PRAISE FOR MARIAH STEWART
~ The Hudson Sisters Series ~
THE LAST CHANCE MATINEE
“Prepare to fall in love with this amazing, endearing family of women.”
—Robyn Carr, New York Times bestselling author
“The combination of a quirky small-town setting, a family mystery, a gentle romance, and three estranged sisters is catnip for women’s fiction fans.”
—Booklist
“If you like the Lucky Harbor series by Jill Shalvis, you will enjoy this one. Stewart’s writing reminds me of Susan Wiggs, Luanne Rice, Susan Mallery, and Robyn Carr.”
—My Novelesque Life
THE SUGARHOUSE BLUES
“A solid writer with so much talent, Mariah Stewart crafts wonderful stories that take us away to small-town America and build strong families we wish we were a part of.”
—A Midlife Wife
“A heartwarming read full of surprising secrets, humor, and lessons about what it means to be a family.”
—That Book Lady Blog
THE GOODBYE CAFÉ
“Stewart makes a charming return to tiny Hidden Falls, Pennsylvania, in this breezy contemporary, which is loaded with appealing down-home characters and tantalizing hints of mystery that will hook readers immediately. Stewart expertly combines the inevitable angst of a trio of sisters, a family secret, and a search for an heirloom necklace; it’s an irresistible mix that will delight readers. Masterful characterizations and well-timed plot are sure to pull in fans of romantic small-town stories.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Stewart [has] the amazing ability to weave a women’s fiction story loaded with heart, grit, and enough secrets [that] you highly anticipate the next book coming up. I have read several books from her different series, and every one of them has been a delightful, satisfying read. Beautiful and heartwarming.”
—A Midlife Wife
“Highly recommend this series for WF fans and even romance fans. There’s plenty of that sweet small-town romance to make you swoon a little.”
—Novelgossip
“These characters will charm your socks off! Thematic and highly entertaining.”
—Booktalk with Eileen
~ The Chesapeake Diaries Series ~
COMING HOME
“One of the best women’s contemporary authors of our time, Mariah Stewart serves the reader a beautiful romance with a delicious side dish of the suspense that has made her so deservingly popular. Coming Home is beautifully crafted with interesting, intelligent characters and pitch-perfect pacing. Ms. Stewart is, as always, at the top of her game with this sensuous, exhilarating, page-turning tale.”
—Betty Cox, Reader to Reader Reviews
HOME AGAIN
“The town and the townspeople of St. Dennis, Maryland, come vividly to life under Stewart’s skillful hands. The pace is gentle but the emotions are complex.”
—RT Book Reviews
ALMOST HOME
“The characters seem like they could be a neighbor or friend . . . and it is because of that and Mariah Stewart’s writing that I keep returning again and again to this series.”
—Heroes and Heartbreakers
HOME FOR THE SUMMER
“If a book is by Mariah Stewart, it has a subliminal message of ‘wonderful’ stamped on every page.”
—Reader to Reader Reviews
AT THE RIVER’S EDGE
“If you love romance stories set in a small seaside village, much like Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove series, you will definitely want to grab [At the River’s Edge]. I easily give this one a five out of five stars.”
—Reviews from the Heart
ON SUNSET BEACH
“Mariah Stewart’s rich characterization, charming setting, and a romance you’ll never forget will have you packing your bags for St. Dennis.”
—Robyn Carr, New York Times bestselling author
THAT CHESAPEAKE SUMMER
“Deftly uses the tools of the genre to explore issues of identity, truth, and small-town kinship. Stewart offers a strong statement on the power of love and trust, a fitting theme for this bighearted small-town romance.”
—Publishers Weekly
DUNE DRIVE
“Rich with local history, familiar characters (practical, fierce, and often clairvoyant centenarian Ruby is a standout), and the slow-paced, down-home flavor of the bay, Stewart’s latest is certain to please fans and add new ones.”
—Library Journal
~ The Enright Series ~
DEVLIN’S LIGHT
“With her special brand of rich emotional content and compelling drama . . . Stewart is certain to delight readers everywhere.”
