Every journey starts with a single stepâ¦
ANNIE: The dandelion. Strong and determined, this widow has recently been promoted to vice president of her bank, so her life should be on the upswing, right? If only she could break the news to her former mother-in-law that sheâd found a new man in her lifeâ¦.
VIOLET: The rose. Delicate and conservative, this retired teacher shares a wonderful relationship with her daughter-in-law, so why canât things just stay the same? But if her strong convictions frown upon Annieâs new direction, what do they say about the new addition to the familyâ¦?
SUMMER: The bad tomato. Dumped on the doorstep of her do-good aunt, just how did a blond, cherubic eight-year-old transform into a Goth teen with a crush on black eyeliner? Annieâs niece is three miles of bad road, but then again, sheâs never had the support of a loving and committed family until nowâ¦.
Will these three women be able to bridge the generational gap and find the way home together?
âW hat, no chocolate cake!â the three of us said in unison to the waiter whoâd announced the unthinkable before handing us dessert menus and retreating to the kitchen.
Mallory turned to Carrie and me. âLifeâs a bitch.â
Carrie nodded. âWhich is why Iâm glad to have you two as my good friends.â
I had to agree. My friends kept me grounded, and lifeâ¦well, had been filled with the unexpected. Iâd learned long ago that nothing was as it seemed. And I never took anything for granted.
I drank a sip of my martini, lifted my glass to theirs and said with much dignity, âLifeâs a bi-otch.â
Carrie giggled. âSince when are you so polite?â
I took another small swallow. I rarely drank, and when I did, I got dizzy on the fumes. âAs the new vice president of the loan department at Portland National Bank, I must conduct myself with decorum.â
Mallory raised her glass and announced, âIn honor of Ms. Annie Jacobs, our hoity-toity pal and Madame Vice President, âlife is a bitchâ will forever be banned from our vocabulary and from now on be referred to as LIB.â
Carrieâs forehead wrinkled. âHuh, shouldnât that be LIAB?â
âI took a little artistic license and dropped the A. Besides, LIB sounds better.â
For a moment Carrie pondered what Mallory had said. âYouâre right.â
âIâll drink to that,â I said as I polished off my martini, which had started out tasting like paint thinnerânot that I knew that for a factâand had improved with each swallow.
Our waiter, John, returned. He was tall, with a wiry build and dark hair. Thick eyelashes framed his sapphire-blue eyes.
Mallory smiled at the hunky guy who looked young enough to be her sonâif sheâd had a son. Neither of us had children, which suited us fine.
Children complicated matters.
They were messy.
And selfish.
Although I was happy with my life, something inside me stirred.
Disappointment?
Ridiculous.
I was thirty-sevenâtick-tockâtime had run out.
Iâd gotten over the need to cradle a child in my arms. Plus, my chances of becoming a mother had died eighteen months ago along with Paul, my husband, the love of my life.
The man whom Iâd thought could do no wrong.
But heâd betrayed me.
Mallory pointed a manicured finger at our waiter. âSince you donât have double fudge chocolate cake, then Iâll have raspberry swirled chocolate cheesecake.â
He directed a killer grin at my friend.
I wasnât surprised. At thirty-nine, Mallory Bourque was the total package, a blond male magnet with hazel eyes, big breasts, long legs and a great personality. If Mallory were a flower sheâd be a gardenia, not because she was fragile, but because men wanted to tend to her needs. Mallory owned the Ooh La La, a specialty lingerie shop in the Old Port area of Portland, Maine.
âWhat about your friends?â he asked, unable to tear his gaze from Mallory.
By his dazed expression, I knew he was a goner. He wasnât the first and wouldnât be the last. By the time we got our tab, Mallory would have his phone number and the promise of a hot date. She preferred younger men, no strings attached. Just fun and games.