cut into her steak and took a bite. “It’s delicious.”

“Thank you,” he said.

“So, Columbus? Is that where your family is from?” She hoped he didn’t think that she was asking too many questions, but she found herself wanting to get to know him, so she’d thought of several she wanted to ask.

He nodded. “Yep. Grew up there, and my two sisters still live there with their husbands and five kids between them. Then I went out west. Lived in Oregon for a while before coming here.”

“What made you decide to move here?” she asked. It was an innocent enough question, but she saw his face darken briefly before he pasted a smile back on, making her wonder what her comment had caused him to think about.

“Long and boring story,” he replied, and changed the subject. “Hope you like blueberry pie. I got it at the café for dessert. Claire makes the best pies.”

“I had a piece of peach yesterday, when I was in with Laura, and I would have to agree. Claire seems to make the best of everything.” She didn’t comment on his abrupt

change of topic. If he didn’t want to talk about that part of his past, who was she to pry?

They continued the rest of their meal chatting about the town and other light topics.

“Do you need help?” she asked as he started clearing plates to bring out dessert.

“Sure. If you could grab those platters and follow me, we’ll dump them in the kitchen, and you can help me bring the pie back out.”

They made quick work of cleaning up from dinner and were soon back out on the deck with pie and another glass of wine, this time sitting on the deck swing, balancing their plates on their laps.

“What brought you to our beautiful, cozy little town?” he asked as they started eating their pie.

“Divorce,” she said bluntly. It hurt to say it every time, like ripping oﬀ a Band-Aid, but she knew that it would eventually get easier. At least, that was what she hoped.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s life,” she shrugged.

“Were you together long?”

“Yep. Over twenty years. But it ended amicably. Well, as much so as could be expected. And that’s why I’m here. To take some time for me to relax and, I don’t know, find myself,” she said shyly. “You probably think that sounds stupid.”

But instead of judgment or skepticism in his eyes, there was understanding. “Not at all. Life is hard, and we need to know when to take a step back and recharge, to figure out what we need and want.”

He sounded like he’d experienced the need to regroup before.

“Is that what also brought you here?” she asked, even though when she’d asked a similar question earlier, he had shut her down.

“Kind of,” he said, but left it at that.

They finished their pie, set the plates on the table in front of them, and just sat in silence. She was surprised at how easy it felt. It wasn’t the awkward silence one often experienced with someone they’d just met. Even more surprising was that fact that she felt attracted to him, which made her nervous and confused.

“Can I get you some coffee?” he asked.

She found herself wanting to stay so nodded her head in agreement.

“What made you decide to open a bar?” Rachel asked when he came back a few minutes later with their coffees, impressed he'd brought them back on a tray with a sugar pot and cream.

Evan tightened his lips and she wondered if she had said something wrong or touched a nerve somehow. But he recovered quickly and a smile crossed his face again.

“I bought it when the former owner decided to retire, but he still lives in town and makes sure to keep an eye on me.” He chuckled. “But I’m boring. I want to know more about you.”

They chatted like long-lost friends when she finally looked at her watch and realized that it was almost ten o’clock. “I should probably get going.”

“Are you going to turn into a pumpkin?” he teased.

No, but I want to kiss you, so staying here probably isn’t a great idea, she thought. “It’s just been a long day.”

“I understand. Let me walk you out.”

“I had a great time. You’re a wonderful griller, if that’s even a word,” she said as they walked to her car.

“Why, thank you. It was nice to have someone to cook for.” They reached her car and she opened the door to get in.

She turned back toward him to say thank you again, and his face was right there. His lips were mere inches from hers, and her breath caught. She found herself hoping that he would kiss her. Even though she hadn’t said it aloud, it must have been evident on her face, because he leaned closer and touched his lips to hers. The soft pressure and the feel of his lips made her legs weak as she returned his kiss. After a few seconds, he pulled back.

“I hope that was okay,” he said huskily. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

“Drive safely,” he said, before ushering her into the car and shutting the door.

She started the car, backed out of the driveway, and could see him watching as she drove away.

EVAN WATCHED the taillights on Rachel’s car grow fainter, until he could no longer see them, before he turned to go back into the house. He poured another glass of wine and took it out on the deck, and only then did he allow himself to think about what had just happened.

Why now? Why this woman? He wanted her physically, but he couldn’t be available emotionally, and a physical relationship wasn’t enough. Besides, he knew Rachel wasn’t that type of woman.

But an emotional involvement with a woman? He knew that he would never take that chance again. He wasn’t good for someone in that capacity, his mind insisted. He’d hurt her in the end, and she deserved better than that. He already knew she did.

He sighed and took another sip of his wine.

CHAPTER SIX

Rachel was in her kitchen the next morning, cutting up some tomatoes to make a Caprese salad for dinner later. The tomatoes and cheese were some of the few ingredients that she’d actually left the store with the previous day before bolting after making dinner plans with Evan.

Evan. She couldn’t stop thinking about him. And that kiss. Even though she was alone in her kitchen, she blushed. It had woken something up in her she hadn’t even realized was asleep. The ringing of her phone broke into her thoughts, bringing her back to reality. “Saved by the bell,” she muttered.

She walked over to the counter where her phone was plugged into the charger and saw that Richard was calling. She frowned, picking it up and staring at it in her hand. Why was he calling? In the few seconds during which she’d pondered that, the phone went to voicemail. She waited to see if he left a message. Eventually, one popped up, and she nervously pressed the button to listen.

“Hey, Rach. It’s me. Um, Richard.”

Rachel couldn’t help but laugh. They’d been married for over twenty years. Did he think she’d forgotten his voice just because the divorce had been finalized?

“I’ve been thinking. Um, maybe we rushed into this. The divorce. I… I’m confused,” he stammered. “Can you please call me?”

Her jaw dropped. “What the heck?” she exclaimed, even though no one was around to hear her. He’d left her. He’d said they’d grown apart. He’d had a new girlfriend five minutes after they’d separated, a girlfriend who was pregnant! And now he was confused? If he’d been in front of her saying this, she would have strangled him. How could he have put her through all that just to now say that he was confused?

