And judging from the amount of time Bea and Angus had been spending together since the night of the auction, Emma was not convinced Bea was actually leaving for good. It seemed Sag Harbor had captured a bit of Bea’s affection, just as it had long ago won over her old friend Henry Wyatt.
Bea hovered near the luggage hatch, checking that her bags were securely inside.
“It’s fine, Bea,” Angus told her.
“I do not share your confidence, but I’ll have to take your word for it,” she said, taking the first step onto the bus. She turned, looking at Emma. “My dear, don’t fret. As you can see by my willingness to endure this entirely uncivilized mode of transportation, I am in full caretaker mode.”
Emma smiled tearfully. “Bea, you always get the job done right. I have faith in you.”
The Hampton Jitney attendant closed the luggage hatch on the bottom of the bus, and the engine rumbled. Emma wiped her eyes, trying to pull herself together for Penny’s sake. Kyle kissed the top of her head and tightened his arm around her.
The bus pulled away from the curb. Penny’s smiling face appeared in one of the front windows.
I love you, Emma mouthed, waving to her daughter.
She waved and waved, long after the bus and Penny had disappeared from view. Only then did she turn away, cross Sag Harbor’s Main Street, and walk back through the wide-open door of The American Hotel.
Acknowledgments
To my agent, Adam Chromy: You never fail to see the best possible version of the story—even when it eludes me. To my editor, Judy Clain: Just when I think I’ve taken the book as far as I can go, you take me further. I am grateful to have such a hardworking and dedicated team behind me at Little, Brown; thank you to Reagan Arthur, Craig Young, Alexandra Hoopes, my publicist Maggie Southard Gladstone, Shannon Hennessey, Ashley Marudas, Lauren Passell, Jayne Yaffe Kemp, and Tracy Roe.
Thank you to the people and institutions of Sag Harbor, especially those who helped me with my research in writing this book, including Jean Held of the Sag Harbor Historical Society; Catherine Creedon and Susan Mullin of the John Jermain Memorial Library; Captain Ken Deeg of Sag Harbor Launch Service and Mooring Rentals; Captain Cameron McLellon of Heron Yacht Charters. A big thanks to Ted Conklin, owner of The American Hotel, and to the wonderful people who work there. A special thank you to Jack Youngs, who met with me on a frigid December day to share his remarkable family story. Any errors in detail about The American Hotel, past or present, are entirely my own. For anyone interested in an in-depth look at Sag Harbor’s rich history, I recommend the book Sag Harbor: The Story of an American Beauty by Dorothy Ingersoll Zaykowski.
Thank you to Dr. Ariz Rojas of the OCD and anxiety clinic at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. A special thanks to Mikala Hanson, PsyM, BCBA.
To my two daughters, Bronwen and Georgia Brenner: It’s not easy, girls, but we’re doing it.
Finally, thank you to my husband, who leads me on the adventures that give me something to write about in the first place. If he had not suggested a spontaneous weekend getaway to The American Hotel, this book would not exist.
About the Author
Jamie Brenner’s previous novels include The Husband Hour, The Forever Summer, and The Wedding Sisters. She lives in New York City and spends her summers visiting the beach towns that inspire her books.
Also by Jamie Brenner
The Husband Hour
The Forever Summer
The Wedding Sisters
Thank you for buying this ebook, published by Hachette Digital.
To receive special offers, bonus content, and news about our latest ebooks and apps, sign up for our newsletters.
Sign Up
Or visit us at hachettebookgroup.com/newsletters
Drawing Home Page 33