That One Summer
Maddie James [James, Maddie]A Tuckaway Bay Short Story - Series Starter
Twenty years ago, after spending her twenty-first summer working at the beach, Lia Langston left Tuckaway Dunes, leaving behind friends, a job offer, and Zach Allen. The breakup hurt them both—neither handled it well—but she was expected back home in Chicago where a new job was waiting, one her father had pulled a lot of strings to help her land. While Lia wasn't thrilled with the idea of jumping from beach life into Corporate America, as a recent college graduate, she knew the expectations.
So, she left.
From there, she meanders through life—marriage, a child, divorce, career—yet there is one constant. She never misses a summer trip back to the beach with her college girlfriends. Every summer, Lia wonders if she might run into Zach again. She doesn't.
The annual trip is routine, safe, and predictable. The women stay in the same beach house...