Recurring Characters
Rosemont and the Martins
· Maggie Martin Allen – current owner of Rosemont; president of Highpointe College; former forensic accountant and mayor of Westbury; widow of Paul Martin; married to John Allen; mother of Mike Martin and Susan (Martin) Scanlon; grandmother to Julia and twins Sophie and Sarah Martin
· John Allen – veterinarian; owner of Westbury Animal Hospital; Maggie’s husband; “adopted grandfather” to Julia, Sophie, and Sarah
· Paul Martin (deceased) – Maggie’s first husband; disgraced former college president; father of Mike and Susan; affair with Loretta Nash, father of Nicole
· Mike Martin – Maggie’s son; lives in California with wife Amy and twin daughters Sophie and Sarah
· Amy Martin – Mike’s wife; mother to Sophie and Sarah
· Sophie and Sarah Martin – twin daughters of Mike and Amy; close friends of Marissa Nash
· Susan Martin Scanlon – Maggie’s daughter; attorney at her brother-in-law’s firm; kidney donor to half-sister Nicole Nash; married to Aaron Scanlon; mother to Julia
· Hector Martin (deceased) – town patriarch; son of Silas, father of illegitimate son (Frank’s father); donated rare book collection to Highpointe College
· Silas Martin (deceased) – Hector’s father; amassed fortune from sawmill and real estate; built Rosemont
At Rosemont
· Alistair – Rosemont’s longtime butler; now a loyal and witty ghost in the attic
The Scanlons
· Aaron Scanlon – orthopedic surgeon; married to Susan Martin; father of Julia
· Alex Scanlon – Aaron’s brother; attorney; succeeded Maggie as mayor; partner of Marc Benson
· Julia Scanlon – daughter of Susan and Aaron
· Marc Benson – musician; Alex Scanlon’s partner
The Acostas
· Grace Acosta – David Wheeler’s girlfriend; babysitter for Scanlons
· Tommy Acosta – Grace’s younger brother; befriended Nicole Nash and David Wheeler while hospitalized
· Iris Acosta – mother of Grace and Tommy; married to Kevin
· Kevin Acosta – professor at Highpointe College
The Nashes and Hayneses
· Loretta Nash Haynes – former mistress of Paul Martin; married to Frank Haynes; mother to Marissa, Nicole, Sean (with Paul); later children Bonnie and Branson with Frank
· Marissa Nash – Loretta’s oldest; babysits for the Scanlons; friends with Sophie and Sarah Martin
· Nicole Nash – Loretta and Paul Martin’s daughter; kidney recipient from Susan Scanlon
· Sean Nash – Loretta’s son; apprentice to David Wheeler at Forever Friends and Westbury Animal Hospital
· Frank Haynes – Westbury town councilmember; business owner; founder of Forever Friends dog rescue; married to Loretta; grandson of Hector Martin; father of twins Bonnie and Branson
· Bonnie and Branson Haynes – twins of Frank and Loretta
· Ingrid – Haynes family nanny; former pediatric ICU nurse
The Wheelers
· David Wheeler – works with therapy dogs; helps at Forever Friends and Westbury Animal Hospital; Grace Acosta’s boyfriend; son of William and Jackie Wheeler
· Jackie Wheeler – wife of disgraced mayor William Wheeler; mother of David
· William Wheeler (deceased) – disgraced former mayor; convicted of fraud and embezzlement; died in prison
Friends, Neighbors and Westbury Community
· Anita Archer – owner of Archer’s Bridal · Gordon Mortimer – antiques dealer/appraiser; Anita’s love interest
· Judy Young (née Jorgenson) – owner of Celebrations Gift Shop; town gossip and Maggie’s loyal friend; wife of Jeff
· Jeff Carson — uncle owned the Olsson House; married to Judy
· Sunday Sloan – rare-book librarian at Highpointe College; Josh Newlon’s love interest
· Josh Newlon – Maggie’s assistant; son of Lyla Kershaw; in a relationship with Sunday
· Lyla Kershaw – Josh’s birth mother; works in accounting at Highpointe College library; Sunday’s close friend
· Charlotte – owner of Candy Alley candy shop
· Laura and Pete Fitzpatrick – Laura owns the bakery; Pete owns Pete’s Bistro, local hotspot for town leaders; one child
· Harriet and Larry Burman – owners of Burman Jewelers
· Joan and Sam Torres – Maggie’s first friends in Westbury; Joan is a police dispatcher, Sam a handyman
· Gloria Harper Vaughn and Glenn Vaughn – married; residents of Fairview Terraces; surrogate grandparents to David Wheeler
· Chief Andy Thomas – Westbury police chief
· George and Tonya Holmes – married with three children; Tonya is a councilmember and Maggie’s friend
Highpointe College and Beyond
· Dr. Fiona Locke – Dean of Highpointe College Geology Department
· Robert Harris – rare-book librarian at Cambridge University; friend to Sunday; biological father of Josh
· Anthony Plume – dean of Hightpointe College English Department; rare-book thief; ally of Nigel Blythe
· Nigel Blythe – London rare-book dealer; poisoned Hazel Harrington; attempted to kill Sunday and Anthony
· Hazel Harrington (deceased) – former rare-book librarian at Highpointe College, murdered by Blythe
· Ian Lawry – former president of Highpointe College
· Russell Isaac – auto-parts heir; former acting mayor; involved in embezzlement scheme with Delgados
· Tim Knudsen – realtor; town councilmember; married to Nancy; grandfather to Zack
· Forest Smith (deceased) – attorney; died in suspicious fall off bridge
· Bill Stetson – attorney at Stetson Yolanda, his wife
Other Notables
· Delgado Brothers – embezzlers of town pension fund
· Chuck Delgado – former councilmember; liquor store owner
· Ron – CPA and investment advisor; married to William Wheeler’s sister
· Mary – single mother; administrative assistant at Haynes Enterprises
· Juan – vet tech at Westbury Animal Hospital
· Sherry and Neil Parker – Sherry is new vet at Westbury Animal Hospital; Neil now runs Haynes Enterprises
· Jack Rodriguez – David’s landlord in California
· Lyndon Upton – professor of finance, University of Chicago; Maggie’s former colleague