Taylor and Adam burst through the front door, an ecstatic Biscuit running behind them. None of Mr. Solomon’s family wanted his little dog, and when I heard that she had been taken to the shelter, I couldn’t stand the thought. She had spent her entire life on this street. I would make sure she spent the rest of it here, too. It was my final mea culpa to Mr. Solomon, and I hoped that he would rest easily knowing that his best companion was royally taken care of.
Biscuit had been a terrific distraction for the boys, who didn’t understand, thank goodness, what was happening.
“Is Mommy still sick?” Adam asked, crawling up beside me. Taylor followed suit and scampered onto my lap, resting his head on my chest, that thumb popping right into his mouth.
I kissed the top of his head. “Mommy is still sick,” I said, trying to hold back tears.
“Will she still be sick tomorrow?” Adam asked.
I nodded. “Mommy might be sick for a while. But she’s going to get better,” I said. Then I whispered, “I know she will,” more for my benefit than for his.
“Mommy sick,” Taylor repeated.
“Taylor was sick one time,” Adam announced, and Taylor turned his head to look at his big brother with curiosity. “He threw up all over the car.”
Biscuit wiggled and squirmed, gathering all of her strength in her hind legs until she popped up onto the couch, covering Adam’s face with doggy kisses.
Adam burst into giggles, and Taylor followed suit.
You couldn’t help but join them, no matter how hard your heart felt. It was too much joy not to take part in. The moments that sneak up on you, the little surprises that keep you guessing, make life so worth exploring, even when the unthinkable happens.
I barely realized that hot, angry tears were flowing again.
Adam patted my arm. “It’s OK, Gwansley. I love you.”
Nothing is better than having one of the smallest loves of your life say that.
But the hardest thing about being a mother is the uncertainty. Not knowing. Not being able to fix it. As the breeze blew warm and I caught a whiff of salt, I realized that there were a whole lot of things that I didn’t know. But there were two that I did. One, I would love those girls with every cell in my body until my heart stopped beating. Two, as sure as one season is here, the next is right on its tail, about to arrive with a vengeance any day.
As I sat on the front porch, Adam under one arm, Taylor on my lap, I could feel it coming. With Sloane a heap of devastation in the upstairs bedroom and Adam God only knew where, our house felt as icy cold as the depths of winter. But, if you closed your eyes and listened, you could almost hear it. No matter how bad things seemed right now, it wouldn’t be long until a gentle breeze carried in the sweet serenade of summer.
THIRTY-SIX
from here to eternity
caroline
The day Adam went missing was the night James made an offer on the house on the corner. I saw something in my sister’s face that morning when she got the news. It wasn’t only a look of distress, one of sadness and anger and horror over losing her husband. It was also one of simply wanting her life back. She wanted to get out of bed the next morning and have life go back to normal, have Adam come home. Maybe she’d make some waffles, maybe little Adam would whack Taylor with a toy, and he’d have to go to timeout. But that was OK. Because that was normal life, and it was wonderful.
When I saw that look on her face, it was one I knew, because I wanted the same thing. I wanted, more than anything, for my life to go back to normal. The only difference was that mine could. My life could go back to normal. It would take time and work and an unimaginable amount of pain, but I could rip up the papers, forgive my husband, who I truly believed was sorry, quit worrying about what people I didn’t even care about were going to say, and try to go back to normal. Just normal. Not perfect, not wonderful, not June Cleaver. Just normal.
I had been planning to tell James it was over that day. I was firm. I had decided. In Peachtree Bluff, everything seemed a little suspended in time, reality was lost. But I knew that I couldn’t bear to be the laughingstock of New York. I was going to ask Mom about the money again. If I had something to fall back on, I knew I wouldn’t have been quite as worried. It was part of the reason I drank so much the night before, part of the reason I worked out so hard the next morning anyway. I was moving on. And it was scary as hell. But as we all know, life changes in an instant. Mine is no exception.
When I called James to tell him what had happened, he rushed over, of course. I told him that I was going to sleep with Sloane that night and asked if he could stay with the kids. He nodded. He understood. And when I handed him the papers back, he understood that, too.
“Vivi, Preston and I are going to stay here a little longer,” I said. “I need more time. I’m not positive we can fix it. I’m not sure about anything.” I bit my lip. “But I’m willing to stay in the ring and fight.”
He smiled and hugged me. “I can’t go back to New York without the three of you, Caroline. I can’t bear it. Would it be OK if I got a place here?”
I nodded and smiled. “Sure.” I thought about telling James about the house next door, but I saved that for Jack. I wanted it, sure. But I wanted my mom to have it more. I believed that she was in love with Jack. She deserved the chance to realize it herself. So, instead, I said, “There’s a beautiful house for sale down the street. And I know a great decorator.”
We both laughed. It felt good.