Her phone rang again, and she was ready to give Richard a piece of her mind, but it wasn’t him calling back. She was both disappointed and relieved when she saw that it was Laura calling. She needed time to process before talking to Richard. She wasn’t sure she’d ever be ready to have the conversation he seemed to be looking for.

“Hi, Laura.”

“Hi. How’s it going? Settling in okay?”

“Sure am. I love this place. I may never leave.”

Laura laughed. “Yeah, most of us feel that way. Listen, I thought you might want to meet me for lunch again.”

“I’d love that.” She’d planned on spending a quiet day alone, but after Richard’s call, she needed a distraction and she’d really enjoyed Laura’s company the other day.

“Great. Noon? Same place?”

“Perfect. See you then.” She hung up, and her mind flitted back to Richard. What the hell was going on with him?

This time, Rachel beat Laura to the café, took a seat, and ordered them both iced teas. She was having a hard time getting Richard’s call oﬀ her mind, and was so lost in her own thoughts, she jumped when Laura touched her shoulder.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” Laura said, sliding onto the other side of the booth.

“I was just lost in thought.”

“I could tell. Thinking about Evan?” she teased. Rachel looked up at her in surprise. “Not a lot happens here that everyone doesn’t know about.”

“So you know I was over there last night?” Rachel asked, raising her eyebrows inquisitively.

“Yes, it was quite the talk of the town. Evan’s never had a woman to his house. Not that we know of, anyway, and it’s hard to keep secrets here.”

“You’re kidding me. Never?”

Laura shook her head. “Nope. He’s a nice guy, but he’s not really close to anyone, and while he’s social at the bar, and my husband and I have him out for dinner every month or so, he keeps to himself otherwise.”

“Do you know why he moved here? I asked him last night, and he said he bought the bar but his life was a long and boring story and then changed the subject. I got the feeling it wasn’t long and boring, but rather that he didn’t want to talk about it.”

“That’s Evan. He doesn’t like to talk about himself.”

“Can I get your order, ladies?” the waitress interrupted with a smile.

“BLT, please,” Rachel said.

“Same.” Laura smiled, and they handed the menus back to the waitress.

‘So, Evan,” Laura said and seemed to be planning out what to say next. “He moved here and bought the bar from Henry Thomas, who was retiring. He initially told us he was just tired of his old lifestyle and needed a change. Seemed plausible. A lot of people come to Moonshire Bay that way. But it eventually came out that he’d been in a car accident that had killed his son and left his wife in an irreversible coma.”

Rachel gasped. “Oh, my God. That’s horrible.” And here she had thought that her divorce was bad. She couldn’t even imagine what he’d gone through. No wonder he hadn’t wanted to talk about it. No wonder he’d said he understood that she needed time to herself. This information really put things in perspective.

“It is horrible. He’s a good person and it makes me sad thinking about what he must have gone through.” Laura shook her head.

“Yeah, I can’t even imagine.”

“But what about you? You didn’t have that normal sparkle in your eye when I came in,” Laura said. “You enjoying being here?”

“I love it. It’s been a great change of pace.”

“What’s going on, then?”

“My ex. He left me a message. He thinks he made a mistake and maybe he wants to work things out,” Rachel said and filled Laura in on everything, including that his fiancée was pregnant.

Laura raised her eyebrows. “What are you going to do?”

“Not take him back, that’s for sure,” she said.

They changed the subject to a lighter one. Laura filled Rachel in on some of the other town gossip, things more frivolous in nature, and Rachel started to get a sense of the people in the community. She liked what she was hearing.

They finished their coﬀee and said their goodbyes. After they’d parted ways, Rachel couldn’t get Evan, and what he’d been through, oﬀ her mind, so she decided to be bold and stop by the bar to say hi.

She walked the few store fronts down from the cafe to the bar and pushed open the heavy, wooden door. It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the dark after being out in the bright sun, but once they had and she’d looked around, she was surprised at how interesting the décor was. It was interesting in a good way. Shelves holding old books and clocks lined almost every wall, which gave the bar the feel of an old library rather than a Friday night hangout spot. While Rachel wasn’t one to hang out in bars much, she could see herself spending time here. It almost felt like someone’s living room.

She didn’t see Evan, and felt a pang of disappointment that he might not be there. She walked up to the bar where a very attractive young woman, who was probably in her mid-twenties, was working.

“Is Evan here?” Rachel asked boldly.

“He’s in back doing inventory. Are you Rachel?”

“Um, yes,” she answered slowly. Surely, Evan wasn’t talking to people about her.

The woman smiled. “Small town. We know when new people come in who aren’t just here for a week or two. Laura told me.”

“Ah. That makes sense.”

“I’m Celeste,” the bartender said.

“Nice to meet you, Celeste.”

“Go ahead through those double doors. He’s back there in the stockroom.”

“Thanks.”

Rachel walked to the back with butterflies in her stomach. She was nervous, which was just silly. She was visiting a friend, nothing more. Oh, who was she kidding? A huge part of her couldn’t help but think that maybe she wanted more.

She slowly pushed open the double doors and walked through. Evan was on the opposite side of the room, but what she saw when she looked his way stopped her in her tracks. He was facing away from her, hunched over, and his back was shaking. Was something wrong? Maybe she should leave. It seemed like she might be intruding on a private moment.

She had started to turn and walk back through the doors when a loud bang and the sound of glass breaking swung her focus back to him. At the same moment, he looked around and noticed her.

There was a tortured look on his face. A broken beer bottle lay in pieces on the floor next to him with the liquid slowly spreading out, the smell of beer permeating the air.

“Rachel!” he exclaimed, looking and sounding anguished and then embarrassed.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt you. I’ll just go,” she said, frantically backing up a couple of steps and then turning to run out the doors.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Evan watched Rachel run away and pounded his fist on his leg.

Darn it. Why’d she have to pick that exact time to stop by?

He leaned against the wall and slid down until he was sitting.

