Back Home at Firefly Lake

by Jen Gilroy

Sean must be married. He had a son and he’d always been a conventional guy. Loyal and true. Her heart twisted tighter and there was a sour taste in her mouth. “So you stayed here.”

  “I always wanted to take on Carmichael’s.” Sean paused. “But since we’re taking this trip down memory lane, what about you? Did you get what you wanted?”

  When you ran out on me and on us. The words he didn’t say hung heavy between them.

  “I’m a foreign correspondent for the Associated Press, based in London, but I travel all over. Wherever the next story is, I go.” It was the life she wanted and had worked hard to get. And she loved it. At least until four months ago.

  “You always wanted to see the world.” Sean’s voice was flat.

  “Yeah, I did.” She looked at the beach where Ty and Naomi tossed a Frisbee. The dog darted between them. Naomi laughed at something Ty said and he laughed, too, Sean’s laugh.

  Charlie’s stomach rolled. She had to get a grip. Focus on who she was now, not who she’d been. She wasn’t looking at herself and Sean on that beach.

  “Must be an exciting life.” Sean’s voice had an edge of steel.

  Excitement wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Charlie’s hands were clammy. She sat on one of the Adirondack chairs Mia had found in the shed and crossed her right leg over her left. Her pants covered the scar tissue that stretched from her left knee to her ankle. “It pays the bills.” But there wasn’t much left over to save for the future and she wasn’t getting any younger.

  “Charlotte…” He hesitated, and the name he’d never called her rang in her ears. “Why are you here?” His eyes narrowed into blue slits, framed by spiky lashes several shades darker than his hair. “You could have put that canoe in the boathouse as easy as Ty.”

  Her heart thudded, a dull throb that hurt more than the ache in her leg. “I didn’t expect you to turn up on the doorstep, but since you did, I don’t want you to hear this in town.”

  “Hear what?” He tugged on his T-shirt and smoothed it over a still-taut stomach, although his shoulders were bigger, the muscles more defined.

  “Mia and I and her two girls, we’re here for a month to sell the cottage.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. Selling was the right choice, the only choice.

  “Your folks, they…” Sean yanked off his hat and sat sideways to face her on the middle step, the weathered boards creaking under his weight.

  She nodded. The only sounds were the buzz of the cicadas and the whisper of the wind in the pines.

  “I’m sorry.” His voice was gruff.

  “We lost Mom last Christmas. Cancer.” Charlie blinked as tears pricked the backs of her eyes.

  “That’s rough.” He paused for a heartbeat. “My condolences. My mom will be sad to hear about your mother.”

  And the cottage was her last tangible link with her mom, and the place Charlie had always thought of as home. It was the only constant in her life after the summer she’d turned ten and they’d left Montreal for her dad’s new job in Boston. But she had to be practical. The money from the cottage sale would secure that future she worried about.

  Sean put his hat back on and looked out at the lake. “What about your dad?”

  “He died five years ago.” Charlie shivered. “He had a heart attack on the golf course.”

  “My dad went like that a little over a year ago. Over in the marina.” Sean’s voice caught and he tented his hands on his knees, the strong, capable hands that had taught her how to paddle a canoe and build a campfire. Hands that had comforted her when she’d been scared of the bear with the sharp yellow teeth Mia told her lived in the boathouse. And hands that had loved her and taught her how to love back.

  “He was a good man, your dad.” Honest, upright, and devoted to his family. Everything Charlie’s dad wasn’t.

  “He had a good life.” Sean gave her a brief smile. “Even though he went too soon, he went doing what he loved, with the family he loved around him. A man couldn’t ask for more.” His face changed, tenderness wiped away, and a muscle worked in his jaw. “You’re here to sell the cottage.”

  “Yes.” She’d made her decision and wouldn’t go back on it now that she was here. “It’s the last piece of Mom’s estate.” All the beauty, vibrancy, and love that had been her mom reduced to a dry sheaf of papers.

  “You could have sold the cottage from anywhere.” Sean’s voice rasped.

