Emily has a happy, if simple, life. But when her childhood crush shows up, her well-ordered world turns upside down. Daniel’s life looks enviable from the outside, yet his brother’s involvement in a religious cult has broken his family’s heart. As Emily and Daniel begin to realize they have a lot more in common than they did as kids playing on the beach, an accident tests both their faith journeys. Can lessons learned through Emily’s past rekindle Daniel’s convictions and draw the two of them to each other?
Targeted Age Group:: young adult and adult
What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I love romance! The idea for Emily and Daniel’s story came from a wedding I attended in which the bride and groom had, indeed, been childhood acquaintances who reconnected as adults. It was the kernel of a story that begged to be told! This is the first of seven romances to be written about fictional characters in this group in the “Vacation Friends” series.
How Did You Come up With Your Characters?
The challenges that the two main characters face are ones I’ve faced in life as well, including having a family member in a "high-influence organization," or cult. So my goal was to help the two find each other, and love, as they wrestled with those issues both individually and together.
Book Sample
Emily let out a long breath and rolled her neck in a slow circle, listening to the crinkling sounds it made. In her pocket, her cell phone vibrated against her hip, reminding her it was midnight.
“I’ve got to get some sleep.” She smiled weakly at Brandon as she gathered up her purse and jacket from underneath the welcome desk of the inn. It had been a sunny end-of-the-summer day when she had left her apartment that morning, but it would be cool now. “I have to be back again tomorrow morning at 8!”
Brandon put his arm around her waist and leaned in to kiss her, but they both jumped when the automatic double doors swished open. Emily breathed a small sigh of relief. She and Brandon had been dating for about two months, and he always seemed to be pushing things to move a little faster than she’d like.
A tall, lean man in a dark-grey suit that was clearly custom made walked through the entranceway wheeling a small black suitcase behind him. He had a black laptop case slung over one shoulder and was texting as he moved. His head was down, which meant that his short, carefully combed, light-brown hair was all Emily could see. Curious, she stood off to the side as Brandon stepped forward to the edge of the front counter to greet their guest.
The man was still texting, so Brandon waited patiently. The guest grunted at his phone and then looked up.
“Sorry,” the man said. “Daniel Caine.”
Emily gasped, and Daniel looked to where she was standing. She dropped her purse, ran to him, and threw her arms around her old friend.
“Danny!” she exclaimed, pulling back from her hug. “What are you doing here?”
“Emmy Steverman?” Daniel’s eyebrows rose. “Hey, I can’t believe you’re still here at the inn! I’m really late.” He shoved his phone into his front pants pocket. “I called ahead to ask when you were working, and I was going to surprise you. But I thought your shift was over at 7, and I got super held up at work. I figured I’d missed you.”
“I stayed an extra few hours to fill in for a woman who called in sick,” Emily explained. “How did you even know I worked here?”
Daniel grinned. “C’mon. My folks get your folks’ Christmas cards. The last one said you were working at a Pocono inn. I have a conference in Mount Pocono this week, and I didn’t feel like staying in the conference hotel.” He shrugged. “I called your mom, and she gave me the name of this place. And here I am at good old Sweet Fern Inn.” His smile grew mischievous. “But really, is there actually such a thing as a sweet fern?”
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