Chapter 2
Chapter
Two
S ummer placed the last pair of pants into her suitcase and zipped it closed. Her mom stood in the bedroom doorway, shaking her head.
“I’m so sorry, honey,” Meg Sutherland said. “This is your home, and you aren’t even going to be able to stay here.”
She laughed easily. “Mom, this hasn’t been my home for eight years. I’ve been living in Brooklyn that whole time. And I was at college the four years before that.”
Mom looked at her pointedly. “You will always have a home with us, Summer. We are here whenever you need us.”
She went and hugged her mom tightly. “I know that. I appreciate all the support you and Dad have given me over the years. I just need peace and quiet to write, however, and I’m sure not going to be able to get that around here.”
When she had arrived home two days ago, her parents had welcomed her with open arms. Then they had revealed they were having house renovations done, starting the middle of next week.
They were both reaching the age where they were considering retirement, and so they wanted to get the house in tip-top shape before they did so, while they still had a steady stream of income to pay for any renovations and updates.
A new roof would be placed on the house.
The kitchen was being redone, with new countertops and backsplash.
The floors were also being replaced. Even the powder room downstairs and the primary suite’s bathroom were being redone.
It would be impossible to work with all that noise going on for an indefinite amount of time, so she was going to stay with Autumn and Eli for a while.
Once the dust settled at her parents’ house, she might return and stay here until she could find a place of her own, or she might even go over to her parents’ house to write during the day while they were at work.
It was nice to be in a position where she could be so flexible, with both her work hours and where her writing would take place.
“I can’t believe that everything you own fits into these two suitcases,” Mom marveled. “Your closet used to be stuffed with clothes back in high school.”
Summer picked up her backpack from the floor.
“Don’t forget this. My life is in here. It has my laptop.
Tablet. Kindle. Chargers.” She grinned. “And my favorite pair of shoes. You saw how small my apartment in Brooklyn was. I just didn’t have a lot of room for clothes or possessions.
Thank goodness books have gone the digital route.
All I have to do is pull out my trusty Kindle or use the Kindle app on my phone to read.
That’s something I look forward to doing because I never got to read for pleasure as an editor. ”
Mom laughed. “As a librarian, I will never give up the feel of a real book in my hands. Turning a page and smoothing it.”
“I still like that, too,” she said. “But I know it’s not practical for most readers to own a ton of books. The days are long gone of packing a carryon with five or six books in it for a week at the beach. You can tote around hundreds of books on your Kindle and slide it into your purse.”
Her dad appeared at the door. “Can I help carry your suitcases down?”
“You grab that one, and I’ll take this one,” Summer told him, slinging her backpack over one shoulder and rolling one piece of luggage to the stairs.
They placed her bags in the foyer just as the doorbell rang. Mom opened the door and greeted Autumn and Eli.
“We can’t stay,” Eli shared. “Got a call on the way over. A small crisis is unfolding at Triple H, and I need to get over there ASAP.”
Dad volunteered, “Then you go to the hospital, Eli. I’ll drive the girls back to your house.”
“Thanks, Joe,” Eli said gratefully. “I really appreciate it.”
He kissed Autumn goodbye and waved to them before rushing to his car.
“Are things going to be okay?” Mom asked worriedly.
“It’s nothing that Eli can’t handle,” Autumn said confidently. “Thanks for driving us home, Dad.”
They moved Summer’s luggage to her father’s truck, placing it in the bed.
They were at Autumn’s house in less than ten minutes, and Summer felt good about how close her family would be now that she was back in Hawthorne.
The only thing she would need to do immediately was buy a car.
She was used to being close to a subway station or even using a rideshare app in a pinch to get around.
With the wide-open spaces of Texas, she would definitely need to invest in a car.
At least she had the cushion to do so, thanks to Sawyer.
Dad helped bring in her suitcases and even carried them upstairs to the bedroom Autumn directed him to.
“This is our only guest room,” her sister said. “We still have a few other rooms to furnish up here. We’re taking our time, though.”
“Well, I know you girls are dying to gab, so I’m off,” Dad told them. “Don’t be a stranger, Summer.”
