by Brenda Novak
Lorelei stood on the other side of the bed and held her hand. “It will all be over soon,” she repeated dutifully. “You’re doing great.”
“I’m not doing anything but suffering,” she said. “Can I really take credit for that?”
“It’s just one of the encouraging things people say,” Lorelei told her. “But now that you mention it, that does sound pretty lame. The truth is it’s going to be rough for a little while, but then you’ll have your beautiful baby in your arms and all the pain will be forgotten. Is that better?”
“I don’t think so,” she admitted, and they laughed.
“Then focus on the baby.”
An ultrasound a few months ago had revealed she was having a girl, and she already had a name picked out. Summer.
“Where’s Rally?” Reagan asked.
“Out in the waiting room with Sawyer,” Serenity replied. “Do you want me to get him?”
Reagan cared about Rally. It wasn’t the same as what she’d felt for Drew—wasn’t an all-consuming sexual rush. But what they had was far deeper. It was solid, supportive, kind and filled with genuine respect. She wasn’t sure they’d end up married. They hadn’t talked about that yet. But she knew that even if they didn’t get married, they’d be friends for life. Rally was that kind of man. “No, he can meet Summer once she arrives. I’ve got the two of you. That’s all I need.”
Reagan saw Lorelei wince as she looked over at Serenity.
“What is it?” she said. “Why’d you give her that look?”
“Your mother is on her way,” Lorelei said. “She texted me a few minutes ago.”
It was difficult to be around her mother. Although Rosalind had taken the news of the pregnancy far better than Reagan had anticipated—mostly because she liked Rally so much and assumed they’d both raise Summer—Reagan wasn’t looking forward to coping with her mother’s presence while she felt so vulnerable.
But she would’ve been hurt had Rosalind not made the effort. So she nodded. “That’s nice of her.”
“I can run interference for you if you don’t want her here,” Serenity offered.
Reagan shook her head. “No. I want her here.”
“Are you sure?” Lorelei asked.
“I’m sure.” Maybe her mother wasn’t the most nurturing woman on the planet, but Reagan knew all too well that sometimes taking on the role of parent wasn’t easy. After confronting Rosalind with what she’d learned about her birth, Rosalind had finally admitted that it was her father, Stuart Sands, who’d been behind her adoption. Rosalind had gone along with it. And then, when he died, she’d been left with the responsibility of raising the child he’d wanted more than she had.
At least Rosalind had kept Reagan. At least she’d tried to fulfill her commitment. In Rosalind’s own mind, she’d been a good mother. So Reagan had decided to simply be grateful that she’d had a mother and that her mother had done her best, and leave it at that. There was no guarantee she’d do any better with Summer, but she’d promised herself she was going to try.
“What are you talking about? I don’t care if there’re already two people in the room. I’m her mother!”
When they heard Rosalind barking at the nurses in the hall, they started to laugh.
“There she is,” Reagan said, but then another contraction came, and she gritted her teeth to be able to bear it.
Her mother had nudged Serenity out of the way and was at Reagan’s side by the time the contraction ended. “Reagan, I’m here now. How are you doing?”
“At this moment? I can’t believe I got myself into this,” she said honestly.
“You’ll get through it. You just need to let nature take its course.” While her words were kind enough, she couldn’t help sounding more like a drill sergeant than a concerned parent, and Reagan managed a wobbly smile.
“Thanks, Mom. I know I’ll get through it now that you’re here.”
She meant what she’d said, but long after it was over, and she held her child in her arms late that night, when Rosalind and even Rally had left, it was her two sisters who were still with her.
“I think you’re right,” Reagan said as her daughter’s tiny hand curled around her finger.
They were all tired. Serenity had fallen asleep in the recliner not far from Reagan’s bed. Lorelei was sitting next to her, awake, but barely so. “Right about what?”
The beauty and perfection of her daughter nearly moved her to tears. For the first time, she felt sorry for Drew, that he’d miss out on Summer’s life. “I’m already in love.”
* * *
One Perfect Summer
Brenda Novak
Reader’s Guide
Questions for Discussion
Have you ever taken a DNA ancestry test before? Were you surprised at the results?
Serenity, Reagan and Lorelei came together at a time when they were all facing a crossroads. How did they help each other through their individual challenges?
