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Back The Summer Cottage Save as PDF
Chapters (75)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover Text
  3. Praise
  4. Booklist
  5. About the Author
  6. Dedication
  7. Quote
  8. Prologue
  9. Part One
  10. ONE
  11. TWO
  12. THREE
  13. Part Two
  14. FOUR
  15. FIVE
  16. SIX
  17. Part Three
  18. SEVEN
  19. EIGHT
  20. NINE
  21. TEN
  22. Part Four
  23. ELEVEN
  24. TWELVE
  25. THIRTEEN
  26. Part Five
  27. FOURTEEN
  28. FIFTEEN
  29. SIXTEEN
  30. SEVENTEEN
  31. Part Six
  32. EIGHTEEN
  33. NINETEEN
  34. TWENTY
  35. TWENTY-ONE
  36. Part Seven
  37. TWENTY-TWO
  38. TWENTY-THREE
  39. TWENTY-FOUR
  40. TWENTY-FIVE
  41. Part Eight
  42. TWENTY-SIX
  43. TWENTY-SEVEN
  44. TWENTY-EIGHT
  45. TWENTY-NINE
  46. Part Nine
  47. THIRTY
  48. THIRTY-ONE
  49. THIRTY-TWO
  50. THIRTY-THREE
  51. THIRTY-FOUR
  52. Part Ten
  53. THIRTY-FIVE
  54. THIRTY-SIX
  55. THIRTY-SEVEN
  56. THIRTY-EIGHT
  57. Part Eleven
  58. THIRTY-NINE
  59. FORTY
  60. FORTY-ONE
  61. Part Twelve
  62. FORTY-TWO
  63. FORTY-THREE
  64. FORTY-FOUR
  65. Part Thirteen
  66. FORTY-FIVE
  67. FORTY-SIX
  68. FORTY-SEVEN
  69. EPILOGUE
  70. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  71. AUTHOR NOTE
  72. Reader’s Guide
  73. Questions for Discussion
  74. The Heirloom Garden
  75. Abby

“Sounds romantic,” I say. Scooter laughs as a fireman gives a thumbs-up and yells, “All okay!”

I will myself not to cry by petting Sonny. Trish stands behind Scooter and catches my eye. Who’s this? she mouths. So cute!

Scooter turns as if he can hear her. “Hi,” he says. “Scott Stevens. Although Adie Lou calls me Scooter.”

“Hi, I’m Trish, Adie Lou’s dearest friend who’s never mentioned you to me her entire life,” she says. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Scooter nods. “It’s nice to meet you, too,” he says, turning back to me. “If you need any extra help here, Adie Lou, let me know. I’d be happy to lend a hand.”

“Thank you,” I say. “I’m doing okay right now.”

“Really?” Trish asks loudly, motioning to the chaos around her with both arms.

“Well, I’m around,” Scooter says. “And I’ll let you know after I take a look at your boat.”

“Thanks,” I say, “for everything.”

“Bye, Adie Lou,” Scooter says. “Bye, Trish.”

After the fire department is gone and Frank returns to the fish house, Trish and I grab the remaining luggage and then clean up the fireplace. We look up at each other and burst into laughter. “You look just like Mary Poppins!” we say at the same time. Trish takes a seat on the floor, already looking exhausted, light-years away from the way she appeared just a couple of hours ago. I know she now understands all I’ve been going through.

“Aren’t you glad you came?” I ask.

Trish says, “Yes,” while shaking her head no.

“Is it too early for lunch?” I ask.

“Yes, but it’s not too early for a drink,” Trish replies. “Is there a place around here?”

“It may be winter, but it’s still a resort town,” I say, “which means there’s always an open bar somewhere.”

We wash our faces, put on some makeup and change. I wear a pretty turtleneck, jeans and a pink leather jacket Trish bought for me. I put an exhausted Sonny in his crate in the bedroom, and he falls immediately asleep after a morning of unexpected excitement.

Trish stops to grab her coat on the way out the door and notices the Cottage Rules sign.

“I forgot about this,” she says. “Your parents used to make everyone say it before they could come in the cottage, right? They lit those sparklers. It was so cute.”

I smile.

Trish points her finger at Rule #5—Build a Bonfire—and cocks her head at me. “I think you already checked this one off the list for the day.”

FIFTEEN

“You ladies want another round?”

“Yes,” Trish and I respond at the same time, before bursting into laughter.