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Back The Summer Cottage
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

“Guilty,” she says. “Not truly understanding or sympathetic with all you’re going through. This is a lot of change in your life, Adie Lou. This is a lot of stress.” She stops. “I don’t think I could handle everything you’re dealing with. I’m too used to my life the way it is.”

“Thank you,” I say, “but I don’t feel like I’m handling things very well.”

“You are,” Trish says, her voice filled with pride. “You’re going to pull this off, you know. Your inn is going to be a huge success. I can feel it. Do you know what you’re going to name it yet? Or are you going to be like those new age parents who need to see their baby born first before they can put a name to its being.”

I pull out my phone. “Hold on,” I say, as I watch the site on my phone fail to load. “One bar.” I take a sip of wine as the page finally loads. “Voilà!”

I hold out my cell, which features a template of what will eventually be the home page for my inn.

“‘The Summer Cottage,’” Trish reads. “‘Where the Only Rule Is to Leave Your Troubles at the Door.’” She looks at me, a huge smile on her face. “This is beautiful. It’s so...you.”

“Every room is going to be themed around one of my family’s summer cottage rules,” I say excitedly, my voice rising, before launching into my ideas about women’s empowerment weekends.

“I think you’re onto something, Adie Lou,” Trish says, her voice matching my excitement. “I mean, I know your inn will be gorgeous, and you’ll make it warm and inviting, but I meet so many women who have given their whole lives—their entire hearts and souls—to others, from husbands and jobs to raising children and caring for aging parents. And too many end up at our age without ever really knowing who we are or what makes us happy. Society too often treats mature women as though we have an expiration date. I see so many of my clients end up in therapy to try and deal with an end result they often didn’t create, and they seek help because they feel as if they’re wrong.” Trish takes a sip of wine, her eyes darting around the bar. “But what they really need is empowerment. What they need is a sense of self. What they need is nurturing. What they need is hope.”

My heart races with her words of encouragement.

“What if I were to recommend clients who might need a week of empowerment? And asked some of my attorney friends to do the same?” Trish asks in a rush.

“Isn’t that a conflict of interest?”