“I just want to be us again,” I said, my voice breaking so quickly after the laughter that it shocked me. But this is the nature of healing, I believe. It is the part that I hate the very most, but you have to feel it all before you can move on.
He nodded, tears filling his eyes. “Me, too. I’m so sorry I hurt us.”
I couldn’t promise that I wouldn’t bring it up from time to time, that I wouldn’t occasionally punish him in my own way, that I wouldn’t be bitchy or tired or short-tempered. But I knew that one day, my daughter would look back and understand that I had fought for our family. That we all had, really. And my son . . . Well, frankly, I hoped my son would never know.
As the years went on, as life eventually returned to some semblance of normalcy, I would even come to grasp, in part, why James had done what he had done. I would begin to view it as something that couples go through sometimes. It was just that mine was going to be available on Netflix from here to eternity.
My friends, who had sworn to kill James, make his life a living hell, get him kicked out of society as he knew it, last name be damned, wouldn’t understand why I made the decision I made. They wouldn’t get why I would be so weak.
But lying in bed beside Sloane that night, Emerson on her other arm, the three of us softly breathing but none of us asleep, I knew that didn’t matter. I took Sloane’s hand and squeezed it. She squeezed back. And I knew that there were some things in life, quite a few of them, in fact, that only a sister could understand.
acknowledgments
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Being an author is one of those dreams that you can’t make come true by yourself. So many people played an integral part in bringing this book to life, and I am grateful to each of you, named here and unnamed, every day.
Lauren McKenna and Elana Cohen, I knew from the first minute we talked that we spoke the same language. I have loved every minute of working with you two. Thank you both for your insight and your vision not only for Slightly South of Simple, but for my career. Thank you for your advice and your peerless editing. I am already a better writer because of you, and I can’t wait to do this all over again.
To everyone at Gallery Books, especially Louise Burke, Jen Bergstrom, and Kristin Dwyer: You are the dream team. No doubt about it. I can’t express how thrilled I am to be a small part of the amazing things you do.
My fairy book mother, Kathie Bennett, there are really no words to thank you. You are a champion, a friend, and a defender of all that is good in the book wor
ld. I am so lucky to have you in my life! Susan Zerenda, thank you, thank you, for your tireless effort, beautiful writing, and, maybe most important of all, incredible organization.
Sabina Hitchen, you are like a big handful of glitter mixed with genius. Thanks for your tireless work and fantastic ideas.
Bob Diforio, can you believe this is our third book together? Time flies. Thanks for taking a chance on me and for believing in me always.
Elizabeth Fletcher, you are one of those unique people who is wonderful at the big picture and the small details. I can’t wait to see your vision come to life.
Thanks to everyone who opened their homes to the Slightly South of Simple book tour. What a gift! You are, quite simply, amazing!
To my husband, Will, who has tirelessly supported my chasing of this dream: You are always the hero I write.
Tamara Welch, you are a true jewel and I couldn’t do this without you! Andrea Katz, your unflagging support has meant the world to me. Thank you for sharing your expertise. Kristy Barrett (Sweet Bee!), Jennifer O’Regan, Jim Himes, Susan Walters Peterson, Courtney Marzilli, Susan Roberts, Jenny Collins Belk, Kristin Thorvaldsen, Judy Collins, Donna Cimorelli, Kathy Murphy, Nicole McManus, Jill Hendrix, Wanda Jewell, and Shari Smith, you have been champions for me since the day I announced my first book deal and have helped me believe in myself. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Thanks to my Design Chic readers for being so amazing every day and for embracing my books as much as the blog. To my blogger friends who have been here for me and helped me every step of the way, it is because of you that my books are out in the world and that people know to read them. I am in awe of all you do and so grateful for your help.
Mary Alice Monroe, my “big sister,” thank you for your guidance, your advice, your generosity, and your huge heart. How blessed I am to know you!
Elin Hilderbrand, there aren’t enough “thank yous” for your incredible endorsement of my work. You are such an inspiration!
And, of course, my Tall Poppy Writers—you have taught me everything about this business and always have my back. I love being on this journey with each of you.
Special thanks to all the booksellers who have adopted my book babies as their own. Thank you for recommending me to your readers and for fighting to keep our industry strong. You are incredible, and I am honored to work with you.
Donna and Jerry Henderson, thank you for letting me do what I love, for being the home away from home for my son. You are our family, and we couldn’t do this without you.
Thank you to my parents, Beth and Paul Woodson, who have stepped up in every imaginable way to help me do what I love—and for raising me to believe that I could do anything.
Thank you to my mother-in-law, Dottie Harvey, for spending hours on the phone with me dreaming and plotting out every detail of this entire series so that I could pitch it. I love your stories and am so appreciative of how much you love mine!
My son, Will, you will always be the very best thing I will ever do with my life. Thank you for being the best little traveler when you go with me, and saying, “I missed you, but I had fun,” when I have to leave you at home. I hope you look back on these years as an adventure!