Putting his head in his hands, he wondered for what must be the hundredth time what he had done to deserve a life where he constantly screwed up. He should have known better than to invite Rachel over for dinner, because he’d felt a connection between them, and when he’d kissed her, he’d muddled his emotions.

Now he had scared her oﬀ, probably forever, and while he knew that it was for the best, it still hurt. Worse, he knew that he had just confused and frightened her with his actions. Of all the days to stop by, she’d had to pick the hardest day of the year for him. Ten years ago to the day, his life had changed forever; make that, life as he’d known it had ended. What he’d done since was just existing; it hadn’t been living. He knew that, and he didn’t care. At least, he hadn’t until now. It had been what he’d deserved. Meeting Rachel, though, had brought up a little bit of optimism that maybe he could have a life again that he hadn’t even realized he needed. But he had to accept that it wasn’t meant to be.

“Hey, boss, what happened? I just saw Rachel run out of here.” Celeste stopped when she saw Evan slumped against the wall, with the mess of the broken beer bottle beside him. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he said, barely above a whisper. “Just go back out front.”

Celeste did as he asked, but she couldn’t hide the shock and worry on her face.

Great, he thought. Now his employee was worried that he’d lost it. Celeste was a good worker, and he didn’t want to lose her because she might think that he was unstable. He knew he best clean up the mess and go explain to her that he’d had a temporary mental breakdown and that it wouldn’t happen again, even though he knew that was a lie. It would happen again, and that was why he was sure that he was better oﬀ not having anything else to do with Rachel. He didn’t want to hurt her, and it was better she realized now that he wasn’t worth it.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Evan stopped at the bar to grab a bottle of wine on his way to Laura’s house for dinner. Since he had lived in Moonshire Bay and gotten to know Laura and her husband Harvey, they usually had dinner together once a month or so. They were the first people he had become close to since moving here and they held a special place in his heart. Laura especially had been instrumental in his healing, even though he knew he was still far away from where he wanted to be, needed to be if he were going to start something with Rachel.

“Hot date, boss?” Celeste called out as he walked out of the backroom with a bottle of white and a bottle of red. Since he didn’t know what they were having for dinner, he hadn’t been sure what kind of wine to get so got one of each.

“Well, I am sure Harvey is an attractive man but he’s not really my type,” he said with a straight face.

Celeste laughed. “Dinner with the Fullers, then. And here I hoped you had another date with Rachel.”

Celeste’s comment stopped him short and he looked at her quizzically.

“Oh, c’mon. Don’t act so surprised. It’s obvious you like her, and it’s pretty obvious she likes you too.”

Evan could feel himself blush so he ducked his head, embarrassed that his employee knew he had a crush on a woman, but he also felt a little giddy that she thought Rachel liked him back.

“You think so?” he asked.

"Think that she likes you?”

He nodded and Celeste rolled her eyes. “Men, you can sometimes be so clueless. Yes, she likes you.”

“Oh. Well, thanks. Um, have a good night. Hope it stays busy,” he stammered, walking out the front door and again feeling foolish he had acted like a schoolboy in front of his twenty-something waitress. Nothing like having an employee think their boss was an idiot.

He sighed as he slid in the front seat of his car and set the wine on the seat beside him. He needed to get it together.

“Come on in,” Laura said as he reached the front door. She must have been looking for him as the door had opened as soon as he stepped on the porch.

He walked in and the mouthwatering aroma of garlic hit his nose.

“Your homemade lasagna and garlic bread?” he guessed, and Laura threw her head back and laughed.

“You guessed it. I know it’s your favorite, and we haven’t had it in a while.”

“It smells delicious.”

“I’ll take those,” she said nodding her head at the wine bottles. “Harvey is in the living room. Harvey, Evan’s here.”

“Great!” her husband called from the doorway where he now appeared. Broad-shouldered, he took up almost the entire door frame, and he had a baby face that made him look much younger than he was. Something Laura had complained to Evan about good-naturedly, saying that it wasn’t fair.

“Need any help with dinner, hon?” Harvey asked.

“Not at all. You guys go have a seat and catch up. I just need to finish getting the silverware on the table and we will be ready to eat.”

‘You heard her, Evan. I’m not going to ask twice lest she gives us a job to do.” He winked and headed into the living room with Evan right behind him.

They talked for a while but it wasn’t long before Laura called out for them to come to the dining room.

“What can I get you to drink, Evan? Iced tea, water, lemonade, red wine?” Laura said as he took his seat.

“Iced tea would be great. I think I will save my glass of wine for after dinner.”

Laura went back into the kitchen and brought out two glasses of tea for him and Harvey and sat them down, taking her own seat while Harvey scooped up big portions of lasagna for everyone and then passed around the garlic bread. There was silence at the table for a few minutes while everyone enjoyed their food.

“I don’t know how you do it, Laura. This lasagna gets better and better every time you make it.”

“Flattery will get you more dinner invites,” she joked. They fell back into silence the way friends can while sharing a meal, until Laura finally spoke up.

“How is Rachel?” she said casually but Evan’s response was anything but casual as he started choking on a piece of bread and had to take a big gulp of his tea before speaking. Even choking, it didn’t escape him that Laura had an amused look on her face.

“What do you mean?”

“Really, Evan?” Laura said, raising her eyebrows and frowning. “That’s how you’re going to play it? You should know you can’t pull one over on me.”

“Play what?” Evan said at the same time Harvey said, “Leave the boy alone,” which made Evan chuckle, since Harvey wasn’t that much older than him and definitely not old enough to be his father.

“I will not. He is throwing away his chance at happiness if he blows things with Rachel. They are perfect for each other.”

“You really think so?” Evan asked, forgetting to act casual.

“Yes, I do, and you are this close to screwing it up.” She put her fingers together with barely a millimeter of space between them.

“I know,” he said softly.

“I know you’ve been through a lot, and anyone would have trouble opening their heart to love again after the trauma you experienced,” Laura said, her tone softer.

“I don’t know if I can do it.”

“Of course you can. It won’t be easy, but you can do it.”

“What if I don’t deserve to be happy?” he finally said what had really been weighing on his mind.