  Charlie hugged herself. “This place was special to Mom. I owe it to her to come back one last time.” Maybe she owed it to herself too.

  “There should be a lot of interest.” Sean got up from the step. “It’s the biggest cottage on Firefly Lake. Since it’s only a few hours from Burlington and Montreal, it’s easy to get here on weekends. Even from Boston like you did. It’ll be sold before you know it, and you’ll be back on a plane.”

  Charlie pushed herself out of the chair and stood. “We might not sell it in the way you think. You see, there’s a developer interested.”

  “A developer?” Sean moved toward her so fast Charlie rocked against the porch railing. Pain radiated up her leg.

  “They haven’t made us an offer yet, but they’re talking about a tasteful little resort.” Pinned between Sean and the railing, the top of her head level with his broad chest, Charlie reminded herself to breathe. She’d forgotten how big Sean was, how male. “They’d give us a good price.”

  “What do you mean a good price?” Sean’s expression hardened. “Firefly Lake hasn’t changed in generations. People come here because it hasn’t changed.”

  “A resort development won’t change things much.” Charlie avoided his gaze.

  Sean’s laugh was harsh. “You really believe that? Everywhere else, life has sped up, everybody rushing without knowing what they’re rushing to or why. Here things stay pretty much the same. At least the same in the ways that matter. Don’t you care about keeping it that way?”

  “Yes, but in this economy not as many people are buying summer cottages.” Her heart raced, and she pressed a hand to her chest. “Besides, Vermont has legislation to protect the landscape, and developers have to meet certain criteria before they can get a building permit.”

  “Keep renting the cottage out until the economy gets better.” His blue eyes blazed with the anger she’d only seen once before. “That seemed to work fine for the last eighteen years. Don’t talk to me about some law. You can’t sell all this to a developer.” He raised an arm to take in the cottage, the forest behind it, the beach and the lake, hazy blue in the afternoon sun.

  “That’s not your decision to make. I need to let the cottage go.” And she needed to forget about sentiment and think with her head, not her heart. Let the past go and use the money she’d get for the cottage to live the rest of her life, a life she’d almost lost.

  “You were good at that, weren’t you?” His face reddened. “Letting go of things you no longer wanted.”

  “That’s not how I remember it.” She forced a calmness she didn’t feel. “But if you mean what was between us, that was a lifetime ago, like the cottage is a lifetime ago.”

  “You really think so, Sunshine?”

  Charlie flinched as Sean’s old nickname for her drove a spike through her battered heart.

  “In all your talk about this place being special to your mom, it sounds like you’ve forgotten how special it was to you, too.”

  He whistled for his dog, the shrill sound slicing through the air. And when he walked away, this time Charlie didn’t try to stop him.

  About the Author

  Jen Gilroy grew up under the big sky of western Canada. After many years in England, she now lives in a small town in eastern Ontario where her Irish ancestors settled in the nineteenth century. She’s worked in higher education and international marketing but, after spending too much time in airports and away from her family, traded the 9–5 to write contemporary romance to bring readers’ hearts home.

  A small-town girl at heart, Jen likes ice cream, din
ers, vintage style, and all things country. Her husband, Tech Guy, is her real-life romance hero, and her daughter, English Rose, teaches her to cherish the blessings in the everyday.

  You can learn more at:

  www.jengilroy.com

  Twitter: @JenGilroy1

  http://facebook.com/JenGilroyAuthor

  Acclaim for Jen Gilroy

  Summer on Firefly Lake

  “Has charm to spare… The delightful supporting cast… and expertly plotted story add depth and richness to this tale, leaving readers eager for another visit to Firefly Lake.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “4 stars! Gilroy’s second Firefly Lake novel encapsulates the quaint, busybody small-town feel and the slippery slope of friends becoming lovers quite well… Engaging… [a] fast-paced page turner.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  The Cottage at Firefly Lake

  “Gilroy’s debut contemporary is packed with potent emotions… [Her] protagonists tug at the heartstrings from the beginning of the story and don’t let go. The strong group of supporting characters includes Charlie’s sister, Mia, and her daughter, Naomi, whose stories are to be later told. Long on charm, this story invites readers to come in and stay a while.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “4 stars! Memories, regrets, and second chances are front and center in Gilroy’s fantastic debut. The first book in the Firefly Lake series is complex and mired in secrets. The Vermont setting adds a genuine feel to the story, and the co-stars are highly entertaining. The homebody hero and world-traveling heroine must travel a long and bumpy road to happiness.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “The story has all the elements in place to create an emotional and touching atmosphere. The pacing is steady and the writing is fluid, creating just the right amount of tension and emotion.”

