A Thousand Distant Shores (The Keeper of Stars #2)

Prologue

To be a lighthouse, you must be strong enough to resist every kind of storm, to every kind of loneliness and you must have a powerful light inside you!

—Mehmet Murat Ildan

She stands alone.

Staring out at the angry Atlantic, she watches a storm brewing on the horizon, the thick clouds gathering strength and momentum as they roll closer to the shore.

Below her, the sea roils and churns, the wind tangles her hair into knots.

Despite the ominous scene, she is entranced by the dark, brooding expanse of water, its surface a tempestuous dance of swirling whirlpools and white-capped waves.

In the distance, the lighthouse pulses steadily, an unwavering beacon fighting against the encroaching darkness.

As the storm draws nearer, the lighthouse’s beam becomes increasingly frantic, spinning and slicing through the churning sea as if seeking out some unseen threat lurking beneath its surface.

Her fingers graze over the metal railing, the chill sinking into her skin. She can taste the salt on her lips and feel the sting of the ocean as the spray hits her face. A sudden flash of lightning splits the sky, followed almost immediately by a guttural roar of thunder.

She turns away, and her thoughts drift to the New York Times article she read earlier that morning.

She can still picture the headline, stark black letters burned into her mind— “TRAILBLAZING ASTRONOMER RECEIVES NASA’S HIGHEST HONOR.

” Her grip tightens around the iron railing as she contemplates the story of Dr. Elizabeth Spencer-Bennett—the same woman who was once her teenage rival.

She pulls her sweater tighter around her shoulders, a sudden chill rippling through her that has little to do with the impending storm.

Memories of summers long ago flood back, vivid and visceral.

The long nights spent praying he would choose her instead of Ellie, and the bitter taste of disappointment that lingered when he did not.

In the end, it was always Ellie who captured his attention, her brilliant mind and stunning beauty drawing him in like a moth to a flame.

How na?ve she had been back then, to think that her bond with Jack could have weathered a storm like Ellie.

A gust of wind whips the hair across her face, pulling her from her musing.

The storm is upon her, the rumble of thunder echoing across the vast expanse.

She knows she should head inside, seek shelter from the approaching squall.

But something keeps her rooted to the spot.

Maybe it's the allure of the storm, the raw power of nature unleashed. Or perhaps it’s the twisted sense of kinship she feels with the roiling waves.

Regardless, she braces herself and leans into the wind, ready to face whatever onslaught the storm will bring.