Serenity was shocked and horrified to learn of her ex-husband’s crimes. She feels guilty that she didn’t catch him sooner. Do you think it’s possible for someone to miss signs that their spouse is leading a double life?
Part of Lorelei healing from her husband cheating on her with her best friend is letting herself enjoy a romance with Finn. Did you think Lorelei and Finn were right for each other long-term, or was it a good idea for them to split when they did?
If you were Lorelei, do you think you would have given Mark another chance? How about Francine—do you think you could restore a friendship with her?
When Reagan learns she’s pregnant with Drew’s child, she questions whether she should tell him or not. Do you feel Drew has a right to know, no matter their relationship? Or do you feel he relinquished his right to know with the way he behaved?
How do you feel Lucy’s character added to the story?
Could you identify with any one of the three women more than the others? If so, who and why?
If you were making a movie of this book, which actors would you cast?
What do you think the future holds for each of the characters?
A Conversation with the Author
What inspired you to write this story?
My best friend had just found a “secret” sister through DNA testing. She was talking about having met her previously unknown sibling and telling me what the woman was like. Then one of my family members found a “secret” sister—a close family member—which came as a shock to me. I was fascinated by all the “what ifs” the people involved faced, and I was seeing this type of thing pop up so much in the media that I wanted to explore it through the pages of a novel.
What kind of research went into writing this novel?
Fortunately, the internet provides writers with so many tools. I was able to do a lot of research online, but my husband was kind enough to actually have his DNA tested so I could see exactly how it worked. The family member who found a “secret” sister also shared the process with me. It was really interesting!
What was the most challenging part of writing this novel, and what was the most enjoyable?
The most challenging part was probably trying not to veer too far into the lives of Finn and his brothers, the men staying next door. I really liked them and what they contributed to the story, especially Finn’s brother, Davis, who had just lost an arm. I can’t imagine how difficult that would be to cope with, so I was fascinated with how he might react and loved watching his inner strength come through as he fought to recover from this tragic setback.
What I loved most was helping each of the women overcome their challenges. Since I live close to Lake Tahoe, which is an incredibly beautiful place, I also really enjoyed setting the book there.
You wrote from the perspective of four different characters—Serenity, Reagan, Lorelei and F
inn. Did you have a favorite character, and why?
I think I identified with them all to a certain degree. But I especially love Reagan’s budding romantic relationship, and the friendship Finn offers Lorelei. So maybe a tie between the two of them.
You’ve written more than sixty novels in your career. How was this book different than any other?
I had a much bigger canvas to work with and fewer conventions to follow. Many of my books have been in the romance genre, in which the two love interests must wind up together in the end. In a book like this, that isn’t necessarily the case. It more closely resembles real life, so it was fun to widen the parameters and have my characters take on and overcome challenges they may or may not fully conquer by the end. This book was different in that I had to face my own challenge of weaving all these story lines together, too.
What kind of books do you like to read, and do you find that they affect what you write?
I’m such an eclectic reader! My favorite genre is probably women’s fiction, followed closely by historical novels à la Philippa Gregory, then contemporary romance and psychological suspense. (See? I’m naming almost all of them!) Maybe I should mention what I typically don’t read, and that would be sci-fi and fantasy, although I loved, loved the Game of Thrones series as well as Harry Potter. I also read a lot of nonfiction, usually on the subjects of the universe, evolution, religion or physics. The only magazine I subscribe to is National Geographic, so that tells you a little about my nonfiction reading tastes.
Everything I read and experience informs my writing. I just never know beforehand when certain things will manifest themselves.
What is your writing process like?
I write five days a week, although the hours are certainly a little longer than if I held a regular day job, especially because I travel quite a bit, too. I don’t outline my books in advance. If I do, I feel as though I’ve already told the story and quickly grow bored with it. It also results in a lot of flat, emotionless telling—maybe because I’m trying to force the characters to do what I want them to instead of what they would naturally do. An advance outline also gets me in trouble because I tend to reveal all the surprises in the story way too soon (I guess I can’t keep a secret!). So I have to let the plot grow out of the characters and be surprised as the reader would be. Every writer has their own process, and this is the one that works for me.
ISBN: 9781488055454
One Perfect Summer
Copyright © 2020 by Brenda Novak, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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