Thank you to my family for making me who I am and for always encouraging me to do what I love. Your support means everything.
You, the reader who holds this book, we may not be blood, but we are family now too. Thank you for spending time with my words. I am forever indebted to you for not only reading, but also for taking the time to write reviews, send me emails, write me notes, come to my talks and events . . . It means the world. I hope to bring you just an ounce of the happiness you have brought to me.
A GALLERY READERS GROUP GUIDE
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slightly south of simple
THE PEACHTREE BLUFF SERIES #1
by Kristy Woodson Harvey
introduction
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The last thing Caroline Murphy expects to hear when she’s seven months pregnant is that her marriage is falling apart. In the wake of this news, she packs up her bags and flies south with her eleven-year-old daughter to her mother’s home in Peachtree Bluff, Georgia. But Caroline isn’t the only Murphy girl who’s returning home: both of her younger sisters, Emerson and Sloane, find themselves right back in their mother’s arms for one reason or another. Slightly South of Simple is a chronicle of sisterhood, motherhood, marriage, and all the ways secrets weave themselves in and out of one’s life, filled with Southern charm and plenty of heart.
discussion questions
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1. Discuss the title of both the book and the series. By the novel’s end, do you think the title fits the work? Is there another title you would select?
2. Discuss Caroline as the novel goes on. Do you think she comes to any sort of epiphany before the end of the novel? Does she come to appreciate her hometown? Can you relate to her relationship troubles, parenting style, or values? Why or why not?
3. Ansley admits to the reader early in the novel that her financial situation after her husband’s death was quite dire. In the pursuant chapter, Caroline mentions that she has a “nest egg” to fall back on and is less afraid of leaving her husband because of it. Do you agree with Ansley’s decision to keep these secrets from her daughters? What other secrets do the members of the Murphy family keep from one another? By the time the book is complete, have any of these secrets been resolved?
4. Rumors are a prevalent motif in the novel, from rumors of James’s affair with Edie, to rumors of a love triangle between Kyle, Caroline, and Emerson, and beyond. Do you believe that there is a difference between the rumors spread amongst the group in Peachtree Bluff versus New York City? What is the root of these respective rumors in the novel? How do the characters respond to gossip? Do you think any of them handle it better than the others?
5. Caroline determines the best way to resolve the feud between her mother and Mr. Solomon is by tearing down the fence between their yards. How do the neighbors resolve their issues and reconcile their differences in the novel? Have the other characters mended other figurative fences between one another? Discuss the different boundaries, both physical and figurative, that the characters may have placed between one another and why they may have done so.
6. Discuss the lingering feelings of loss experienced by the Murphy women by losing Carter in the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks. Why do you think Caroline was so comfortable with moving back to New York so soon after the attacks? Why do you think her other sisters, Emerson and Sloane, stayed away? By the book’s end, do you think any of them will return? Why or why not?
7. Caroline says, “[ . . . ] I knew that no one else would ever measure up. I would spend my entire life comparing every man with the one I had fallen so hard for. Young love is only for the young. Nothing else compares.” Take a moment as a group and discuss your first loves. Is your current partner someone you met as a young person? Do you think this statement is true for Caroline, Ansley, or the other women in the novel? Why or why not?
8. Sloane’s husband, Adam, is serving in Iraq throughout the course of the novel. Discuss the ways she seeks to keep him present in her sons’ lives and consider the greater effect that a parent’s absence has on her family.
9. “Mothers are supposed to know what to do, but there’s no handbook for this. There’s no appropriate response for something this horrible.” In Slightly South of Simple, there are many variations of loss. As a group, discuss the ways Ansley supports her daughters. How would you handle the circumstances? As a group, discuss the different ways your own parents or siblings have helped you through hard times. Do you think it’s different when the support is from a mother versus a father, a sister versus a brother? Why or why not?
10. Forgiveness is a major theme in the novel. Are you surprised by Caroline’s decision to forgive James? What would you do in her shoes? Similarly, discuss the ways Jack has forgiven Ansley, Caroline has forgiven her s
isters, and beyond. Do you feel that Caroline has grown as a character as a result of having moved to her home in the presence of her sisters and mother?
11. The narration alternates between Ansley and Caroline throughout the novel. How does this push the plot along? Do you think it gives you greater insight into the characters or their lives? Why or why not?
12. Jack has given Ansley ample time to come around to his wishes. Do his intentions seem genuine? Does your impression of him change over the course of the novel?
13. Betrayal plays a large role in the novel, from James’s affair to Emerson’s acting role. How do the characters move forward and seek forgiveness for their wrongdoings? Are they largely successful in achieving forgiveness?
14. Of all of the women in the book, who do you feel you relate to the most? The least?
15. Slightly South of Simple is the first book in a three-book series. Discuss what you think may happen to Ansley, Caroline, Emerson, Sloane, and the Murphy family in the next few books.
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