—RT Book Reviews
OTHER TITLES BY MARIAH STEWART
The Hudson Sisters Series (Women’s Fiction)
The Last Chance Matinee
The Sugarhouse Blues
The Goodbye Café
The Chesapeake Diaries Series (Women’s Fiction / Contemporary Romance)
Coming Home
Home Again
Almost Home
Hometown Girl
Home for the Summer
The Long Way Home
At the River’s Edge
On Sunset Beach
That Chesapeake Summer
Driftwood Point
The Chesapeake Bride
Dune Drive
The Mercy Street Series (Suspense)
Mercy Street
Cry Mercy
Acts of Mercy
The FBI Series (Romantic Suspense)
Brown-Eyed Girl
Voices Carry
Until Dark
Dead Wrong
Dead Certain
Dead Even
Dead End
Cold Truth
Hard Truth
Dark Truth
Final Truth
Last Look
Last Words
Last Breath
Forgotten
The Enright Series (Contemporary Romance)
Devlin’s Light
Wonderful You
Moon Dance
Stand-Alone Titles (Women’s Fiction / Contemporary Romance)
Moments in Time
A Different Light
Carolina Mist
Priceless
The President’s Daughter (Romantic Suspense)
Novellas
“Finn’s Legacy” (in Brandywine Brides)
“If Only in My Dreams” (in Upon a Midnight Clear)
“Swept Away” (in Under the Boardwalk)
“’Til Death Do Us Part” (in Wait Until Dark)
Short Stories
“Justice Served” (in Thriller 2: Stories You Just Can’t Put Down)
“Without Mercy” (in Thriller 3: Love Is Murder)
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Text copyright © 2021 by Marti Robb
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Published by Montlake, Seattle
www.apub.com
Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Montlake are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.
ISBN-13: 9781542025362
ISBN-10: 1542025362
Cover design by Caroline Teagle Johnson
For Charlotte Campbell Jones—welcome to the family!
CONTENTS
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love.
In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile.
In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm.
I realized, through it all, that . . .
In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.
—Albert Camus
Prologue
Hi, all!
Hope this finds you all well (fat and happy for some of us!). Can you believe our FORTIETH HIGH SCHOOL REUNION is only ONE WEEK away? This is the last call! If you haven’t already sent in your reservation, do it NOW. Dear friends, how could so many years have passed since we left the halls of Mid-Coast Regional High? I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel a day over eighteen! Okay, maybe a day or two, but I know I’m still a kid at heart. I’m betting you are, too.
Your reunion committee has been working hard to make this the absolute best weekend EVER. Rooms have been set aside at several local B&Bs (see attached list) but they’re going quickly, so unless you’re local or have family still in the area, I urge you to pick one and call as soon as possible to make your reservation.
Of course we’ve planned a full slate of activities, from the reception on Friday night to the homecoming football game at our alma mater on Saturday. If football’s not your thing, there’s a golf outing (email me if you’re planning on golfing—we need to let the country club know how many to expect), a tour of the new(ish) art center, and a luncheon at Wyndham Beach’s newest (and some say best!) eatery (I need to make reservations, so let me know if you want to attend). And of course there’s the dinner on Saturday night. We’ve hired a DJ and given him the appropriate playlist. Long live the seventies!
Hope to see you all next week! It won’t be the same without you.
Lydia Hess Bryant, Reunion Chair
Mid-Coast Regional Class of 1980
PS: I’ve attached a class list noting the friends we’ve lost over the years, may they rest in peace.
Chapter One
MAGGIE
From her window seat, Maggie Flynn watched the T. F. Green Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island, come into view through the parted clouds. She’d been looking forward to this weekend since she received the invitation to her high school class reunion. She’d immediately called her two oldest friends to make plans. Best friends since childhood, Liddy Bryant and Emma Dean had returned to their hometown, Wyndham Beach, after college, married local men, and stayed to raise their families while Maggie had moved on. But forty years! Maggie couldn’t wrap her head around the fact so much time had passed since they’d graduated.
She slipped off her headphones, through which the soundtrack from her favorite movie, Saturday Night Fever, had been playing for the entire flight. Maggie firmly believed a trip back to the seventies had to begin and end with the Bee Gees. She placed the headphones in her bag, fastened her safety belt, and watched the runway come into view.
After the plane landed, she grabbed her luggage, picked up her rental car, and soon was behind the wheel of a midsize sedan, eagerly heading toward Providence, where she’d pick up Route 6 before swinging into Massachusetts. Happily singing along at the top of her voice—“Stayin’ Alive”—she drove the once-familiar highway that would take her past places that had been part of her life decades ago. Fall River, home of some of the best seafood on the planet and the flavors of Portugal, Cape Verde, and the Azores. Kayaking and hiking through Slocum’s River Reserve in Dartmouth with Brett, breathing in the salt air, watching for fledgling ospreys, back in the day when they were young and in love and so sure about their future together—before things became so complicated. New Bedford, once the world’s greatest whaling port and a major station on the Underground Railroad. Buying freshly caught lobster right off the boat in Fairhaven, her mother waiting at home to toss them into a steaming pot of water. Mattapoisett with its beautiful sandy beaches and Neds Point Lighthouse. The boat ramp from which her grandfather, Harvey Wakefield, used to launch his boat, In My Wake, and Shining Tides Beach, where many a summer day he’d taken Maggie and her sister, Sarah, crabbing and digging for quahogs. It all seemed so long ago—Well, it was, she reminded herself—yet the memories were as clear as yesterday. Funny how sometimes time and memory fed off each other, how some years flashed by in a hazy fast-forward blur, while others passed with such clarity, in slow motion and excruciatingly detailed.
