The rest of it was a blur. Vows were spoken, rings were exchanged, and Frank pronounced them husband and wife. Ned hugged her and kissed her—probably longer and deeper than was technically appropriate, but who the hell cared? Francine, his Francine, was finally his wife, and it was all because their kids had loved them enough to do this for them.

Standing hand in hand with his new wife, surrounded by the family he’d always wanted, Ned Saunders considered himself the luckiest man on earth.

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgments

It takes a village to bring a book to market, and I’m so very lucky to be surrounded by a wonderful group of helpers. First and foremost on “Jack’s” Team, my right-hand wing woman Julie Cupp, who runs the whole show so I can write. I have no idea how I ever did this without her. Thank you, Julie, my major domo! And to Holly Sullivan, who reads every word before anyone else does, I love you and I love working with you! My niece, Isabel Sullivan, helps me with EVERYTHING and brings her adorable “business associate,” aka my grandniece Harper, over for regular visits that brighten my days. Isabel has also become a faithful reader of mine in the last few months, which makes me so happy. Love you, Bean!

Thank you to my one of my favorite BFFs, Lisa Cafferty, CPA, who has saved the day for me in every possible way since she joined our team in November. I am so relieved to have her expertise and sharp eye on the business side of the house every day. Nikki Colquhoun (Julie’s BFF) takes on every task we throw her way with endless wit. I so appreciate her contributions. Another of my longtime BFFs, Cheryl Serra, has joined the team as our director of publicity. She’s AWESOME and full of energy and good ideas—thank you, Cher!

Linda Ingmanson, copy editor in chief, drops everything for me any time I need her, and I so appreciate her sharp eye and her sense of humor. It’s so fun to work with you, Linda, and I’m grateful for your contributions. Joyce Lamb is the last set of eyes on many of my books these days, and she is also terrific to work with. Kristina Brinton is the brilliant graphic designer who creates most of my self-published book covers, including Gansett After Dark as well as the three new covers we just did for Maid for Love, Fool for Love and Ready for Love. With that update, all the Gansett Island book covers are now Kristina’s, and I’m truly thankful for her amazing work. My beta readers, Anne Woodall, Ronlyn Howe and Kara Conrad, are always happy to read for me, and I appreciate their contributions.