November 24, 2025
Dear Diary,
Here I go again…a Destin diary.
How could I not? My darling Peter—must give the obligatory diary —gave me this beautiful woven silk notebook last night at dinner and told me to keep the tradition going. This fall, he and I read every page I wrote during those seven summers. Now he insists I keep the Destin Diary tradition alive.
And that’s not the only thing Peter McCarthy had in store for me over our romantic candlelight date last night. He also delivered a heartfelt (but short because Detective McCarthy is a man of few but always perfect words) speech about his undying love for me.
And then…he proposed! Cue my teen Vivien squeal.
I’m happy to say it is love now, and a crush no more. That man is all I’d ever hoped for and I am certain he will be my best friend and partner until death do us part. It took forever, but so worth the wait.
Right now, I am sitting on the back deck of the Summer House at sunrise with my coffee and the first cool air of the year, promising a perfect day for our family Thanksgiving gathering of…sixteen? Plus kids? I lost count after Mom said Brick was coming for dessert, which was no surprise.
Gah, I have work to do to make Eli’s rigged-up tables look like one glorious Thanksgiving feast that Kate and Jonah are making for us. I will, with Tessa’s help. And Lacey, who came in to town last night with Roman, all aglow and gorgeous.
But first, I want to enjoy this fresh page and a nice long catch-up with you, Dear Diary, after thirty years. Much has happened! Where do I begin?
I guess with some of the main characters from the old Destin days.
Well, first, our dads—Roger and Artie. Sadly, they’re gone, but not without leaving us all the Summer House. It was a gift, a legacy, and an answered prayer. We toast them frequently.
Then, my mom. Maggie Lawson is still a formidable woman in her late seventies, but, like always, Destin mellows her. A few months ago, she almost lost Jo Ellen, but that little spitfire beat the odds and, though fragile, she’s getting stronger every day.
They are back to being Mags and Jo, living together in an apartment above the garage. They still have their wild streaks, their hilarious fights, and “biker poker night” every Friday (I kid you not), so they are living their best life…together in this very house.
And then there’s my big brother, Eli. Still one of God’s greatest creations.
You know how he was madly in love with Tessa, who showed him the meaning of unrequited love and total disinterest?
That Eli. As I told you five billion times, Kate was the Wylie twin for him, and he finally saw the light.
They are solidly in love and building a life together.
Now, she splits her time between Ithaca (still doing some work at Cornell but finishing up) and Destin.
Her daughter Emma has applied to a bunch of Florida colleges, so they’ll both move here at the end of next summer.
Her son Matt loves it here, so I expect he’ll follow in Emma’s footsteps, and they can be one big happy family.
Ultimately, Kate will live here in the Summer House full-time with Eli.
Yes, with Eli.
A few weeks ago, Kate was here and she and Eli went for their favorite after-dinner beach walk. Most of us were up on the deck, cleaning up, and Emma was at the railing looking over the beach. All of a sudden, we hear, “You guys, you guys! Get over here!”
Naturally, we all followed the order of a seventeen-year-old and lined up at the railing. There, we got to witness the breathtaking silhouette of Eli on one knee at the end of the boardwalk with the sun setting deep orange behind him.
We could hear Kate’s enthusiastic “Yes!” all the way up at the house.
They are meant to be together and watching them work out the logistics and refuse to let anything—distance, time, beliefs—break them apart is a testament to their beautiful relationship. (She even goes to church with him!)
Let’s not forget everyone’s favorite—Tessa. Remember bad boy Dustin Mathers? He is bad no more. He and Tessa got married in August! He is a spectacular husband, a therapist, and father to the adorable little girl they adopted in October.
Tessa is still unfairly gorgeous—defying age and gravity—but motherhood and marriage have softened her to a different kind of beauty.
This beauty comes from the inside—a glow of contentment.
She and Dusty have been living at the Summer House temporarily, but in the spring, they’ll be back in their completely renovated beach house in Miramar that got wrecked by Hurricane Norman.
My little sister Crista is still a tiny bit of a drama queen, but she carries it with style.
She’s also eight months pregnant with a boy they are naming Lawson!
Isn’t that perfect? She and her husband, Anthony, and sweet little Nolie, are here from Atlanta a lot, since they bought a second home not far away.
That covers the older generation. We all have kids, of course!
Lacey, my spectacular daughter, is my whole heart.
But get this—she’s engaged to Tessa’s biological son, Roman, who she gave up for adoption 25 years ago.
Now, Lacey lives in Jacksonville (Roman plays for the Jags—how cool is that?) and they just set a date for a wedding.
Best part? (For me, anyway.) She’s asked me to be her maid of honor! Tears.
Eli has two amazing children (he lost his first wife fifteen years ago ).
Jonah is graduating from a local culinary school program in the spring and already has a full-time job where he interns.
I have it on good authority (from Kate, who so easily stepped into the mother role that Jonah missed) that he intends to ask Pepper Broussard to marry him the day he graduates.
She’s opening a dance studio in town and will be a picture-perfect mom to Jonah’s baby, Atlas, who is about to walk and has us all wrapped around his finger.
Eli’s daughter, Meredith, another architect, is doing her part to complicate our tangled family trees by falling hard and fast for Peter’s son, Connor!
He’s already looking into starting a dental practice here in town after he finishes school.
And Meredith, that angel, introduced me to the new manager at her job who is in charge of staging model homes…
so my interior design business is booming!
Have I missed anyone? I think that covers all the players from the past and present. As for the future? Well, I will be writing about whatever challenges and changes that the future holds in this, my new Destin Diaries—midlife edition.
I will say this, Dear Diary. Destin has changed. We have changed. The world has changed. But the magic of these two families, forever bonded by love and laughter on the sand, will never change.
That makes me so happy. That makes me hopeful for our kids and their kids.
Eli always says this place is magic and I have to agree with him. It’s certainly been a magical summer.
For now, I must set a table so we can gather in gratitude. We’ll take a moment to remember the trials we’ve been through, the obstacles we’ve faced, and the kids we used to be.
Whatever is next, we’ll carry on with each other—celebrating, dancing, laughing, and, of course, walkin’ on sunshine.
Love,
Viv