For Maggie, the past two years had been painful and difficult and had left her feeling and looking wan and tired. She’d admittedly looked so bad that it had been months before she could recognize herself in the mirror. Being the primary caretaker for a terminally ill loved one would do that to a person.
Not that Maggie had complained. She’d devoted every waking hour to her late husband’s care, and it had broken her heart to watch Art deteriorate so rapidly. He’d gone from a vibrant, active, intellectually sharp man of barely sixty to little more than a shell in a short time. When Art first shared the terrible, totally unexpected diagnosis, Maggie had vowed to be there for him every step of the way, through every day of the treatment they all hoped would defy the odds. She’d been true to her word, not leaving the house except to take him to his doctors’ appointments and to drive him into Philadelphia for treatment. Despite offers from their daughters to stay with him while Maggie went . . . well, anywhere, to lunch with a friend or to the hairdresser, Maggie’d refused. Throughout thirty-two years of marriage, Art had taken care of his wife and daughters. Now it was Maggie’s turn to take care of him. And she did, around the clock.
Her only focus had been Art and his care. She’d been too tired to realize the toll his illness had taken on her.
The day she’d really seen herself for the first time since the cursed day they’d gotten the bad news—five to seven months, the doctors had told them, and they’d been sadly and accurately prophetic—Maggie’d stared at her reflection, barely recognizing the woman who stared back. She’d been walking to the bakery to pick up a birthday cake for her granddaughter—the first real family celebration since Art’s passing—when she’d paused to look at the window display. She’d been so shocked at her appearance she was embarrassed to go inside and identify herself as Maggie Flynn.
“Why didn’t you say something?” she demanded of her daughters that night. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Mom, we tried,” Natalie, twenty-nine, the younger of Maggie’s two daughters and mother of three-year-old Daisy, pointed out. “You didn’t want to hear it. Remember when Grace and I offered to take you for a spa day?”
“Vaguely,” Maggie admitted.
“We’d thought about tying you up and forcing you into the car, but we didn’t want to alarm the neighbors,” her thirty-two-year-old daughter Grace said. “You know how Mrs. Crenshaw next door is always looking out the window.”
Natalie turned to her sister. “Maybe next time we should do that.”
“I like it.” Grace nodded solemnly.
“There isn’t going to be a next time.” Maggie’s jaw set as she reached for her phone and scrolled through the preset numbers until she found the one she was looking for.
“Who are you calling?” asked Grace.
“My hairdresser,” Maggie told them. “And tomorrow I’m going back to yoga and I’m renewing my membership at the gym.” She paused, waiting for the call to be answered, inspecting her chewed and ragged nails. “Yes, hello. It’s Maggie Flynn. When’s the earliest I can see Kim? And can I get an appointment for my nails on the same day?”
It took more than an appointment with her hairdresser before Maggie felt like herself again, but even the smallest steps brought her back to the woman she used to be. Maggie harbored no illusions she’d look eighteen again—not that she’d want to, eighteen had been the worst year of her life—but she knew she could look good.
Good was an achievable goal.
Forty-five minutes after leaving the airport, the sign for the first of two turns into Wyndham Beach loomed straight ahead on the right. The first led directly to Liddy’s, where she’d been invited to spend the long weekend. The second turn would take her past the harbor and eventually to her childhood home. She hesitated as she approached the first road before opting for the second.
She opened all the car windows and took deep breaths of sea air as she crept along Front Street, noting changes that had taken place since her last visit shortly before Art became ill. Since then, she’d hardly felt like going anywhere, but her fortieth reunion was too important to miss. Off to her left, the exclusive two-hundred-year-old all-boys private school, with its three-story, unexplainably Tudor-style buildings in this town where almost everything was built of clapboard or weathered cedar shakes, wrapped around the harbor like a tight hug. Through a break between buildings, she could see the Jasper V, the school-owned schooner, its sails folded at rest, moored at the same slip the Jaspers I through IV had called home. The boat rose and fell as the wake of a passing boat rolled toward the shore.
In the center of town, the Wyndham Beach General Store stood on the corner of Front and Church, and Maggie knew once inside everything would be just as she remembered. The bakery with its long glass shelves lined the right side of the building, the butcher shop ran straight across the back. The left side held refrigerated cases of dairy and frozen foods, and all other grocery items would be found on the aisles in between. The gift shops, the boutiques, the candy shop, the bookstore, all looked the same. There was one new restaurant—Mimi’s—three blocks from Harbor House, which had been in business forever. Around the corner from the general store was a new coffee shop, Ground Me, which Liddy said had fabulous coffee and pastries. The pizzeria was still in the same place it had occupied when she was in high school, between the liquor store and a Realtor’s office. The sign on the lawn of the tall-spired, white nondenominational church still read ALL WELCOME. A new sign hung over the door of Dusty’s Pub, the only true watering hole in town. Otherwise, Wyndham Beach looked pretty much the same.
An Invincible Summer (Wyndham Beach) Page 1
