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Contents ( 66)
  1. Cover
  2. Books by Valerie Fraser Luesse
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. Dedication
  6. Contents
  7. Map of Florida
  8. one
  9. two
  10. three
  11. four
  12. five
  13. six
  14. seven
  15. eight
  16. nine
  17. ten
  18. eleven
  19. twelve
  20. thirteen
  21. fourteen
  22. fifteen
  23. sixteen
  24. seventeen
  25. eighteen
  26. nineteen
  27. twenty
  28. twenty-one
  29. twenty-two
  30. twenty-three
  31. twenty-four
  32. twenty-five
  33. twenty-six
  34. twenty-seven
  35. twenty-eight
  36. twenty-nine
  37. thirty
  38. thirty-one
  39. thirty-two
  40. thirty-three
  41. thirty-four
  42. thirty-five
  43. thirty-six
  44. thirty-seven
  45. thirty-eight
  46. thirty-nine
  47. forty
  48. forty-one
  49. forty-two
  50. forty-three
  51. forty-four
  52. forty-five
  53. forty-six
  54. forty-seven
  55. forty-eight
  56. forty-nine
  57. fifty
  58. fifty-one
  59. Epilogue
  60. Keep Reading for a Preview of Valerie Luesse’s Next Book!
  61. Prologue
  62. one
  63. Acknowledgments
  64. About the Author
  65. Back Ads
  66. Back Cover

There was nothing of Marshall left on the quilt now—nothing but the memory of what it had been like to sit here by the ocean with him as a starry-eyed teenage girl. Plenty of boys his age would’ve taken advantage of the situation, but not Marshall. Even as a boy, he was a hopeless romantic, holding her in his arms and giving her a kiss that she could still feel, ignited by youthful passion yet still gentle—protective even. It was her very first. From the beginning, Marshall didn’t so much look at her as into her, like he could see something even she didn’t realize was there. They had over twenty years together, and he’d never stopped looking at her like that. Twenty years when eighty wouldn’t have been enough, not nearly enough.

She looked out at the Atlantic, calm now and washed in the cool, dreamy colors of sunset. This was Marshall’s favorite time of day. It reminded Kate of the most spectacular sunset they’d ever seen together—on their honeymoon in Key West.

They had spent the morning getting married, twice—once at the courthouse and once at Aunt Gert’s church—and then Aunt Gert and Finn took them to a grand old restaurant downtown. That’s when Marshall announced that he and his bride would be leaving on their honeymoon right after lunch.

“You mean today?” Aunt Gert protested.

“Gert, girl, are you so old that you can’t remember why they’re in a hurry?” Finn said.

Marshall took Kate’s hand and kissed it. “I want you to see it. I want you to see Key West with me.”

She couldn’t believe it. “We’re going there together—today?”

“Yes. Today. As soon as you can pack.”

“I can pack fast.”

They hurried through lunch and raced back to the purple bungalow while Aunt Gert and Finn were still paying the check.

“What should I take?” Kate asked Marshall, who was sitting on the bed next to her open suitcase.

“Not much—you’ll want completely different clothes once we get down there. Key West is something you have to put on—wrap it around you.”

She laid her hand against her cheek and stared at him.

“You’re looking at me like I’m crazy,” he said.

She laughed and sat on his lap with her arms around his neck. “I don’t think you’re crazy. I just don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“You will,” he’d said, kissing the curve of her neck.

Kate felt a spray of sand hit her leg, bringing her back to the beach.

“’Scuse me, ma’am. I didn’t mean to kick sand on you.”

She looked up to see a boy about Peyton’s age standing over her. He was holding a fishing rod and a net. Kate blinked at him, sad to leave behind a memory where she was happy and come back to the present, where she was desolate.

“It’s ’bout to get dark, ma’am. You need any help?”

“No,” she said. “Guess I just lost track of time. But thank you.”