by Andrea Hurst
John sighed. “She was so vibrant yesterday. I thought…”
Mary patted his shoulder. “It happens that way sometimes.”
John waved her into the kitchen. “I’ll just be a second. Ian’s in the studio painting, I’ll let him know and grab a few things, throw them in a bag. Then come right over.”
“You go ahead,” Mary said. “I’ll go back now, and I can stay a bit longer.”
John thanked her and hurried back to the barn that had been converted into Ian’s studio. Ian was so absorbed in his latest canvas, he didn’t hear John enter.
“Ian, Maggie’s not doing too well this morning. I’m going to go over and keep her company.”
Ian dropped his brush down on the table. “Oh no, do you need help?”
“Jason’s still sleeping, so you’ll need to get him breakfast. Why don’t you come over to Maggie’s later before you leave to catch the ferry home? You could say goodbye?”
As he said the words, John realized they might have a double meaning. Goodbye until Ian and Jason come back next weekend, or perhaps a final farewell to Maggie.
“Are you sure you don’t want us to stay? I can take a sick day and be here for you.”
John shook his head. “You just go on with your day. Jason needs to be in school tomorrow. I’ll let you know if I need anything.”
John packed his toothbrush and a clean shirt, tossed out the old coffee, and checked once more on Jason. He was sleeping so peacefully, as only the very young could do. He tiptoed in and kissed the boy on the forehead. Jason’s eyes flickered open.
“Hi, Grandpa.” Jason yawned. “Is breakfast ready?”
“Your dad is going cook something. I have to run over to Maggie’s for a little while. I’ll see you later.”
Jason sat up in bed. “Okay, but I like your breakfasts better.”
John walked briskly across the path to Maggie’s house and up the porch steps. He knocked on the front door before sticking his head in and saying, “Anybody home?”
Mary greeted him in the parlor. She held her index finger up over her lips and whispered for him to be quiet. “Maggie’s asleep. A bit fitful. She’s had her medications and her schedule is by the bed marked with each bottle. I left a casserole and soup in the refrigerator.”
“Thanks,” John whispered. “You go ahead home now.”
Mary grabbed her purse and waved goodbye. “Back tomorrow,” she said.
John placed his bag on the floor in the parlor in an out of the way corner, then tiptoed back through the office area and into Maggie’s quarters in the back of the inn. She lay under a puffy white down quilt, her head propped on pale blue pillows. Like her eyes, he thought.
As if she sensed his presence, she stirred and her eyes fluttered open. “John, is that you?”
He moved to her bedside and took her hand gently in his. “I’m here, Maggie, and I’m not leaving until Mary gets here tomorrow.”
She looked confused.
“Don’t worry,” John said, “I’ll sleep on the couch so I’ll be within calling distance.”
Maggie tried to rise, but the considerable effort it took was obvious. John placed his arm around her and helped her sit up. “There you go. Are you comfortable?”
“Thank you. Sorry to be a bother. Yesterday I had so much energy, and today…”
“You probably overdid it a bit,” he said. “Today we are hanging out together and going nowhere. Mary left us plenty of food and I am fully capable of heating it up.”
Maggie laughed. “That you are.”
“We can watch TV or I can read us a book aloud.”
“No dancing?” Maggie said.
John sat down at the edge of the bed and took her hand. “Do you remember the line dancing lessons we took on our cruise to Alaska?”
Her lips curled into an adorable smile. Did he notice some coloring in her cheeks? Or was he just hoping?
“We had the most amazing time that week. I’ll never forget that eerie blue color in Glacier Bay and those carved glaciers of ice.” Maggie squeezed his hand. “And the black bear and her cub drinking from a stream. I was glad we were quite a distance away.”
“We didn’t do too bad for old folks,” John said.
“Speak for yourself,” Maggie said. “You're the one turning eighty soon.”
John knew Maggie was only a few years behind him, but he loved to tease her. “You’ll be catching up soon enough.”
