Gansett Island Compendium, Volume 1, Books 1-14
Book 1 Maid for Love
She’s a single mom with no patience for a playboy until he proves he’s playing for keeps.
Maddie Chester is determined to leave her hometown of Gansett Island, a place that has brought her only bad memories and ugly rumors. Then she’s knocked off her bike on the way to her housekeeping job at McCarthy’s Gansett Inn by Gansett’s “favorite son,” Mac McCarthy.
He’s back in town to help his father with preparations to sell the family marina and has no intention of sticking around.
When Mac accidentally sends Maddie flying over the handlebars, badly injuring her, he moves in to nurse her back to health and help care for her young son.
He soon realizes his plans for a hit-and-run visit to the island are in serious jeopardy, and he just may be “maid” for love.
Main Characters:
*Madeline “Maddie” Chester, housekeeper at McCarthy’s Gansett Inn, mother of Thomas, daughter of Francine Chester and deadbeat dad Bobby Chester.
*Thomas Chester, nine months, son of Madeline “Maddie” Chester and Tom Wilkinson.
*Malcolm John “Mac” McCarthy, Jr., co-owner of a Miami construction company, eldest child of Malcolm John “Big Mac” McCarthy, Sr., and Linda McCarthy, brother of Grant, Adam, Evan and Janey McCarthy.
*Indicates recurring throughout the series
Supporting Characters:
*Tiffany Chester Sturgil, daycare and dance studio owner, mother of Ashleigh, 10 months, wife of Jim Sturgil, younger sister of Maddie Chester.
*Captain Joseph “Joe” Cantrell, co-owner of the Gansett Island Ferry Company with his mother, and Coast Guard-certified ferry captain, son of Carolina Cantrell and the late Peter Cantrell, best friend of Mac McCarthy.
Roseanne, Mac’s assistant and ex-girlfriend in Miami.
*Janey McCarthy, vet tech at the Island Veterinary Clinic, youngest child and only daughter of Big Mac and Linda McCarthy, sister to Mac, Grant, Adam and Evan McCarthy, engaged to Dr. David Lawrence.
*Dr. David Lawrence, Boston-based medical intern, fiancé of Janey McCarthy.
Nicki Peterson, Mac’s first kiss in eighth grade.
*Libby, manager of The Beachcomber Hotel, part-time volunteer paramedic, friend of Mac’s.
*Ethel, head of housekeeping at McCarthy’s Gansett Inn.
*Jim Sturgil, attorney, husband of Tiffany Chester Sturgil, father of Ashleigh Sturgil.
*Ned Saunders, island cabdriver, land-owner and giver of wisdom, best friend of Big Mac McCarthy.
*Aunt Joan, Linda’s sister.
Janet, daughter of Joan, cousin of McCarthys.
*Royal Atkinson, member, Gansett Town Council.
*Linda McCarthy, co-owner of the McCarthy’s Gansett Island Marina and the McCarthy’s Gansett Inn, wife of Big Mac McCarthy, mother of Mac, Grant, Adam, Evan and Janey McCarthy.
*Malcolm John “Big Mac” McCarthy, Sr., co-owner of the McCarthy’s Gansett Island Marina and the McCarthy’s Gansett Inn, husband of Linda McCarthy, father of Mac, Grant, Adam, Evan and Janey McCarthy.
*Luke Harris, second in command to Big Mac at McCarthy’s Gansett Island Marina, classmate of Mac McCarthy and Joe Cantrell.
*Evan McCarthy, musician in Nashville, son of Big Mac and Linda McCarthy, brother of Mac, Grant, Adam and Janey McCarthy, classmate of Maddie Chester.
Teensy, town gossip.
Josh, McCarthy cousin, married to Ellen, expecting second child.
*Grant McCarthy, screenwriter in Los Angeles, son of Big Mac and Linda McCarthy, brother of Mac, Adam, Evan and Janey McCarthy.
Darren Tuttle, owns a body shop on Sunflower Road, former high school football player, friend of Evan McCarthy.
*Betty, Sylvia, Patty, Sarah and Maude, housekeepers at McCarthy’s Gansett Inn, Maddie’s coworkers.
*Daisy, housekeeper at McCarthy’s Gansett Inn, Maddie’s friend.
*Doro Chase, realtor.
Carol Ann, bartender at McCarthy’s Marina Tiki Bar.
Tom Wilkinson, bestselling author, Thomas’s biological father.
Doc Robach, veterinarian, Island Vet Clinic (name changes to Doc Potter in Book 2—whoops).
*Mrs. Gold, co-owner of Gold’s pharmacy.