“That’s ridiculous. You deserve to be happy. You’re the only one who doesn’t think so. Tell me if you could speak to your wife that she would want you to live like this. Would she want you to live the rest of your life being miserable? I very much doubt it.”

His eyes misted as he thought of his beautiful wife Lisa and he shook his head. She would never want him to keep punishing himself for what had happened. That was not her nature. She would want him to be happy.

“No,” he simply said.

“Then what are you waiting for?” Laura said, and he couldn’t answer that.

While he knew his wife would want him to move on and he knew rationally that he should, he wasn’t sure his heart could take it if he opened up to Rachel and something happened to her. He wasn’t sure it was a risk he could take. He couldn’t lose someone else. He just didn’t have it in him.

CHAPTER NINE

Rachel climbed up the steps to her deck after a relaxing afternoon walk on the beach. Not for the first time, she was thankful that she’d made the decision to spend the summer in Moonshire Bay. It was beautiful and relaxing, and it was giving her what she needed. However, she couldn’t help but wonder what was going on with Evan. Three days had gone by since she’d seen him at the bar, and she hadn’t heard from him. Several times, she had gone to call or text but had stopped herself. She wasn’t sure what she had intruded on when she stopped at his bar, so she didn’t know if he even wanted to hear from her. The fact that he hadn’t tried to contact her kind of told her that he didn’t. Whether he was embarrassed that she’d seen him like that or he wasn’t actually interested, she didn’t know, but she certainly wasn’t going to contact him if he didn’t want to hear from her. She sighed, thinking about how complicated people were.

She’d always been the kind of person who didn’t focus on having regrets, but rather treated them as learning experiences, and yet a huge part of her certainly regretted that she’d met Evan. She’d been comfortable thinking that relationships were oﬀ the table for her. Meeting him had thrown a wrench in that comfort, and instead of focusing on moving forward as a strong, independent woman, alone, she was thinking about him. She was attracted to him and she had never expected that. Nor had she expected to make an emotional connection with someone new. When Richard had left, the thought of dating had terrified her, and this puzzling state of aﬀairs with Evan was exactly why. Relationships opened up the opportunity for hurt and confusion. Yet, realizing that it was still possible to feel attraction to someone, and then having the promise of a budding relationship with that someone yanked away, was confusing and scary.

She still had a good thirty years ahead of her if she were to live into her eighties, almost the age of her mother and the age her grandma had been when she had died. If Rachel were being honest, she didn’t find the prospect of being alone for that many years appealing, though neither did she consider a relationship appealing right now.

She’d started to sit down on one of the chaise lounges when someone pounded at her front door. She practically ran to the door, hoping it was Evan, but when she flung it open, she found Richard standing there.

“What are you doing here? How did you even know I was here?” she asked with surprise.

“Well, that’s not a very nice welcome,” he chided, though he had a smile on his face, like it was perfectly normal for him to show up unannounced. He was acting like she should have been expecting him.

“Seriously, Richard, what are you doing here?” she replied crossly, annoyed that he had shown up like he had some right to her attention. That ship had sailed a long time ago.

“Can I come in?”

She wanted to say no but also wanted to find out why he was here, and her curiosity won out. She took a step back and opened the door to let him walk through, then led him to the living room, where she motioned for him to have a seat.

“Did you get my message?” Richard asked.

“You mean the voicemail you left saying that you weren’t sure you made the right decision getting a divorce?” she retorted, trying to keep the anger out of her voice but not completely succeeding. Richard picked up on it really quickly, an upside to knowing her so well.

“I know it sounds crazy. I’m sorry, Rachel. I don’t know what’s going on with me.”

“Is that why you came all the way out here? Does Charlene know? You remember her? Your fiancée and the mother of your child. And how did you even know I was here?” she demanded for the second time.

“Yes, it is. No, she doesn’t, and your mother.”

Rachel should’ve figured. Her mother loved Richard, hated the fact that they’d divorced, and didn’t really understand why, mainly because Rachel hadn’t wanted to tell her the entire story. Her mother wasn’t well, and she didn’t want to give her any more stress than necessary. Her mother could’ve at least warned her that he was on his way here, though.

“Richard—” she started but was interrupted by another knock at the door. Annoyance twisted her lips into a frown. She didn’t even know that many people around here, she thought, so who could possibly be at her door now?

She went back to the front door, and when she opened it, her mouth dropped open. Evan was standing in front of her. Not five minutes prior, she’d been hoping it was him who had knocked, but Evan showing up now was horrible timing.

He was shuﬄing back and forth on his feet, looking nervous, and she badly wanted to talk to him, but that moment was not a good time. She felt guilty and wasn’t sure if it was because she wanted to talk to Evan despite Richard being there or if it was because Richard was there and Evan had shown up.

“I’m sorry to come unannounced, but I was afraid you wouldn’t see me if I called first,” he finally said.

“It’s fine, just… now is not a good time,” she responded, standing in the narrow opening of the door, hoping that he couldn’t see into the living room.

Rachel felt the door pull out of her grasp. It opened wide, and she knew without looking that Richard was standing behind her. She wanted to melt into the floor when she saw the confused and hurt look on Evan’s face.

“Hi, I’m Richard, Rachel’s husband,” Richard said in a possessive tone as he inched closer to her.

Rachel shot him a dirty look. “Ex-husband,” she countered pointedly while looking at Evan.

“Evan,” he said, holding out his hand. Richard shook it.

“Richard, go back to the living room. I’ll be there in a minute,” she said in a voice which he knew better than to argue with. Then she turned back to Evan. “Listen…”

“I’m going to go. I shouldn’t have come here in the first place,” he said. He spun around and walked briskly to his car.

“Evan, wait!”

He either didn’t hear or, more than likely, he ignored her as he got into his car, slammed the door, and started backing out of the driveway. Rachel gave a huge sigh. She wanted to know why he had shown up. Had it been to apologize, she wondered. And if it had been, how horrible for him to find Richard here. She knew she wasn’t doing anything wrong, but it still looked bad. She walked back into the house and shut the door, then stalked into the living room.

“Richard, I hate to be mean, but you need to leave.”