Maggie’s breath was shallow. He heard her inhale deeply before pushing herself up straighter in the bed.
“We both know that’s not true,” she said. “Tomorrow my attorney will be here with the final papers for me to sign, willing the inn over to Lily.” Her eyes focused and searched his face. “Promise me you’ll watch over her when, and if she comes. I have this feeling she’s not happy.”
“I promise. She will be family to me. Please don’t worry. There are so many people on the island who will welcome her with open arms.”
Maggie still looked distressed. “And Jude, she’s still suffering from her daughter Lindsey leaving to live with her father. That man, if Lindsey only knew the truth.”
“I’ll check in on Jude often,” John said. “And whenever I’m in town, I’ll drop in and visit our mysterious friend, Kyla, as well.”
Finally Maggie looked satisfied. “I love them all so much,” she said.
“As do I. Now, you lie back and rest.” John searched his mind for more happy memories to share, and they came easily. His favorite was still rocking on the porch swing together, beautiful Maggie at his side, her head resting on his shoulder. He saw her take one last look at the painting Ian had put up only yesterday, before her eyes began to droop and she drifted off to sleep. He knew in his heart they were nearing the end. But for John, their love and memories would never end; Maggie would live forever in his heart.
⌘
Also By Andrea Hurst
If you enjoyed reading this book, please leave a review on Amazon, they are truly appreciated.
Also, be sure to read ahead for an excerpt of the first full-length book in the Madrona Island Series, The Guestbook, and continue the journey to Madrona Island with the other books in the series, including:
Book One – The Guestbook
Everyone remembers their first love…But sometimes it’s the second love that lasts
Fleeing her picture-perfect marriage among the privileged set of Brentwood and the wreckage of a failed marriage, Lily Parkins decides to move to the only place that still holds happy memories, her grandmother’s old farmhouse. The lush and majestic setting of the Pacific Northwest calls to her and offers a place of refuge and perhaps renewal. Her grandmother has passed away, leaving the Madrona Island Bed & Breakfast Inn to Lily. Left with only an old guestbook as her guide–a curious book full of letters, recipes, and glimpses into her family history–Lily is determined to embrace her newfound independence and recreate herself, one page at a time. With the help of the quirky island residents she has befriended, she slowly finds the strength to seek out happiness on her own terms. But as soon as she has sworn off men and is standing on her own two feet, Lily meets Ian, the alluring artist who lives next door, and her new life is suddenly thrown off course. The last thing she wants to do right now is to open her heart to another man. Ultimately, Lily must decide if it’s worth giving up her soul for security or risking everything to follow her heart in this romantic love story.
Book Two – Tea & Comfort
This second volume features the puzzling yet sensuous, Kyla Nolan. The story unravels the mystery behind her hasty departure from her glamorous New York life as a top model and her transformation to shop proprietor, herbalist, and local tea leaf reader on Madrona Island. Follow her battle with a reoccurring illness and the return of Lucas, the wealthy winery owner and former fiancé whom she left behind. Can a love that was so based on outside trappings survive illness and loss? With a touch of the paranormal, and her island friends, Kyla comes to terms wit
h her fears and her heart’s longings.
Book Three – Island Thyme Café
The third book features the vivacious and loving, Jude Simon, owner of the popular Island Thyme Café. After Lily’s wedding festivities are over, Jude must face the dark secret from her past. Years ago, she’d found out her husband was cheating on her in an article in the local paper. Left a single mother of an infant daughter, Jude went on to make a success of her café, but still hides her broken heart behind her radiant smile. At almost 40 years old, she finds herself falling hard for her new chef, Ryan. Her feelings are returned, and just when she thinks she has found love at last, Ryan’s own dark secret returns in the form of a seductive ex-lover who is determined to have him back. With the help of Kyla and Lily, Jude decides to fight for what she wants most and find the happy ending she has always longed for.
