Returning to Seashell Island

By Brenda Kennedy

When Isabella Moretti returns to Seashell Island after graduating from college, she doesn’t expect to meet anyone. Her plans are to stay for the summer before venturing out on her own into the work force of New York City.
But fate has other plans.
She meets Walker Hudson one night while staying at the inn and their relationship blossoms quickly. He is everything she ever dreamed of. In fact, he is too good to be true.
After the breakup with Walker, Isabella decides on a whim to stay on the secluded island. She opens her own business and gets right to work on making it successful, and then she discovers she's pregnant with Walker’s baby. When she tells him the news, he leaves the island and changes his number, hoping she will never find him again.
Broken and hurt, Isabella plans on raising the baby alone and making the best of being a single parent.
Can Isabella make it on her own with a baby? Does Walker come back into her life and complicate things more than they already are? Or does someone else steal her heart and help her through this life-changing time?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brenda Kennedy
• Release date: Oct 10, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463746257

Brenda Kennedy

Brenda Kennedy, an award winning and Amazon bestselling author, is a true believer of romance. Her stories are based on the relationships that define our lives - compassionate, emotionally gripping, and uplifting novels with true to life characters, that stay with her readers long after the last page is turned. Her varied, not always pleasant background has given her the personal experience to take her readers on an emotional, sometimes heart wrenching, journey through her stories. Brenda has been a struggling single mom, a survivor of domestic abuse, waitress, corrections officer, hostage negotiator and a corrections nurse. She is also a wife, mom, and grandmother. Even though her life was not always rainbows and butterflies, she is a survivor and believes her struggles have made her the person she is today. Brenda is the author of the award winning book, Forever Country (The Rose Farm Trilogy Book 1). She has been dubbed "The Queen of Cliffhangers" by her adoring readers because books one and two always have a cliffhanger ending. In Brenda's own words, "I write series that end in cliffhangers, because I love them. I always give away the first book in each series so you have nothing to lose by reading it." She was born and raised in Zanesville, Ohio and moved to SW Florida in 2006 with her husband Rex. They have a combined family, and she often jokes about not remembering what child belongs to who.

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Returning to Seashell Island

A Seashell Island Novel

Book 5

By

Brenda Kennedy

Copyright 2019 by Brenda Kennedy

SMASHWORDS EDITION

Dedicated to Bee Brown. A devoted reader and friend. I hope one day to cross the pond and finally meet you in person. Until then, may life treat you like the blessing you are.

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/smoothie2003

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain noncommercial uses permitted by the author. For permission requests, email the author at [e-mail].

SYNOPSIS

When Isabella Moretti returns to Seashell Island after graduating from college, she doesn’t expect to meet anyone. Her plans are to stay for the summer before venturing out on her own into the work force of New York City.

But fate has other plans.

She meets Walker Hudson one night while staying at the inn and their relationship blossoms quickly. He is everything she ever dreamed of. In fact, he is too good to be true.

After the breakup with Walker, Isabella decides on a whim to stay on the secluded island. She opens her own business and gets right to work on making it successful, and then she discovers she’s pregnant with Walker’s baby. When she tells him the news, he leaves the island and changes his number, hoping she will never find him again.

Broken and hurt, Isabella plans on raising the baby alone and making the best of being a single parent.

Can Isabella make it on her own with a baby? Does Walker come back into her life and complicate things more than they already are? Or does someone else steal her heart and help her through this life-changing time?

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Isabella Moretti: Our heroine

Walker Hudson: Possible hero

Ethan Jacobson: Another possible hero

Travis Tanner: Walker’s friend

Zoe Harper: Isabella’s friend

Sophia Moretti Romano: Isabella’s mother/ Tony’s wife

Tony Romano: Beau’s father/ Sophia’s husband

Beau Romano: Tony’s son/ Carly’s husband

Carly Stewart Romano: Grace’s daughter/ Beau’s wife

Myra: Beau’s daughter from a previous marriage

Baby Maria: Beau and Carly’s daughter

Parker Blake: The island’s M.D., James’ son/ Sarah’s husband

Sarah Stewart: Grace’s daughter and Parker’s wife

Larry, aka Pap: Sarah and Carly’s grandfather

Sylvia, aka Gram: Sarah and Carly’s grandmother

Grace: Sarah and Carly’s mother/ James’ wife

James: Parker’s father/ Grace’s husband

PROLOGUE

ISABELLA

After four years of art school in Sarasota, Florida, I decided to return to Seashell Island to be closer to Momma and her husband, Tony. I learned a lot while I was away at school, but I knew no matter where I was, Seashell Island would always be home.