“I didn’t expect you to have moved on already,” he snapped.

“Don’t you dare! What I’m doing or not doing in regard to moving on is none of your business. You gave up that right. Now go!”

“But I thought I could stay a couple of days so we could figure things out. Reconnect.” His tone had changed to a softer one, and she’d expected herself to feel something for him, but she didn’t.

“Richard, things are already figured out,” she said wearily. “We’re divorced. There’s a reason why we got divorced, and I think things should stay that way. You cheated on me for a reason, and I think you need to remember that. Now, I’m going upstairs, and I want you out of my house by the time I come back down.”

As she walked up the stairs, she heard the front door shut and a car start up. Her heart was pounding from what she’d said to Richard, but she was also aware of the relief she felt that she’d been able to say it. While she had loved Richard for a long time, he had been right in asking for a divorce. They’d grown apart and had merely been coexisting. They had lost whatever romantic connection they’d had years earlier, and living without it would have been no way to spend the next many years. She hoped that he could be happy and knew if she had stayed with Richard she would not be.

Now, she thought, she needed to make things right with Evan. Or at least talk to him and explain why Richard was at her house.

CHAPTER TEN

Rachel had called Evan twice and texted three times by the time 8 p.m. had rolled around the next evening. She sat on her deck with a glass of red wine, watching the sunset and wishing that she were with Evan as she’d been the other night.

She was afraid, after what had happened earlier, that he would never return her calls. She had to at least get him to understand why Richard had been at her house.

Work, she thought, snapping her fingers in an “aha” moment. She could go to the bar. Maybe he would be there, and he couldn’t very well ignore her in public. She could make him listen to what she had to say, and she could find out why he had shown up at her house in the first place. If, after that, he wanted nothing to do with her, so be it. At least she would know that she’d taken charge of her own life and not waited for something to happen.

Luckily, she’d only had a couple of sips of wine, so driving was not an issue. She walked into the house, sat her half-full glass on the kitchen counter, and grabbed her purse. Looking down at what she was wearing, she contemplated changing but decided that this wasn’t about how she looked; this was about clearing up any misunderstanding between them.

She drove the few minutes into town and parked across the street from the bar. It looked pretty busy, based on how full the parking lot was, and she started to second-guess the wisdom of her plan.

Screw it, she told herself. What was the worst that could happen?

She walked inside and found Celeste working behind the bar and some guy bussing tables, but she didn’t see Evan.

Celeste watched her approach the bar with a look that was a little less friendly than the one she’d had the last time. It made Rachel wonder if Celeste had thought that she was responsible for whatever Evan had been going through the other day when she'd been there. But she wasn’t going to let herself be deterred.

“Is Evan here?” she asked her as soon as she reached the bar.

Celeste paused, as if trying to decide whether or not to answer her.

“I just need to talk to him for a second. There’s been a misunderstanding, and I just want to explain it to him.”

Celeste grabbed a glass from the dishwasher and dried it oﬀ before putting it in its place. “He’s not here.”

“Oh. I’ll try him at home, then.”

“He’s not there either.” Rachel was confused. “He went out of town for a few days. Not sure when he’ll be back.”

“Thank you,” Rachel said dejectedly, then turned to walk back out.

“Hey, Rachel?” Celeste called out, her voice taking on a nicer tone, and Rachel turned around. “That day you were here, do you know what happened?”

Rachel shook her head.

“He was pretty messed up after you left.”

“He showed up at my house yesterday, but there was some confusion, and he left before we had a chance to talk.”

Celeste looked sympathetic. “If he calls, I’ll tell him you stopped by.”

Rachel nodded and then left.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The next two days passed uneventfully, and except for the fact that she still hadn’t heard from Evan—even though she’d broken down and texted him two more times, but had received no response—she’d made a couple of life decisions. She planned to make several changes, some of which she’d wanted for a long time, if she were being truly honest. She’d been so stuck in the rut that had been her life prior to the divorce that it had never really occurred to her that she could change and do what she wanted.

She’d spent a lot of time over the last couple of days soul-searching, trying to think of what she was really passionate about. It had been hard, because thoughts of Evan had interrupted her concentration every few minutes. She’d given up hope that there would be anything between them, and realized that it had been a foolish notion anyway. She’d only known him for a brief time and had really just had that one nice evening together. She was old enough to know that love at first sight and a happily ever after were simply fairytale ideals, and so she could tell herself that her attraction to Evan was just a fleeting thing.

And yet, she was also someone who needed closure, especially as she’d played a part in a miscommunication. She knew that he’d come to her house for a reason and she felt so guilty that they hadn’t had a chance to talk. For the sake of closure, she needed them to discuss what had happened and move past it, and then they could just be fellow Moonshire Bay residents.

She was sitting in the living room, looking through the big bay windows at the storm. Even though it was gray and gloomy outside, she found that the rain pelting the windows was soothing. If it kept up, she saw a nap in her future.

There was a knock at the door. She’d been expecting Laura to stop by with some tomatoes from her garden, and so Rachel assumed it was her. She went to the door, but it wasn’t Laura. Evan stood in front of her with a timid smile on his face. Her heart pounded. Her previous idea of them simply coexisting in the community was swept from her mind, replaced by a realization of how strong her attraction to him was.

“Can I come in or do you have company?” he asked without any hint of malice.

“Of course you can. Can I get you something to drink?” she asked as they walked to the kitchen.

“Water, please. Maybe a shot of tequila.”

Rachel gave him a funny look, and he laughed, but it was strained. She could tell that he was uncomfortable by the way he was fidgeting with his car keys, which made her wonder even more what he had to say.

“I’m kidding. I guess I’m just nervous,” he admitted.

Rachel filled a glass with ice and water from the fridge and handed it to him. They both headed to the living room and sat down. Although Rachel was dying to know what he had to say, she stayed quiet in order to give him the opportunity he seemed to need to start talking.

“First, I want to apologize for the day you saw me in the stockroom when I kind of lost it.”

“It’s okay—” Rachel started to say, but he held up his hands to stop her.

