Three weeks and counting until Same Time Next Summer hits the shelves. I'll confess, I love cloudy days. This seemed like the perfect opening to a story...
by Holly Jacobs
“CARO. CARO, COME ON.”
Twelve-year-old Carolyn Kendal threw open the
cottage door and ran out onto the porch. The force of the wind took her breath
away.
She looked out at Lake Erie. The wind had whipped
it into a frenzy, pounding wave after wave onto the shore.
Stephan Foster, her best friend each summer, was
on his family’s porch, waving at her.
Caro tugged at the leg of her swimsuit. The suit
didn’t fit as well as it had when she’d arrived with her mom and dad at their
Heritage Bay, Ohio, summer-home last month. She smiled as she continued pulling
it into place. Normally, she didn’t like things to change but she was pleased
that she’d finally started growing. For two years she’d been lamenting her lack
of height, certain she’d never get any taller than four feet eleven.
She glanced down at her chest and hoped that if
she was growing taller, she’d also start growing out, but truly, she didn’t
feel very optimistic.
Optimistic was her word of the
week. She liked the way it felt as it rolled off her tongue.
Optimistic.
It seemed like such a happy word. And on days like
this, when the beach was this perfect, it was the right word to describe
herself. She was optimistic.
“Caro.” Stephan’s voice was laced with
exasperation. “Come on. We haven’t had a day like this all summer.”
He was now down on the beach, waiting for her.
“Caro,” he called again, louder, more impatient.
And though she knew they were getting too old for
this game, there was a comfort in it. She might be starting seventh grade in
September, but this was familiar and hadn’t changed. She stopped pulling at her
yellow suit, quit playing with words and ran to him. Her bare feet made a
slapping noise on the cement walkway then quieted as soon as she reached the
rocky sand.
“Here comes one.” Stephan stood poised, ready to
run.
Caro got ready, too. She extended her right leg,
bending at the knee, waiting for just the right moment. She knew from years of
experience, it was all about the right moment. Too soon, too late...either
would ruin the run.
“Go.” Stephan sprinted forward and she followed on
his heels.
The wind whipped the marshmallow-puffy clouds
across the sky. Pushing. Pushing. The clouds bumped into the sun high over head.
That was the moment that signaled they could start
They ran between the rocky cliff and Lake Erie, on
the small swatch of pebbly sand, chasing the edge of the sun’s shadow.
Sometimes, if the breeze was lazy enough, they
would catch it. But on days like today, when the wind really kicked up, they
never did. But it didn’t matter. The joy was in the chase.
“We lost it.” Caro stopped, panting for air.
“There will be another shadow in a few minutes.”
Stephan, a year older than she was, had the weight of that extra twelve-month’s
wisdom. This time he nodded sagely, his summer-long hair flopping onto his
forehead, and added, “Yep, everything always changes. We just have to wait,
catch our breath, ’cause there’s always another shadow.”
Everything always changes. There’s always another
shadow, she thought.
"Best friends Carolyn Kendal and Stephen Foster get a second chance at love after Carolyn's young daughter, Emma, severely injured in a car accident and expected to die, recovers and thrives. Having Stephen around to help her believe that the impossible was possible allowed Carolyn to never give up hope. Holly Jacobs' Same Time Next Summer (4.5) is a well-written, touching story about rekindled love and the power of friendship." ~Romantic Times
"Award winning author Holly Jacobs has written a real life drama with insight and compassion that will touch your heart in her unforgettable book, SAME TIME NEXT SUMMER. ...I recommend SAME TIME NEXT SUMMER as an all time best summer read." ~CataRomance
"...a heartwarming story of love and family that was written with such passion you cannot help wanting to read it from start to finishing in one sitting." Writers Unlimited
"Same Time Next Summer is beautiful story of love being the strength to overcome any of life's obstacles. Holly Jacobs has once again written a book full of heart humor, home and family. ...Whether chasing shadows on the beach or weathering the storms of life, family and friends are what get us through the good and bad times. Holly Jacobs is a master at representing real family life in her books and helping us to realize what love and life are all about. She can make us sigh with happiness, cry with sorrow, and laugh out loud at the humor." ~ © Kelley A. Hartsell, July 2008. All rights reserved
"Jacobs tells a good story... one that feels like home. Summers on Lake Erie can be magical." ~ Lesa Holstine
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