Web: www.andreahurst-author.com
Excerpt of The Guestbook
Prologue
Madrona Island, Washington
Patterns of light danced across Margaret’s eyelids as the afternoon sun filtered through the lace curtains of her bedroom, causing her to wake. She had been dreaming of her granddaughter again. A young Lily had pranced around on the old front porch like a little pony, her golden hair soaring behind her as it caught the breeze. But all she had left now were her memories and her good friends.
Margaret propped some pillows behind her and inched her way upright in the old mahogany, four-poster bed. She glanced at the ceramic clock on the nightstand: 3:00 PM. Napping in the afternoon; when had that started? Mary, her housekeeper turned nurse, had been by fussing around her earlier in the day, trying to get Margaret to eat something. But even Mary’s buttery shortbread did not tempt her now. Food was a necessity in order to take the medication the doctor had prescribed for, what he called, comfort and quality of life.
Even into her late seventies, she’d felt energetic and kept the inn thriving. Her last decision, closing the doors to her beloved bed and breakfast, was one of the most difficult things she’d ever done. With a low moan of pain, she turned, reached into the antique nightstand, and removed the leather-bound volume: The Guestbook. She stroked the embossed cover and gold leaf lettering: Madrona Island Bed & Breakfast.
Each entry was special to her, each life that crossed her path a gift. A smile broke across the wrinkled surface of her face as she flipped open the book and randomly chose an entry from a young couple who’d lodged in the Rose Suite a few years ago.
Maggie,
We can’t tell you how much our stay has meant to our marriage. Feeling the love here in this dazzling place helped us find the love for each other again. Thank you for all the little details, from the scrumptious cookies to the fresh baby roses and herbal bouquets. We’ll be back.
~Lorna & James
Margaret shivered and tears threatened to surface. It was so hard to say goodbye. Her life had been rich, finding love again late in life and owning this piece of heaven. Was it just this morning John had stopped by to read to her? She flipped through the well-worn Guestbook, savoring the sweet smell of dried lavender lingering between the pages. In the back, where she kept her special keepsakes, was an old photo of Lily.
“What a sweet girl,” whispered Margaret as she gazed at the picture of her only grandchild. Lily had been about nine years old in this one. Her lanky child’s body was draped over the old porch swing, her broad smile facing the camera…Lily’s last visit. Even now it broke Margaret’s heart and anger warmed her cheeks at the wasted time apart.
Silly old woman, she thought, surely by now you have learned to accept the past.
Margaret’s mind drifted back to her son Jerold. She’d been so pleased when he’d married Katherine, and when Lily was born a year later, her heart overflowed. How she’d hoped and prayed he would change when he became a father. In the end, he’d left them all.
She could not go down that “if only” road again. She sighed, long and hard, as her shoulders fell back onto the down pillows. So long ago, so pointless a loss, she mused. Now, more than ever, she knew the only thing that really mattered was being with the ones you love.
Her lawyer and friend, Mike, had delivered the legal papers for her estate today. “Are you certain this is what you want now, Maggie?” he’d asked. She’d only nodded. With all her heart, she hoped that willing the Madrona Island Bed and Breakfast Inn to Lily would bring the same joy to her beloved granddaughter that it had brought her. The ballpoint pen had quivered in her hand as she signed the final document.
The legal papers were stacked neatly on the nightstand, the Guestbook tucked back into the drawer. Margaret pulled the down comforter up to her chin, and the old bed creaked softly as she turned onto her side. As she drifted back to sleep, she was comforted by the thought that John would be by in the morning to check on her.
Chapter 1
Brentwood, California
Perched on silk cushions, nestled in the dormer window, Lily watched the rain from her favorite spot in the massive bedroom, a reclusive tower overlooking the winter gardens. In her mind’s eye, she saw raindrops seeping deep into the soil, bringing nutrients and working their magic on her dormant plants.