“No, it wasn’t. I scared you, and for that, I’m sorry. But I want you to know that it was a bad day for me. In fact, that day every year is a bad day for me, because ten years ago on that day, I lost my son, and I essentially lost my wife,” he said, his voice breaking as he spoke.

Even though Rachel had already known this, to hear him say it with pain and anguish in his voice even after all this time tugged at her heart, making her care for him even more. She leaned over and put her hand on his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze, and he covered it with his.

“You don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to.”

“I know. And I haven’t wanted to, ever. Believe me. But now, I do want to. Because of you.” He looked at her eyes searchingly, as if trying to figure out what she was thinking, before he continued. “Ten years ago, I was driving my wife and son home from a movie when a drunk driver crossed the median and crashed into us. The accident killed my son on impact and left my wife in a permanent coma.”

“I am so sorry, Evan. No one should have to go through that.”

“I’ve gone through the motions of living ever since, feeling like I didn’t deserve to have a full life when the two most important people to me weren’t able to live theirs. And I thought I was fine with that, until I met you.”

What was he saying, Rachel wondered. Was he telling her that he felt the same attraction that she did?

“The last couple of days, I’ve been gone because I went back to Ohio and did what everyone has been telling me to do for years. I said goodbye. I will always love Lisa, and I’ll still visit her like I always have, but I need to move on with my life because that’s what she would want, and I would want the same if our roles were reversed. Meeting you has made me realize that I need to attempt to live a real life, and that’s truly what I owe Lisa. And myself.”

Evan looked at Rachel with tears in his eyes that matched the ones in hers.

“I hope you’ll forgive me for how I’ve acted, because I would very much like to get to know you better.”

“I forgive you, and would very much like to get to know you better, too. And you should know that Richard, the man you saw at my house, is my ex, who will be staying that way. There is nothing between us any longer and I made that very clear to him.”

Evan smiled and looked deeply into Rachel’s eyes as he leaned forward to kiss her. As his lips touched hers, she realized that she no longer needed to contemplate who she was and where life was going to take her, because she was in the exact spot in which she needed to be. Sitting next to her was a great man, and they had nothing in front of them but possibility.

EPILOGUE

One Year Later

"Wow, boss. This looks amazing," Celeste said as she walked into the garden area of Evan's bar, her head on a swivel as she looked around at the twinkly lights. Celeste saw the white linen-covered tables, each with a beautiful fall centerpiece. The space had been completely transformed into a wedding wonderland. Rachel was going to love it.

Evan couldn't help but grin, looking around himself and taking in all his hard work. Hard work he had done for his love.

"Thanks, Celeste."

"What do you need me to do?"

"If you could bring the big cooler on wheels out and stock it with the champagne, that would be great."

"Sure thing," she said and retreated into the bar.

Evan took a seat and rubbed his hands over his head before leaning back and letting his surroundings sink in. He had decorated the outdoor area of his bar for a wedding. His wedding. He felt like it was almost surreal that this was happening. After the accident, he didn't think he would ever forgive himself, much less find love. When his wife passed away a couple of months after he had met Rachel, he truly felt she knew he was taken care of and could go. He had told her all about Rachel, knowing she would have loved her just as he did. And she would want him to find happiness after being miserable and lost for so long. The ability to make peace with what had happened had lifted a weight off him. He hadn't even realized it was so big. He was blessed with a second chance with an amazing woman.

"Everything okay?" Rachel's voice startled him out of his daydream, and he looked up at her concerned face.

"Everything is fine."

"Are you sure? Not having second thoughts, are you?"

He stood up and took her in his arms. "Not a one."

"It looked like Celeste might need some help in there," Rachel said. "Claire just showed up with a bunch of food."

"Okay, great. Did you need anything from me?"

"Just to meet me out here in a little over an hour," she smiled, leaning in to kiss him.

'Hey, wait, isn't it bad luck for me to see the bride before the wedding?" he teased.

"Only if I was in my dress. This doesn't count," she said, looking down at her yoga pants and flannel shirt she had thrown on.

"You could get married in that outfit. I wouldn't care."

"Yeah, well, I would. Now scoot. I'm heading over to bride central to get ready. I just wanted to see you first."

"I'm glad you stopped by. See you soon," he said, looking at the woman he was about to call his wife.

"You're late. I was about to send out a search party," Laura tisked. Rachel arrived five minutes late to the beauty salon where she was getting her hair done and would get dressed. It was two doors down from the bar, so it was a perfect location.

"I know, I know. I stopped by the bar to see Evan."

"Why, are you worried he has cold feet? You shouldn't. That man is head over heels for you."

"No," Rachel shook her head, a big grin on her face. "I just wanted to see him."

"Go ahead and have a seat in that chair," the hairstylist pointed to the chair on the left, and Rachel took a seat.

"I picked your dress up from the dry cleaners and inspected it. It's perfectly pressed," Laura said.

"Thank you. I don't know how I could have organized all this without you," Rachel said and grabbed her friend's hand, squeezing it.

"I am more than happy to help two of my favorite people get married."

Rachels dress was a simple blush-colored sheath with an empire waist. Subtle beading on the bodice and flowing silk on the bottom. She had ordered it online and was surprised when she got it that it fit perfectly. Like it was meant to be. Which was pretty much how she viewed everything that had happened. While she had loved her ex-husband at one time, they had grown apart. Even though she didn't like how her ex had handled himself, she now realized that Evan was where she was meant to spend this second chapter of her life. With someone who loved and cherished her. She didn't know when she had last been this excited about her future.

An hour later, Laura was helping her slip the dress over her head and zipped up the back for her.

"Come over here to this full-length mirror," Laura said, waving her hands.

Rachel walked over to the mirror, and Laura fussed with the train as Rachel stared at herself. Her hair was swept up in a simple French twist. She felt like a princess in her dress. A princess getting ready to marry her prince.

"You look beautiful. Evan may faint when you walk down that aisle," Laura said. "Speaking of the aisle, we need to head over. The wedding starts in five minutes."

Rachel took one last look and then grabbed her heels. She was going to walk to the bar in her slippers, not wanting to risk twisting an ankle in her heels.