I have no idea what my plans are, but I do know this is where I want to be, at least for now. This is where my heart is. I’m from land-locked Nebraska; we don’t have beautiful places by the ocean like this there.

As soon as Momma and I drove onto the beautiful island, I knew this place was special. The unique shops, the tree-lined streets, white picket fences, and the abundance of sea glass make it feel like someplace I wanted to live and call home. I never even heard of it until moving to Seashell Island, but it didn’t take long for me to fall in love with the frosty colored sea glass that lies along the ocean’s edge. Since then, I have often searched for it. While I was away at school, my friends and I would often frequent the beaches and no matter how hard I searched on Siesta Key Beach, I never found sea glass.

I didn’t tell Momma I was moving back. All she knows is I’m home for a visit. I didn’t tell her because I wasn’t sure how she would handle my return. Will she be happy to see I’m moving back for good? Or will she be disappointed because she’ll feel the four years of college was for nothing?

I took art in college and there’s not much use for it here. I don’t even have a plan, really. Maybe I could work at my mother’s bed and breakfast, but is that something I want to do? Do I want to change used bedding day after day? It’s not my top pick of jobs, but I would do it to help Momma out. I would also do it to remain on Seashell Island. Many of our friends own small businesses. I could offer to help them.

That won’t work. I’m 22 years old and I need a job. I need a career. Something to pay the bills. For now, I guess I’ll stay at the inn that Momma owns until I can figure something out.

That’s when I pull up at the inn and see the For Sale sign in the yard. Momma didn’t tell me she was selling the inn. I get why she’s selling it since her husband also owns a business on the island. I know how hard it was for her to run the inn while he runs the only market on Seashell Island. But why wouldn’t she tell me?

I decide things do happen for a reason, and this is my reason to return to Seashell Island. I’ll buy Momma’s bed and breakfast and be an innkeeper.

CHAPTER 1

ISABELLA

I walk into the inn, which is full of family and friends. Momma knew I was coming home to visit, but she never mentioned having a welcome home party for me. I hug her and her husband, Tony, first and then I hug the others. It takes me awhile to get down the assembly line of friends.

I guess the talk with Momma about moving back will have to wait.

The party lasts for several hours as people want to know what the future holds for me. How many times can one person say, I don’t know or I wish I knew?

Since Poppa’s death, I have more money than one person can reasonably spend in a lifetime. However, I can’t touch it until my twenty-fifth birthday. Momma gives me a monthly allowance from Poppa’s money that I used for school and living expenses. I guess it was her way of teaching me how to budget and manage my money. I personally felt the monthly allowance was a generous one.

To my surprise, Momma didn’t hire a catering company or food service to help with the party. She and her friends did it all themselves. They did all of the cooking, serving, and cleaning. Although Momma and Poppa were divorced when he died, he didn’t get around to changing his will so everything was divided evenly between us. She has just as much money as I do and still won’t spend it.

Are you having a good time, Isabella? Momma asks.

I am. I didn’t expect a party, I admit.

I couldn’t have you graduating college without giving you a graduation/homecoming party.

I look around at the party decorations, food, and drinks. It’s a little over-the-top, isn’t it?

This is nothing measured to how proud I am of you. If it were, I’d have bands, and dancers, and magicians, and airplanes flying over the island and spelling out words of sentiments to you.

I giggle. What would the airplane write?

Momma thinks for a minute and says, Isabella’s the best daughter in the world.

That’s a lot of words.

Proudest Momma, ever.

I giggle again. Okay, okay. I think I get the picture. I hug her tightly. Thank you, Momma. This is perfect.

Momma pulls away and says, This doesn’t give us much time to talk, but we’ll have plenty of time for that after the party.

Is something wrong?

No. I wouldn’t say wrong. As you probably already know from the sign in the yard, Tony and I have decided to sell the inn.

It was hard not to notice, but why?

It’s a lot of work. Momma hugs me. We’ll talk later.

Good, I have some things to talk to you about, too.

Momma searches my face. Is everything all right? Do we need to talk now?

I can see fear and concern in her eyes. I offer a smile to put her mind at ease. No. I just missed you.

She leans in and kisses my cheek. Tonight, she says before standing to refill the food and beverages for our guests.

I walk over to where Tony’s talking with his son, Beau; Beau’s wife, Carly; and their two children, Myra and Maria.

There’s the star of the show. He places a caring arm over my shoulder.

Beau and Carly lean in to hug me.