Sam Pressley, retired Gansett police chief.
Cliff Sutter, Big Mac’s friend.
Mrs. Jergenson, works at the post office.
Connor and Tony, Mac’s business partners in Miami.
Places
McCarthy’s Gansett Inn, North Harbor.
Gansett Island Ferry Company, co-owned by Carolina Cantrell and her son, Captain Joe Cantrell, founded by Carolina’s late parents.
The Ferry Landing, South Harbor, where all the ferries serving the island arrive and depart.
Island Veterinary Clinic, South Harbor.
The Beachcomber, iconic hotel in South Harbor.
Victorian Portside Inn, South Harbor.
Mario’s Pizzeria and Ice Cream Parlor, South Harbor.
McCarthy’s Gansett Island Marina, North Harbor.
The White House, Big Mac and Linda’s home overlooking North Harbor.
Gansett Boat Works, marina in North Harbor.
North Harbor Yacht Club, marina in North Harbor.
Coast Guard Station Gansett Island, North Harbor.
The Tiki Bar, McCarthy’s Gansett Island Marina, North Harbor.
Galilee, Rhode Island, ferry landing for boats coming from Gansett Island.
Abby’s Attic, toy and gift shop in South Harbor, owned by Abby Callahan.
Dominic’s, Italian restaurant, south side of the island.
Gansett Gazette, island newspaper.
Gold’s, island pharmacy, South Harbor.
South Harbor Diner, South Harbor.
McCarthy Construction, Mac’s company.
Hydrangea House, Bed & Breakfast, North Harbor.
Sweet Meadow Farm Road, location of Mac and Maddie’s home.
Headlines from MAID FOR LOVE:
Joe is in love with Janey McCarthy, who’s engaged to David Lawrence!
Mac steps off a curve and crashes into Maddie on her bike!
Mac moves in to help take care of Maddie and Thomas!
Tiffany’s marriage to Jim Sturgil is in trouble!
Mac goes to work at his family’s hotel to cover for Maddie!
Mac will help his dad fix up the marina and hang out for a while on the island!
Linda doesn’t approve of Mac spending time with Maddie!
Maddie’s mother is in prison!
Mac punches Darren Tuttle!
Thomas’s biological father shows up unannounced!
The men who once started rumors about Maddie publish apologies in the Gansett Gazette!
Maddie breaks up with Mac!
Tom agrees to surrender paternal rights to Thomas!
Linda apologizes to Maddie and offers her a promotion!
Maddie sees Mac hugging another woman and thinks he’s moved on!
Mac makes things right with Maddie, and they get engaged!
Mac shows Maddie the house he bought for them!
Mac wants to adopt Thomas!
The Gansett Island series begins as Maddie Chester gets her nine-month-old son, Thomas, ready for another day at her sister Tiffany’s daycare.
Maddie rides her bike to her housekeeping job at McCarthy’s Gansett Inn.
Mac McCarthy is on the ferry to Gansett Island, visiting with his childhood best friend, Captain Joe Cantrell, as Joe steers the ferry to South Harbor.
The old friends catch up about Mac’s father’s surprising plan to sell the family’s marina, Mac’s booming construction business in Miami and Joe’s ongoing crush on Mac’s younger sister, Janey, who’s engaged to Dr. David Lawrence.
Mac no sooner lands on the island when he steps off a curb right into the path of Maddie and her bike, a crash that launches their epic romance.
Not that they know it yet, but they’ll look back at the moment of impact as one of the best things to ever happen to them.
But in the meantime, Maddie is left badly injured and worried about how she’ll take care of Thomas and do her job at the hotel.
Much to her dismay, Mac says he’ll take care of her and Thomas and will fill in for her at work since he feels responsible for the accident that injured her.
The last thing Maddie wants is everyone whispering about Mac McCarthy staying with her, when they already think she slept around in high school because of a rumor started by Darren Tuttle and spread by his friends, including Mac’s brother Evan.
Her sister, Tiffany, immediately disapproves of Mac helping her, but before Maddie knows what’s happening, he’s taking Maddie’s place helping out at Tiffany’s daycare while she teaches dance, feeding Thomas his dinner and giving him a bath.
Mac and Maddie spend the night talking, sharing confidences and building a friendship that soon has Mac wondering if he belongs on the island he once ran away from the minute he was old enough to leave.
He agrees to help his dad fix up the marina and to see how he feels about being there for a few weeks.
Big Mac says if his son wants to run the marina, he’d never sell it.
His mother, Linda, on the other hand, is deeply distressed by Mac’s growing affection for Maddie, due to the pervasive rumors about her.
