The Forget-Me-Not Friends
Harrison KincaidâDuring his childhood Harrison and his sister, Nessa, spent all of July and August on Summer Island with their parents. In his thirties Harrison married Simone and became the CEO of his family-owned communications business based out of Seattle.
Aidan WytheâRaised by his mother in Seattle, Aidan has been Harrisonâs best friend for as long as he can remember. They went to Yale together and Aidan is Harrisonâs right-hand man at Kincaid Communications.
Emerson CotleyâA local on Summer Island, Emerson took over the family landscaping business after his parents were killed in a car accident.
Jennifer MarchâHer family owns the Lavender Farm Bed and Breakfast on Summer Island. She and Simone were best friends.
Gabe BrookeâGabe owns a real estate business on Summer Island, as well as the local newspaper. He married Harrisonâs sister, Nessa, after Harrison married Simone.
Simone DeRosierâA renowned jazz singer and pianist, Simone started spending her holidays with her father on Summer Island when she was fourteen years old. She coined the phrase âForget-Me-Not Friendâ in her first Grammy Award-winning hit.
Dear Reader,
In this book Iâm taking you back to Summer Island, a locale I introduced this June in the Signature Select Saga novel, You Made Me Love You.
I first dreamed of Summer Island when my family and I spent a holiday with my sisterâs family on Saltspring Island. We had a grand time lazing on the ocean shore, hiking in the rolling hills and kayaking on the becalmed sea. One of the highlights for my city-slicker daughters was setting traps for crabs with my brother-in-law Gord. I couldnât believe it when those picky little children actually ate them, too!
As we explored the Gulf Coast island, I knew I had to write a book about this place one day. No, not just a book, a three-book series. I wasnât sure what the stories would be about, but I started with a picture in my headâ¦.
Five friends sitting around a bonfire on the beach late at night. Theyâre roasting marshmallows and drinking and kidding around with the ease of kids whoâve known each other all their lives. Then someone new asks to join their groupâ¦and their futures are altered forever.
I hope you enjoy this story. The concluding book of this trilogy, Secrets Between Them, will be available in October from Harlequin Superromance. Be sure to watch for it.
If you would like to write or send e-mail, I would be delighted to hear from you through my Web site at www.cjcarmichael.com. Or send mail to the following Canadian address: #1754â246 Stewart Green, S.W., Calgary, Alberta, T3H 3C8, Canada.
Sincerely,
C.J. Carmichael
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Summer Island
AIDAN WYTHE DIDNâT make friends easily, so when the new girl suddenly appeared on the beach in the moonlight, his instinct was to nod politely, and then turn away. His friends Harrison Kincaid and Gabe Brooke, however, reacted quite differently. Harrison scrambled to his feet. Gabe offered her a drink.
âThatâs a good fire.â The girl moved closer to the bonfire, holding out a hand as if she were cold.
She was beautiful. No, more than that. Stunning was a better word.
âItâs even warmer over here.â Gabe patted the surface of the log he was sitting on in invitation.
The girl hesitated. âAre you sure Iâm not interrupting?â
âYeah, actually, you are,â Aidan said. Something about her made him uneasy. Just because Harrison and Gabe were already drooling didnât mean they should invite her to join them. The five of them had been having a great time without her. Aidan looked to Jennifer for support, but even she was frowning at his comment.
âDonât mind him,â Jennifer said.
âYeah,â Gabe added. âAidan was bit by a rabid dog when he was a kid. Heâs never been the same.â
Aidan told Gabe what to do with himself. But everyone else laughed. And the new girl sat down.
âMy dad and I are here for the summer. My nameâs Simone. Simone DeRosier.â
Gabe and Harrison both repeated her name as if to make sure they would never forget it. What idiots. They were still gawking as if theyâd never seen a pretty girl before.
âIâm Gabe Brooke. I live here on the island, and these are my friends.â Gabe went around the fire, pointing as he spoke each of their names: âEmerson and Jennifer are locals, too. Aidan and Harrison are from Seattle.â
âHi, Simone. Itâs good to meet you.â Harrison leaned closer and offered his hand.
Aidan cringed. God, Harrison. Shaking hands was what grown-ups did. Not sixteen-year-old guys who were just hanging out on the beach.
But Simone smiled as brightly as if Harrison was the coolest dude sheâd ever met.