Summer Island Book Club Excerpt

“Why, Julie Boone, are you jealous?” Trevor teased.

“I’m only trying to warn you. Rhonda isn’t the right person for you. She’s not a kind person. A few years ago, convinced Trace’s dad that the city was going to pay him pennies for his land so they could build a road through to connect the main strip with the ocean. He almost sold the property to Rhonda because she’d convinced him that she didn’t want to see him leave Trace with no inheritance.”

“What happened?” Trevor asked.

Julie smiled. “The town found out and put a stop to it. There are good people here. I want you to meet them, not fall into some black widow’s web, especially after what you’ve been through.”

“What I’ve been through?” he asked, wondering how much Dustin had told Wind, who’d obviously shared with the rest of the women.

She sighed. “You’re divorced. I know it had to be hard. Wind looked you up on the internet and told me that your ex was a difficult woman to deal with.”

“I told you, my grief is nothing compared to what you’ve been through.”

Julie stepped closer and took the bag from his hands. “And I told you, don’t compare our levels of grief. Pain hurts. It doesn’t matter if it’s a cut to the wrists…” She dropped the bag next to the box of cards and lifted his arms to trace the scratches Houdini had left on his skin. Her touch sent shock waves through him. “…or a gunshot wound to the heart.” She put her palm to his chest, stealing the breath from his lungs. “It all hurts at different times in different ways. You have as much of a right to be lost or confused or upset as I do.”

In that moment, he knew Julie was unlike any other woman he’d ever met. “Thank you for that.”

“Let’s finish up here, and then I want to take you to someplace special where we can talk without all the town watching.” She hooked one finger around his hand and tugged him toward the next stop on their Summer Island tour.

Julie was the kindest, most honest, fun, easy to talk to, and beautiful woman he’d ever met. Not to mention, the way one finger dusting his skin made his entire body quake, one smile brightened his day, and the thought of one kiss hooking him didn’t scare him. One kiss from Julie wouldn’t destroy him but would heal every wound—wrists, heart, and soul.