That Maddie won’t tell anyone who fathered her child only adds to the controversy.
Maddie’s mother, Francine, is in prison for three months for repeatedly writing bad checks to businesses on the island.
Linda is outraged that Mac is working as a maid at the hotel his family owns, and he’s furious that Maddie always gets the filthiest rooms. He and his mother argue.
As Maddie starts to soften toward Mac and considers giving him a chance to be more than a temporary roommate, Linda’s obvious disapproval becomes a bigger problem for them.
Determined to set the record straight about the past, Mac confronts Darren about the rumors he spread and tells him he’s going to fix it.
He talks to his brother Evan and tells him the same thing.
Maddie notices his bruised knuckles and asks who he punched.
He doesn’t want to tell her about the fight he got into with Darren, so he evades the question and leaves to pick up the vehicle he bought to get them around the island.
Maddie realizes he’s serious about making a life together and begins to trust him, to fall in love.
He takes her on a romantic dinner date, and they make love for the first time.
She appreciates that he sees her, understands her insecurities and seems to genuinely care for her and Thomas, who adores Mac.
They take a trip to the mainland together, and on the ferry back to the island, they run into Tom Wilkinson, the man who fathered Thomas.
When Mac realizes who the man is, he thinks fast, introducing himself as Maddie’s husband and referring to Thomas as their son.
Maddie is weak with relief that Mac managed to diffuse her biggest fear, that Thomas’s father would show up one day and want to take him from her.
Later, when Mac and Thomas are at the diner, Tom approaches Mac to say he knows they’re not married and that Thomas is most likely his son.
Mac tells him they want nothing from him, and Tom agrees to surrender his paternal rights.
Mac keeps that information to himself until it’s a done deal, so Maddie won’t be frantic about it.
Mac begins to look for a place for them to live together.
His father’s friend Ned, who, it turns out, has been buying real estate while driving a cab, shows him a house that would be perfect for their little family, with plenty of room for more kids.
Mac is excited to tell her about it, but when he returns to the marina, his dad tells him Maddie was there and she’s upset about the letters to the editor that ran in the local paper from the men who started the rumors about her.
Big Mac is annoyed that Mac didn’t tell him that his son Evan was involved in.
Maddie is devastated to once again be the center of attention in their small island town.
She packs up Mac’s things and leaves them on her porch, where he finds them when he goes after her.
He begs her to understand that his intentions were good, and he intended to tell her what he’d done, but she’s not having it.
While Thomas cries inside, Mac’s heart breaks outside her door, wondering how he’ll go on without them.
He loves them both desperately and only wanted to fix things for her.
Janey comes to get Mac, urges him to give Maddie some space and takes him to her house for the night.
Devastated to lose her and Thomas and the future they’d planned, Mac throws himself into work at the marina, hoping she might change her mind.
He’s not sure he can stay on the island if his life there doesn’t include them.
Maddie’s friends urge her to consider that Mac’s heart was in the right place and to remember how he stepped up for her and Thomas when she was injured.
Since the letters ran, others in the community have treated Maddie respectfully, and she has to admit he succeeded in changing their opinions of her.
Linda apologizes to Maddie for believing the gossip, offers her the housekeeping director position at the hotel and tells her Mac is miserable without her.
Maddie decides to give him another chance and is on her way to the marina when she sees a dark-haired woman throw herself into his arms and kiss him.
Maddie turns back to the hotel, heartbroken to think she waited too long and he’s moved on.
In fact, Mac has no desire to see his ex-girlfriend, Roseanne, from Miami, and tells her he’s met someone else.
Roseanne asks Ned to take her to the ferry so she can get out of there.
At dinner that night, Linda asks Mac if he saw Maddie, and when he says no, they realize she would’ve been arriving at the marina right as Roseanne was hugging and kissing him.
Mac runs out of his parents’ house and drives straight to Maddie to tell her what she saw was nothing, and the only woman he wants is her.
He proposes to her, and she accepts. Then he takes her and Thomas to see the house he bought for them, which she thinks is a mansion.
While they’re there, he shows her the paperwork Thomas’s father sent, surrendering his paternal rights.
Maddie is outraged that Mac didn’t tell her he’d arranged that, but he didn’t want her worrying herself sick over it until he had the paperwork in hand.
She realizes he’s right. She would’ve suffered, and she’s thankful she didn’t know about it.
Mac says Thomas’s father will always love and care for Thomas and his mother, and she’ll never again have to worry about his biological father resurfacing. They’re on their way to happily ever after.