Moonlight Over Manhattan(105)
It takes a village to put a book on the shelves and I’m always nervous of thanking people individually because I will miss someone out, but my thanks go to everyone at HQ in the UK and HQN in the US. I’m so grateful to everyone for all the thought and effort they put into making sure my books reach readers. It’s a tough job and they do it brilliantly.
My agent, Susan Ginsburg, is simply the best. I don’t know where I’d be without her invaluable advice and input.
After three books with a large cast of dogs as secondary characters, I was struggling to find names so my thanks to all my patient and enthusiastic readers on Facebook who kindly contributed.
A special mention to Natalie Smith, who bid to name a character in this book to raise funds for the wonderful charity CLIC Sargent, whose work helps support children and young people with cancer. Natalie, your generosity is much appreciated and I hope you like “Nat.”
My family and friends are endlessly supportive. Thanks to Joe, Ben and Kim for valiantly tasting batch after batch of chocolate chip cookies as I worked to perfect Harriet’s recipe. Your dedication to the cause is appreciated. Now get back to the gym!
I owe the biggest debt of gratitude to my readers who continue to buy my books, thus ensuring I can continue with my dream job, writing them. Thank you. You’re the best.
Sarah
xxx
Lauren’s picture-perfect life is built on a secret she’s worked hard to hide for years, a secret her teenage daughter has just discovered.
Jenna secretly longs for a family, but knows she must rebuild her relationship with her mother first.
Nancy knows the time has come to reveal her secret pain to her daughters…
A family built on secrets. A summer spent together. Their perfect chance to find hope, forgiveness and love.
Turn the page for a sneak peek of the captivating and emotional new book from Sarah Morgan, available in spring 2018!
ON HER QUEST to make a romantic dinner, Jenna stopped at the store on her way home and bought food. It always took a while because she bumped into so many people she knew. The sense of community was one of the things she loved about living on Martha’s Vineyard. It was also one of the things she hated. Like today, for example, when she wasn’t feeling sociable. She was still wound up after her encounter with her mother and wasn’t in the mood for small talk.
It was unlikely she’d make it through a shopping trip without having at least three lengthy conversations, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t try.
She kept her head down and didn’t look at anyone.
“Jenna? Jenna! I thought it was you.”
Surrendering to her fate, Jenna glanced up from the apples. “Hi, Sylvia.”
She’d been at school with Sylvia, but their lives had diverged. Jenna had gone off to college and Sylvia had stayed on the island and proceeded to pop out children as if she was on a personal mission to increase the number of year-rounders (personally Jenna was relieved to see half the population decamp to warmer climates in the winter months. The roads were clearer, the beaches were empty and you didn’t have to stand in line for ages at the bakery).
Jenna put field greens, tomatoes and bell peppers into her basket. “How are the children?” Why had she asked that question? There were six kids. She could potentially be here for hours. The Denton family could make up a class by themselves.
Six kids?
Where was the fairness in that? Not that Jenna wanted six. She wasn’t greedy.
If she could just have one she would never complain again.
She only half listened as Sylvia talked about the stress of ferrying the children from piano lessons, swimming lessons, art class and football.
“Time you and Greg started a family,” Sylvia said, as if producing babies was simply something Jenna might have forgotten to do in the day-to-day pressure of living their lives.
Jenna fingered an overripe tomato, wondering whether the pleasure of pulping it against Sylvia’s perfect white shirt would outweigh the inevitable fallout.
Probably not. That was the downside of being a teacher. Islanders would no doubt decide that someone with so little self-control wasn’t fit to have responsibility for impressionable minds.
Regretfully she dropped the tomato into her basket with the others, made a vague comment about being busy and then imagined how Sylvia might interpret that. If she wasn’t careful it would be all round the whole island that she and Greg were too busy to have sex.
“Greg and I love being just the two of us.” She pinned a dreamy look on her face, hoping she wasn’t overcompensating. “I’m cooking a romantic dinner.”
“I envy you,” Sylvia said. “If Mike and I want to be romantic we have to pay a babysitter. And he and I only have to look at each other for me to get pregnant, so I daren’t touch him. He’s quite the superstud.”
Mike was a mild mannered, overweight accountant who left the talking to his wife in most social situations. The idea of him as a “Superstud” challenged even Jenna’s overactive imagination.
She resisted the temptation to ask Sylvia if she had any sex secrets that might increase the chances of conception. She was too afraid of hearing the details.
“I must get home. Dinner to cook.” She grabbed a bottle of wine and then hesitated. Did wine have a negative effect on fertility? Maybe. On the other hand, it was excellent for encouraging relaxation and there was no doubt they both needed a hefty dose of that.