“I won’t. I may not be staying at your house, Dad, but you’ll be seeing a lot of me. I promise.”
Once he left, Autumn asked if Summer might like something to drink.
“I’d love a cup of hot tea,” she told her twin.
Autumn pulled the tea caddy from the pantry. “Pick out whatever you want.”
She chose a blackberry herbal tea, and Autumn told her to make it two while she heated mugs of water for them in the microwave. Soon, they were sitting at the kitchen table, dunking their teabags in steaming water, nibbling on oatmeal cookies.
“Okay. I need the full scoop now that you’re here and we’re alone. You never indicated to me that you were thinking about leaving Liberty House, and then suddenly, here you are back in Hawthorne. What’s the deal, Summer?”
“I decided that I wanted to write full-time,” she said honestly.
“While being a book editor was always my career goal from the time I graduated from college, the dream has always been to write fiction. I told you I had been writing a small-town romance.” She paused and then grinned. “I finished it.”
Her sister’s eyes lit up. “Are you going to let me read it?”
“I would be honored if you did so. I appreciate any feedback you have for me. I know that I need to line up a few beta readers to help me polish my manuscript. I’m ready to start the second book in the series.
I’ve got my cast of characters, and I’ve outlined about fifteen pages of the entire plot.
Right now, I’m planning on it being a trilogy, but you never know. ”
“You know you can stay with Eli and me for as long as you want,” Autumn assured her.
“You would definitely have more privacy here than with Mom and Dad. I’m curious, though.
Are you going to need to get a job while you’re writing?
You’ve talked in the past about how hard it was to save money because everything in New York was so expensive. ”
“Don’t worry about that. I’m set. I have a decent amount in savings.
I’m going to give myself a year, dedicating myself to nothing but my writing.
If I haven’t sold the first book during this coming year, I may even go the indie route and self-publish.
I’ll evaluate things this time next year and figure out what I need to do professionally.
My goal is to finish the trilogy and try to sell it as a series. ” Summer sighed. “We’ll have to see.”
Autumn pressed her. “There’s something you’re not telling me. And you still haven’t answered why the sudden move from Liberty House. We tell each other everything, Summer.”
She couldn’t hide everything from her twin, and so she said, “I would if I could, Autumn. The fact is, I signed an NDA. A nondisclosure agreement. It was part of the employee separation agreement when I left.”
Her twin’s eyes widened. “This sounds serious. You weren’t discriminated against, were you? Or sexually harassed?”
“Even if that had happened, I couldn’t tell you about it. Just know that the time had come for me to leave Liberty House, and I was able to do so with a nice package. It will give me the freedom to be a full-time writer and see if I’ve got the talent to make a living by writing.”
Autumn took Summer’s hand. “I hate that you can’t tell me anything, but at least I know you’re okay. You seem like you’re in a good place.”
“I am,” she assured her twin. “I decided since I was going to take the leap into writing full-time, I might as well do it in a familiar place. I saw no reason to stay in New York when I could come home to Hawthorne and be around family. My series is set in a small town in the Panhandle. I hope I can draw inspiration being back in Texas.”
Her sister squeezed Summer’s fingers. “Selfishly, I’m glad you’re back. Not just for me.” She smiled. “I have some news. We’ll be sharing it soon, but I wanted you to know.” Autumn beamed. “Eli and I are going to have a baby!”
Joy filled Summer, and she grabbed her twin, hugging her tightly.
“This is the best news ever!” she exclaimed. “I’m going to be an aunt. You’re going to be a mom. Oh, Autumn, you’re going to rock as a mom. And Eli is so kind and steady. He’ll be a great dad.”
“Thank you. He’s a little nervous about it because he didn’t have a father growing up.
He worries that he won’t know how to be a father, but I told him he’s a natural.
Eli has also become friends with West. Now that West will be a dad in a few months, I think Eli will get a taste of what it’s like by observing West.”
Autumn hugged her again. “I’m so happy you came home, Summer. To have us both back in Hawthorne feels right.”
“Tell me the details,” she urged. “I need to get ready for the baby’s arrival.”