#1 New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods takes you back to Chesapeake Shores for another heartwarming holiday season
As the only child of a single mom, Jenny Collins wanted nothing more than to be part of a large, rambunctious family like the OâBriens. Ironically, though, when her mother married into that family, Jenny found herself feeling more like an outsider than ever.
Now, after years in Nashville as an established songwriter, Jennyâs drawn back to Chesapeake Shores to collaborate on a Christmas productionâ¦and to make peace with the past. As if thatâs not challenging enough, Caleb Green, the singer who broke her heart, has followed her to town, determined to win her back.
With the help of a little OâBrien holiday magic, will Jenny and Caleb find a way to make sweet music forever?
Dear Friends,
A couple of years ago when I wrote The Summer Garden, I was so sure that would wrap up the Chesapeake Shores series. With other characters and new settings calling to me, I thought Iâd given the OâBriens a proper send-off. Thanks to so many emails and letters from you, Iâve been persuaded that I was wrongâso here we are back in Chesapeake Shores. What better place to spend the holidays!
In A Seaside Christmas Jenny Collins is still struggling to accept her momâs marriage to Thomas OâBrien and the shock that after so many years of being a one-and-only child, she now has a little brother. After staying away from her home, sheâs been drawn back to make peace with her family and to heal a broken heart.
You may recall that when Jenny first appeared in Flowers on Main, sheâd shown some talent as a songwriter. That talent has now flourished in Nashville, making her one of the hottest writers in country music, but sheâs been living her own love-gone-wrong song with one of countryâs superstar bad boys.
This story combines so many of my favorite thingsâChristmas, country music and, of course, the wonderful OâBrien family spirit. I hope youâll feel right at home for the holidays in Chesapeake Shores. And best wishes for the joy of the season wherever you are!
All best,
Sherryl
Chapter One
Chesapeake Shores had been frozen in time, Jenny Collins thought as she turned onto Main Street toward the Chesapeake Bay. Not yet decked out for the holidays, the quaint and welcoming storefronts were the same familiar ones sheâd known practically since childhoodâFlowers on Main, owned by her uncle Jakeâs wife, Bree OâBrien, and then Shaunaâs bookstore, which had another family connection through the OâBriens, then Sallyâs café, Seaside Gifts and, finally, Ethelâs Emporium, which sold everything from penny candy to gaudy beachwear.
Breeâs shop and the bookstore were the newest additions. The others had been around since the townâs founding. Ethel herself was something of an institution, a woman who knew everything and kept very little of it to herself.
It was Breeâas much friend as auntâwhoâd lured Jenny back to town after sheâd spent several years offering pitiful explanations that no one in her family had believed. First college and then her blossoming career as a songwriter in Nashville had given her more legitimate excuses, but Jenny knew theyâd worn thin, too.
The truth was that sheâd stayed away because her momâs marriage to the much older Thomas OâBrien and the birth of Jennyâs half brother had freaked her out. The safe, secure world in which sheâd grown up had suddenly changed in a dramatic way. Sheâd no longer known how to fit in.
At least she recognized that it didnât say anything good about her that sheâd been wildly jealous about not having her mom all to herself anymore. For so long after her dad had left theyâd been a dynamic duo, with only her uncle Jake as backup. Sheâd liked it that way, even when her mom had gotten on her last nerve being overly protective.
Rolling down the car window now, she breathed in the sharp, familiar tang of salt air and sighed. No matter how uncomfortable this visit might turn out to be, it felt amazingly good to be home. She felt settled, as if a part of herself had been restored.
Gazing out at the water, sparkling in the pale sun, she thought of the countless times her mom had talked about how lucky they were to call this town home, how the Chesapeake BayâThomasâs passion and lifeâs workâwas such an amazing estuary and such a national treasure. She hadnât appreciated that then, but on a day like today she did. She could even admit she admired Thomasâs dedication to preserving the bay.
Glancing at the carâs clock, she saw that she was running later than sheâd planned. She drove on to Breeâs theater, the real love of her friendâs professional life. Sheâd promised Bree sheâd write a few songs for this yearâs Christmas play, a play Bree herself had scripted. The prospect of such a collaboration, of possibly reaching a whole new audience with her songs, had been impossible to resist.