  —NightOwlReviews.com

  “Jen Gilroy’s The Cottage at Firefly Lake is a heart-stirring debut centering around forgiveness and second chances. Gilroy weaves a delightful story and I’m happy to recommend this book!”

  —OnceUponAPage.com

  “This book is a lot of fun and is definitely for fans of Susan Mallery or Marina Adair.”

  —KatyBooks.com

  “The Cottage at Firefly Lake is Jen Gilroy’s debut romance book, but you honestly can’t tell. She effortlessly brings this wonderful tale of second chances to us in such a sweet and romantic way that you won’t want to put this book down.”

  —Escapingin2Books.com

  “This is a sweet and heartwarming second-chance love story that is sure to make you both smile and cry! I felt many different types of emotions while reading it, and the fact that the author can evoke such emotions in her readers is tremendous! Readers who enjoy classy and sweet romances that are filled with heart will definitely pair well with this novel.”

  —PrettyLittleBookReviews.com

  Fall in Love with Forever Romance

  RENEGADE COWBOY

  By Sara Richardson

  In the New York Times bestselling tradition of Jennifer Ryan and Maisey Yates comes the latest in Sara Richardson’s Rocky Mountain Riders series. Cassidy Greer and Levi Cortez have a history together—and a sizzling attraction that’s too hot to ignore. When Levi rides back into town, he knows Cass doesn’t want to get roped into a relationship with a cowboy. So he’s offered her a no-strings fling. But can he convince himself that one night is enough?

  THE HIGHLAND GUARDIAN

  By Amy Jarecki

  Captain Reid MacKenzie has vowed to watch over his dying friend’s daughter. But Reid’s new ward is no wee lass. She’s a ravishing, fully grown woman, and it’s all he can do to remember his duty and not seduce her…Miss Audrey Kennet is stunned by the news of her father’s death, and then outraged when the kilted brute who delivers the news insists she must now marry. But Audrey soon realizes the brave, brawny Scot is the only man she wants—though loving him means risking her lands, her freedom, and even her life.

  CAN’T FORGET YOU

  By Rachel Lacey

  Jessica Flynn is proud of the spa she’s built on her own. Now that the land next door is for sale, she can expand her business…Until Mark Dalton, the man who once stole her heart, places a higher bid on the property. Mark doesn’t want to compete with Jess. But as he tries to repair the past, he realizes that Jess may never forgive him if she learns why he left all those years ago.

  BACK HOME AT FIREFLY LAKE

  By Jen Gilroy

  Fans of RaeAnne Thayne, Debbie Mason, and Susan Wiggs will love the latest from Jen Gilroy. Firefly Lake is just a pit stop for single mom Cat McGuire. That is, until sparks fly with her longtime crush—who also happens to be her daughter’s hockey coach—Luc Simard. When Luc starts to fall hard, can he convince Cat to stay?

  SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE

  By Jill Shalvis

  Now featuring ten bonus recipes never available before in print! Don’t miss this new edition of Simply Irresistible, the first book in New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis’s beloved Lucky Harbor series!

  NOTORIOUS PLEASURES

  By Elizabeth Hoyt

  Rediscover the Maiden Lane Series by New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Hoyt in this beautiful reissue with an all-new cover! Lady Hero Batten wants for nothing, until she meets her fiancé’s notorious brother. Griffin Remmington is a mysterious rogue, whose interests belong to the worst sorts of debauchery. Hero and Griffin are constantly at odds, so when sparks fly, can these two imperfect people find a perfect true love?

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