The bedroom door snapped open, interrupting her reverie.
“Lily, it’s almost seven and you’re not even dressed.” Brad, immaculate in a charcoal suit, flung open her closet doors and pulled out a sleek black Dolce & Gabbana dress and Dior evening sandals. “Here, wear these,” he said tossing them on the bed. His gold cufflinks shone in the overhead lighting. “And hurry.”
“Yes, Brad, I will,” she answered for the thousandth time.
He turned to leave. “And wear the diamond necklace I gave you for your birthday.”
Lily lifted the delicate dress over her head and slipped her feet into the flimsy shoes before making a last check in the full-length mirror. She prodded the glass surface with her fingers, reassuring herself that it was solid. How could such a complete—and unwanted—transformation take place without her even realizing it was happening? The flawlessly coiffed woman staring back at her was not someone she recognized. The precise arc of her eyebrows conformed to the downturn of her frown, and her wide-set eyes lined in midnight blue were empty of light. Expertly cut blonde hair touched her shoulders and completed her carefully constructed appearance.
Scanning the room, Lily assessed the sterile beige-on-beige master suite with the massive marble fireplace. Everything was in its perfectly designated place, from the signed artwork on the walls to the European crystal vases filled with pale orchids. No detail was left to chance. Brad had made sure of that. The years had flown by like a whirlwind, sucking her in slowly then building momentum as the eye of the storm claimed her.
“Enough of the drama, Lily,” she said shaking her head. She pushed her feelings aside and walked downstairs to finish the preparations for the meal ahead. There would only be one VIP guest tonight. She could handle that herself.
The ringing phone barely stirred her as she glided down the staircase. She was not expected to answer it.
At the bottom of the stairs, in the marble entry, Brad stood holding the phone in his hand.
“Your mother is on the phone again. This is the third time she’s called.” He covered the mouthpiece. “Make it fast.”
Lily took the handset and walked over to the window, turning her back to Brad. “Hi, Mom.”
“Are you all right, Lily? I’ve left two messages already.”
“Sorry, Brad didn’t tell me. You caught us just before a dinner party we’re hosting.”
Brad paced and pointed emphatically to his watch.
“I’m sorry, Mom; our guest will be arriving soon. I’ll have to call you back later.” Lily hung up the phone and glared at Brad. “Why didn’t you tell me my mother has been calling?”
He shrugged. “So what was it that couldn’t wait?”
Lily stepped back and laid the phone on the table. “You didn’t give me time to find out, not
that it would interest you anyway.”
“Suit yourself,” he said, moving down the hall. “I’ll be in my office if you need me.”
Lily was in her element. Her sparkling stainless steel kitchen boasted simmering pots releasing an herby aroma complemented by the yeasty smell of fresh bread. She kicked off her shoes and let her stocking-covered feet take a break. The pungent smell of garlic flooded the room, soothing her frayed nerves.
She glanced at the clock; Brad’s new client would arrive in about an hour, and there was still plenty to do. Steadying herself with a deep breath, she prepared the second appetizer tray of crab-stuffed portabella mushrooms smothered with buttery fontina cheese.
A knock at the kitchen door startled her. Her neighbor, Roma, popped her head in. “May I have permission to enter your revered domain?”
Lily wiped her hands on a dishtowel and drew Roma into a hug. “Couldn’t be happier to see you.”
“Need a taster?” Roma leaned over a simmering pot, inhaling deeply.
Lily held up a spoon. “Sure, try this Bolognese and let me know if it needs anything.”
Roma moaned. “Divine, as always.”
Roma took a seat at the breakfast bar. She pointed to Lily’s bare feet and patted the stool next to her. “Come, sit down. You’re the hostess, not the maid here.”
“Tell Brad that, would you? He has me on a tight schedule tonight.” Lily drizzled the endive and calamari salad with black truffle oil. She arranged heavily crusted Italian bread and placed the olive paté next to the basket.