When Momma and I first moved to Seashell Island, it was because we were running away from my abusive father. He never abused me, but he always physically and emotionally abused Momma. I never understood why. He loved me and treated me as if I were the only person on this earth. But the way he was with Momma, if I were her, I would have left him years ago. She never deserved to be treated like that. I loved him for being my poppa but hated him for the way he treated Momma. When he died, I saw the relief on her face. I knew she was happy that the abuse was finally over. That he would never get a chance to hurt her again. I think that’s why when he died, I didn’t want anything in the house. I didn’t want anything that would remind her of him. Sure, I took a few family heirlooms and a few items that reminded me of him. He was still my poppa and I loved him, even though I hated what he did to Momma.

I was only eighteen years old when we arrived here four years ago. The first thing we did was go to the local church. I remember it like it was yesterday. The doors and the windows of the church were open, and the choir was singing. I swore they sounded like angels. Momma and I went in, listened to the choir, and sat through Bible study. That’s when we saw the apartment for rent on the church’s bulletin board. That’s also when we met Beau and Carly. Momma still had evidence of physical abuse on her face, but not one person judged us. Beau and Carly actually were a huge help in our escape from Poppa. They rented us a furnished two-bedroom apartment over Carly’s bookstore. As it turns out, Carly was also a famous author who writes under a pen name. Momma is a huge fan of Autumn Storm and when she discovered Autumn Storm was Carly’s pseudonym, Momma was fangirling over her. Thankfully, Momma was able to control herself before Carly feared that maybe Momma was a serial stalker.

I believe everything or most things happen for a reason, and this blessing was definitely proof of that.

Are you happy school’s over with? Carly asks.

I am.

Now the real work begins, Beau teases.

I know, right. Now I’ll be working the next forty or fifty years of my life.

Hopefully, you’ll be like Carly and find something you love doing, so it won’t feel like work.

That would be nice.

Carly laughs. News flash. No matter how much you love doing something, it still feels like work.

As long as I don’t hate it, I think I’ll be okay.

You’ll be fine, Beau reassures me.

I think so, too.

I walk around the room and thank each guest for coming. It makes me feel special to know all these people took time from their busy day to be here to celebrate my accomplishments and homecoming. I just hope they won’t be too disappointed when they learn I’ll be staying on the island. Maybe I could paint murals on the buildings on Shell Lane, or maybe draw caricatures of tourists. Everyone likes seeing themselves as a cartoon character, right? Or maybe I could open a souvenir shop.

Maybe Momma will sell the inn to me. I guess there’s a chance she won’t want to. Maybe she’ll think it’s too dangerous for me to run it on my own. After all, you are sharing a house with complete strangers. Momma did it and nothing’s happened to her, I think. If she did have a bad experience, would she have told me? Is that why she’s selling it all of the sudden? I hate to think maybe something’s happened to Momma and I wasn’t here to protect her. Maybe buying the bed and breakfast isn’t the best idea after all. But right now, I think I’m just too tired to put much thought into my future.

I decide I need to know now why Momma’s selling the inn. I leave the room in search of Tony. I’m fairly certain he won’t lie to me while Momma might try to alter the truth to keep me from worrying. I’m relieved when Tony’s outside in the garden clearing off a table.

Do you have a minute to talk?

Tony looks up at me and sets the dishes back down on the table. For you, I have lots of free time. We both sit down at a bench under a shade tree. What’s on your mind? Even with a house and garden full of people, he still makes me feel like it’s only us.

I have a question I need to ask you.

Okay. I hope you know you can ask me anything.

I need the truth.

Always. I’ll never lie to you, Isabella.

Thank you. I appreciate it. I take a deep breath and try to prepare myself for news I won’t want to hear. Why is Momma selling the inn?

He crunches his eye brows together, I don’t think I understand your question?

I need to know if something happened to Momma here? Is that why she’s selling the inn all of the sudden?

No, Isabella. Nothing’s happened to your Momma. She’s been talking about selling it for a while now. It’s just a lot with us trying to run the market through the day and the inn at night and early in the mornings.

Relief floods me. That makes sense.

If something did happen to her with one of the guests, you would tell me, right?

You would be the first person we’d tell.

Good. I release a long breath. How long has it been on the market and why didn’t she tell me she was selling it?

It’s been on the market only a couple weeks, and you might want to ask her why she didn’t tell you. I can only speculate on the reason.

I hug him again. Thank you.

For what? he asks with a returned hug.

For marrying Momma. For always being here for us. For loving her. For loving me.

He waves his hand as if dismissing me. No need to thank me. I should be thanking you for being in my life. Loving you ladies is easy.