A twinge of anxiety settled in her belly as she hoped she wouldn’t have the problems with him she’d had with past lovers. For some reason, it seemed to matter so much more this time around. Despite her intention to be done forever with men, she was falling hard for Adam McCarthy.

After the visit with Laura and her family, Frank spent an hour with his son Shane, and then decided to walk the short distance from the Sand & Surf to his brother Mac’s house in North Harbor. The afternoon sun was warm on his face as he walked past Grace’s pharmacy and up the hill that led to Mac and Linda’s “White House.”

As he walked, he thought of the monumental news Laura and Owen had shared with him. Twins… It was hard to believe that his little girl would soon be the mother of three. But he’d never seen Laura as happy as she’d been since Owen had come into her life. If anyone deserved to be happy, it was his kids who’d lost their poor mother far too young and had known their share of struggles since then.

He’d done his best to be mother and father to them, and he hurt right along with them when things didn’t go their way. Now that Laura seemed happily settled, Frank hoped Shane would find his way before too much longer. His son was still far too withdrawn and quiet after the disaster with his ex-wife Courtney.

In his work as a superior court judge, he saw daily examples of the ravages of drug abuse. He’d never expected to see the same ravages in his own family. Shane had been blindsided to discover his wife had hidden a raging prescription drug addiction for most of the time they’d been together.

It had done Shane good to be here with his sister and cousins as well as his Aunt Linda and Uncle Mac, who’d played such a critical role in the lives of his kids when they were younger. Linda and Mac had opened their doors Laura and Shane every summer when they were young, and those weeks on Gansett with their cousins had done wonders for his kids.

The island seemed to be having the same impact this time around. Laura was happily settled, delighted with her job managing the Sand & Surf Hotel for Owen’s grandparents, who owned it. Shane seemed to enjoy working at the hotel and helping Mac and Luke with their construction business. At least he wasn’t sitting in a dark apartment letting life pass him by anymore. That was progress.

Frank approached his brother and sister-in-law’s home, noting the blooms in Linda’s famous rose garden as he let himself in through the gate of the white picket fence that surrounded the yard. He was almost to the porch when he saw a woman sitting on the top step.