Laura, who was her maid of honor, along with her husband as Evan’s best man, was right by her side carrying a big bag of who knows what. Laura had just said the bag had something for any problem that might crop up.

They reached the bar and went through the front door that had Closed for a private event posted on it. Everyone in attendance would be in the garden area, waiting. Rachel changed her shoes, and Laura pulled out a compact and powdered the shine off Rachel's nose.

"Are you ready?" Laura asked.

"I am so ready."

The ladies walked to the door leading to the outdoor space, and Laura texted the person in charge of the music to start the wedding march. As Rachel stepped into the garden and saw Evan and his wide grin, she couldn't wait to be his wife and cherish every moment of her future with him.

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All's fair in love and home renovation.

Christine Ingle intends to buy as many of the old crumbling Victorian houses as she can in Fireside Bay. The huge old beauties mean something to her and she wants to restore them all to their former glory, exactly as they were over 100 years ago.

Too bad Daniel Hausman doesn't see home renovation in the same way. If he swoops in and outbids Christine of one more of the Victorians she might not be responsible for her actions.

When Daniel tries to convince her his way of splitting up the homes into multi-family dwellings is for the best, Christine isn't buying what he's selling, so he proposes they work together on his latest house so he can show her exactly what he does.

Christine certainly won't be convinced by Daniel's ideas... or his handsome face. She is not getting into bed with the enemy! At least, that's what she's telling herself. Can Daniel convince her otherwise?

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ARI’S ADVENTURE

Please enjoy the first chapter of book 2 in the Moonshire Bay series.

Finding out her husband of over twenty years is cheating on her? Check.

Laid off from her job the very same day? Check.

Ari had a very bad day and flees to Moonshire Bay to relax, heal and figure out what she really wants. At least she knows what she doesn’t want – a relationship.

Jack Callahan has been playing it safe in all aspects of his life after a failed business and a horrible misjudgment of someone’s character. Living in Moonshire Bay allows him to coast through life with his shields up and blinders on.

So what happens when Jack and Ari start working on a project together? Can their newfound friendship and attraction overcome their lack of trust?

Chapter 1

Ari was so glad the kids were coming home from college soon. Her youngest, Katie, was finishing up her freshman year at Michigan State, and her son, Sam, his junior year at Marquette. It was still hard for her to believe her kids were grown when it seemed like just yesterday they were in grade school. With both of them away at college the past year, it made her realize how quiet life was. In some respects, it was nice, but mostly she missed the hustle and energy the house had when the kids were there. She looked forward to having them back under the same roof, though the last time they’d talked, it sounded like they’d already made summer plans and wouldn’t be around much. Oh well, it was to be expected. Who wanted to spend time with Mom and Dad when they could be hanging with friends? Whatever time she could get, she’d take. Soon, they’d be out on their own, starting their own families, and her time with them would be even more limited. The thought brought tears to her eyes.

Ari Evans was going on twenty-eight years of marriage. She spent her days working as an accountant at a large accounting firm where she’d been employed since college. During that time, she’d raised her two amazing kids. She had what she’d consider a typical life with her husband Craig and her children Sam and Katie, and she loved it.

While tidying up the kitchen after breakfast, her phone rang. She looked at the display and saw that it was her assistant Robin calling. Since it was after nine, the office was open but Ari had planned to go in late that day because she had scheduled a late client appointment. Robin knew that and she usually didn’t bother Ari when she was home. It must be important.

“Hey, Robin. Did you forget that I’m not coming in until about noon today? I have the CEO and COO from the Marshall Group coming tonight at six.”

“Ari, you need to come in now,” Robin whispered, almost like she was trying not to be overheard.

“Is something wrong? Your voice sounds funny. Are you sick?”

“Just come in as soon as you can,” Robin replied frantically, then she disconnected.

Ari stood there in her kitchen with its cheery white cabinets and yellow accents, and her stomach started to do slow somersaults. She could feel her hands tremble a little. Robin wasn’t normally highly strung or one to blow things out of proportion. For her to act like this, something must indeed be wrong. The partners who'd founded the firm were both in their seventies. Maybe something had happened to one of them.

Ari had already showered, so she ran to her bedroom, threw on her favorite blue suit, and applied some makeup. She then went to her home office, stuffed her laptop into her bag, and headed out the door.

Since it was after rush hour, she made it to her office in Sterling Heights in record time. She pulled her black SUV into a space, gathered her things and got out, locking her car and briskly walking into the office building. She took the elevator to the fourth floor where the offices of her company, McPherson and Kincade, were located. Her stomach was churning, a nervous energy caused by her wondering what had spooked Robin so badly.

Ari stepped off the elevator, which opened directly into the offices that occupied the entire floor, and there was a palpable buzz. Something was going on. Normally, it was quiet and calm in the office, a very relaxed atmosphere. There were two main things Ari enjoyed about her job. The people and how laid back the place was.

What was it about today that gave the office such a different vibe? The cliché you could cut the tension with a knife came to mind.

She dumped her stuff at her desk and quickly made her way to Robin’s. Robin was on the phone but signaled that she’d be just a minute, so Ari sat down, her foot tapping impatiently.

Before Robin got off the phone, however, Ari’s boss, Ross Kincade, walked over.

“Good morning, Ross,” she said. “What’s going on here?”

“Can you come to my office?” he asked, his voice devoid of all expression.

“Uh, sure.” Now she was really nervous. Ross, who was normally a very upbeat and outgoing person, seemed very somber. Oh no, maybe something happened to the other managing partner. Jim McPherson had heart problems. He should have retired years ago, yet he still came in every day.

Ari looked sideways at Robin and raised her eyebrows. Once Ross had turned his back, Robin mouthed, “I’m sorry.”

“What’s this about, Ross?” Ari inquired the minute his office door was shut. It came out a little harsher than she’d intended. Robin’s I’m sorry had scared her, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“Have a seat, Ari.” He sighed and sat down.

“What’s going on?” she asked again, a little softer this time.

“As you know, things have been rough here for a while, ever since we lost the Ambrose account when they went bankrupt.”

