As tulips bloom and the sun warms the air, the Bluestar ferry delivers a special visitor to the island whose search for the past leads her directly in the path of her future.

With Spring Fling the next event on Bluestar’s busy calendar, the residents decide to use it to play another round of matchmaking. Elaine “Lainey” Devereaux is led to the island by a cryptic entry in her late mother’s journal. With the weight of grief driving Lainey onward, she searches for a long-buried secret, but before she can uncover the truth, there’s a tragic accident.

Graphic artist Jack Turner is on top of the world as he anticipates a big promotion and a move to the Big Apple. He’s minding his own business when the most beautiful woman rushes into the roadway, right in front of his cart. With no time to stop, the collision leaves both of them stunned. As circumstances conspire to draw them together, they soon find themselves helping each other to come to terms with the past while exploring an unexpected love.

Includes a recipe for Elegant Whoopie Pies!

Read an Excerpt

The late morning sunshine bounced off the surge of water, twinkling like a million diamonds scattered across the ocean. In that moment, Lainey felt the tension in her neck and shoulders ease. Even if this voyage was yet one more dead end on her extensive journey, it looked like a great place to spend the next couple of days. Perhaps it could be the focus of a new article for a magazine that had started to buy her travel spotlights.

She lowered the camera as Bluestar came into full view. As she once again adjusted her handbag on her shoulder, she continued to stare at the island. She didn’t know what she’d been expecting but the island appeared to be quite large. Her research on the internet indicated the population was approximately ninety-five hundred full-time residents.

Overhead, the seagulls spread their wings wide as they coasted through the sky. They made it look so effortless and relaxing. She snapped their photo. The birds squawked as though welcoming her to the island.

The ferry slowed down as they entered the harbor. She noticed a big white sign with black and red print: No wake zone. 5 mph speed limit. They weren’t the only ones to slow down. Speed boats and fishing boats also moved slowly across the water.

They were so close to docking now. Anticipation pulsed through her body. This past seven months she’d taken a leave of absence from her position as a corporate attorney within her father’s business in order to follow in her mother’s footsteps as laid out in her journal. Lainey had visited dozens of cities throughout the States from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Sante Fe, New Mexico, and onward to the Pacific Coast. She’d ended up making an entire loop around the continental United States.

She’d wanted to document her travels and so she’d started a blog. In the beginning, it’d just been for herself, but as she’d shared the posts on her social media, she’d quickly gained a following.

The amazing journey had been like a last gift from her mother. Of course, some of the places she had to guess at because her mother had used her shorthand for names and abbreviated them with initials. The mysterious initials only added to the adventure.

In the end, she’d had so much information for her travel blog that she was ahead of schedule by two months. It felt good to know that she had that many saved-up articles. And to her surprise, the traffic to her website was multiplying each month.

With the website being monetized, it meant she had a small but steady stream of income. It was modest compared to what she’d been earning as an attorney at the family business, but between the income and her savings, she’d been able to fund this journey. Through it all, she still had one question: Why had her mother ventured on this trip? What was she searching for? And what had she found?

Okay. So, maybe that was three questions instead of one. But she still hadn’t learned about any secret. What was it? She wouldn’t rest until she learned what was so important to her mother that it was her last words.

The Starfish Harbor came into view with its many piers. It was quite large with a lot of fishing boats in many different colors with their decks covered by nets and winches. Her gaze moved to the impressive sailboats with their masts climbing high into the blue sky.

She instinctively reached for the camera. She raised her shoulder to keep her heavy handbag from slipping down her arm. It wasn’t comfortable, but she’d learned to cope with it.

Focus, adjust, and snap. It was like when she was behind a camera, she could see the world more clearly. As she focused on her surroundings, her thoughts were no longer centered around the loss of her mother or the nagging questions her father refused to answer.

As the ferry docked, she lowered her camera. She stared out at the busy harbor. People were rushing about. Fishermen, tourists, and locals were all in a hurry.

She grabbed her blue suitcase with a collection of stickers from the places she’d visited. She rolled it over to the line of passengers waiting to get off the ferry.

“Is this your first time to Bluestar?” An older woman with short snow-white hair sent her a warm smile.

Lainey took in the warmth in the woman’s eyes and couldn’t help but smile back. “Yes, it is. Do you live here?”

“I do. You’ll love it here. My name’s Birdie Neill.” The woman looked expectantly at her.

Lainey had really hoped to keep her visit to the island quiet. Her father was powerful and newsworthy more often than not. She didn’t doubt that he had contacts all over the place. It only took one person to recognize her name and connect it back to her headline-making father. If that happened, it would ruin her chance to quietly explore this island. Any chance she had to figure out what her mother meant to say would be snatched away when her father interfered.

Lainey could still feel the woman’s curious gaze on her. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Lainey.” She paused. What surname was she supposed to use? Certainly not Devereaux. She didn’t want to be associated with her father and his business empire.

“Lainey Dell.” It was her pen name.

“Well, Lainey Dell, do you have a place to stay on the island?”

Lainey shook her head. Not want to reveal too much about herself, she said, “I’m not sure I’m going to stay that long.” When Birdie’s gaze moved to her suitcase, Lainey said, “I’m touring New England. I saw a flyer about this place and thought I’d visit.”

Birdie nodded in understanding. “You’ll love it here. I came here many years ago for a visit, and my heart never left this island.”

“I’m not thinking about moving.”

“Neither was I at the time, but I fell in love with my husband as well as this island. And I’ve been happy here. If you give this island a chance, it can present you with your heart’s true desire.”

Lainey struggled not to keep her mouth from hanging open. It was almost as though Birdie had read her mind. But that wasn’t possible, and she didn’t believe in magic or whatever. Birdie was merely boasting about her home. That was all.

As Lainey observed the happiness that showed in the woman’s eyes, she bit back her words of disagreement. Instead, she decided to ignore Birdie’s last words. “You should be a spokesperson for the island. You make it sound like paradise.”

A little color filled the woman’s cheeks. “No one needs to hear me go on about the island’s attributes when they can find out for themselves, just like you’re about to do.”

Lainey smiled at the woman, certain that if she were to live on the island that they would be fast friends. “I’m really looking forward to exploring this place.”