She nodded. “Yes, but I thought things were getting better.”

“They are. However, Jim and I realized that we’re too old to be doing this.”

“You’re not too old, either of you. You work circles around me and everyone else around here,” Ari protested.

Ross held up his hand. “I appreciate you saying that, but the truth is, we want to retire. Enjoy the easy life.”

“So, are you selling? Is that why it feels so tense out there?” Ari didn’t like that thought but she couldn’t fault them for wanting to get out of the rat race.

He nodded and she felt a sense of relief. Companies were bought and sold all the time. It didn’t mean anything. Sure, there’d be changes but she could adapt.

“Whew. You had me worried it was something bad. I hate that you two are selling. I’ve loved working for you, but I understand.”

Ross looked pained, and she felt nervous again. “Unfortunately, there is no easy way to say this. The company who bought us bought our business. Just the business.”

As the words sank in, she began to realize his meaning.

“You mean, they want our list of clients but not us, the employees,” she said slowly.

He slid over a folder. “Inside, you’ll find there is a very generous severance package. I’m sorry, Ari. You’ve been a great employee.”

Ari was stunned. She’d spent almost thirty years at this firm, and she’d expected to retire from there. “So when is my last day?” she said with a calm she didn’t feel. Was this really happening?

“It’s effective immediately.”

“Oh, okay then. Thank you, Ross.” She felt dazed, like what had just happened was a little surreal.

She felt like she was in a fog as she walked out of Ross’ office and to her own, where she’d tossed her stuff just a few minutes earlier, before her professional life came tumbling down. She picked her things back up again. As she headed to the elevator, she heard Robin call out to her, but Ari ignored her, not wanting to talk to anyone at that moment.

She’d never been unemployed before. Since she’d started working at the ice cream shop at fifteen, she’d had a job. She didn’t blame Ross and Jim for wanting an easier life, but still, hers had just become harder.

As she reached her car, the tears started falling. She drove home, not even remembering the trip by the time she reached her front door and walked into an empty house.

When she looked around the home she’d lived in so long, she felt a little calmer in her familiar surroundings. She would get through this and find another job. She still had what was important. Her family.

Ari changed into her after-work uniform of yoga pants and a t-shirt, then warmed up a cup of coffee from earlier, taking it into the living room.

She opened up the folder that Ross had given her and saw that she’d received a better severance package than she would have expected, a full year’s salary. That softened the blow a little.

Feeling a bit better, and knowing that she wasn’t going to solve her problems in that instant, she took her now-empty coffee cup back into the kitchen and noticed that Craig had left his phone sitting on the kitchen island. He was probably annoyed, as he lived by the thing. Then, she thought about how nice it would be to take it to him at work. She would stop on the way and pick him up a white chocolate mocha from Starbucks, his favorite drink. He would appreciate it, and she thought it would be fun because it was something that she rarely had the chance to do. Maybe being unemployed wouldn’t be so bad after all. It would give her an opportunity to do all the things she never had time to do before.

As she reached down to pick up Craig’s phone, it buzzed. She saw that he had three texts from someone named Sarah White. Who is Sarah White and what is so important that she would send three texts?

CONTINUE READING ARI’S ADVENTURE

THANKS FOR READING

I hope you loved this book! I know you’ll enjoy the rest of the Moonshire Bay Small Town Romance series. You can find the books on my website or on Amazon.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Disclaimer: My real name is Laina Turner, and I initially wrote romance under a pen name, Elle Sweet, and my cozy mysteries under Laina Turner. However, things change, and I now write romance under my real name and cozy mysteries under L.C. Turner - C stands for Carole, my middle name, so it’s still my real name. A little about me…

As a child, I thought I would either be a truck driver (thanks to Jerry Reed in Smokey and the Bandit) or work at Taco Bell (my favorite restaurant as a child). Though I ended up going to college for business. Probably a better choice. The last place I need to work is somewhere I can get a discount on tacos.

I live by the motto, “don’t be a one-trick pony” and am proud of my vast experiences in life from barrel racing to being on the dance team for a semi-pro basketball team to being a mom of 2 amazing kids.

Taking the plunge to write books (cozy mysteries and chick lit) that I actually let people read in 2010, I have worked my way up to being a real author, having 5 fans (maybe 6 now). And I tell my family and friends that no one is safe from their escapades slipping into my books.

You can also find me at www.lainaturner.com or on social media.

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ALSO BY LAINA TURNER (AND L.C. TURNER)

MOONSHIRE BAY CLEAN ROMANCE SERIES

Finding Rachel

Ari’s Adventure

Photographing Kate

Lucy’s Last Chance

Sophie’s Secret

Haley’s Holiday

The Moonshire Bay Box Set

Cozy Mysteries by L.C. Turner

THE PRESLEY THURMAN MYSTERIES

Promotions & Poisons (A Free Prequel)

Stilettos & Scoundrels

Necklaces & Nooses

Handbags & Hooligans

Mistletoe & Murder

Gems & Gunshots

Tiaras & Texans

Cupids & Crooks

Vows & Victims

Romance & Revenge

Accessories & Alibis

Bats & Bling

Weddings & Weapons

Diamonds & Disguises

Keys & Kidnappers

Icicles & Icepicks

Flowers & Felonies

Elves & Embezzlement

Presley Thurman Box Set (Books 1-4 & Prequel)

Presley Thurman Box Set (Books 5-8)

Presley Thurman Box Set (Books 9-12)

THE READ WINE BOOKSTORE COZY MYSTERIES

Friends and Foes

Snowglobes and Secrets

Cupcakes and Killers

Wine and Revenge

Lawyers and Liars

Dunes and Dead Bodies

Cookies and Crime

The Read Wine Bookstore Box Set (Books 1-7)

THE SPENCER UNIVERSITY COZY MYSTERIES

Death by Suspenders

Textbook Murder

Killer Classes

Christmas Caper

The Spencer University Box Set

STANDALONES/ANTHOLOGIES

Switched Up

Holiday Lights Out

Christmas Cozy Collection

First in Series Cozy Collection