Lighthouse Cove
Rachel Hanna
Contents
Foreword
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Epilogue
Foreword
Thank you for reading the South Carolina Sunsets series! This is book 7, but you will find a link to the next book in the back of this one. Hope you enjoy Lighthouse Cove!
Chapter 1
Dixie stepped back and looked at her masterpiece. “Well, this is just about the best book display I’ve ever seen, don’t you think?” She proudly held out her arms and looked at Julie, who was thumbing through the latest gardening magazine they’d gotten in at the store.
“It’s a sight to behold,” she said, laughing. Julie walked over and picked up one of the books. “Who is this author, anyway?”
“Charlotte McLemore. Haven’t you heard of her? She’s the biggest thing since my hair in the nineties!” Dixie cackled at her own joke, slapping her leg which was adorned with a pair of bright pink capri pants.
Spring had sprung, and that meant Dixie’s clothing would get more flamboyant by the day. She loved hot weather, not that it ever got overly cold in the lowcountry. At nighttime, it dipped down into the thirties at times, but daytime temps in winter were usually in the sixties. Still, Dixie didn’t break out her craziest clothing until the temperatures warmed up substantially.
“I haven’t heard of her, but then I’ve been focused on helping Meg plan the wedding. I didn’t realize how much work it would be!”
“Can I help you do anything?”
Julie waved her hand. “Nope. Not a thing. You’re busy enough working here and taking care of your husband. How’s he doing, by the way?”
Harry had wrenched his back trying to dig a garden in their backyard. “Oh, he’ll be fine. Doc says he just needs to take it easy and stop acting like he’s twenty-five again.”
Julie smiled. “Is that what I have to look forward to with Dawson in a few years?”
Dixie sat down on the high stool she had placed near her. “Oh, sugar, they get worse as they get older. Always trying to do things that they should hire someone else to do. And Harry is just as stubborn as a mule!”
“Um, I think you might be similar in that regard.”
Dixie laughed. “Yes, but I can do everything!”
The truth was, Dixie had Parkinson’s disease. While she was getting on fine so far thanks to great medications and physical therapy, there was always the reality looming that she and Harry would start to progress more quickly and be unable to care for themselves. It was something Julie thought about a lot, and she’d even spoken to William about it once or twice. Each and every one of them watched Dixie like a hawk, looking for any signs that she wasn’t doing well. So far, though, she was still as spry as ever.
“Knock, knock,” SuAnn said as she walked into the bookstore. Even though the door chimed, Julie’s mother insisted on saying knock knock every time she came into the store.
“Hey, Mom,” Julie said, waving from the back wall.
“What are y’all doing back here?”
“Setting up a new Charlotte McLemore display,” Dixie said.
“Oh, I love her books! Have you read her latest one with the magnolia flower on the cover?” SuAnn asked, excited. Julie had never known her mother to be a reader.
“Since when do you read?”
“Oh, dear, you can’t help it if you ever read one of her books. She will draw you right in with her emotional stories, and they all have a little mystery too.”
“They really are good, Julie. You should read one,” Dixie said, reaching over to hand her a book.
Julie laughed and held up her hand. “Do y’all understand that I’m planning a wedding, running an inn, working here, raising a new son and helping to plan Meg’s wedding? I have no time to read!”
Dixie nodded. “You’re right. There is a lot on your plate. Why don’t you let us help you? I can make phone calls or watch Dylan…”
Julie rubbed her arm. “Thank you. And I may take you up on that soon.”
“And seeing as how I am Meg’s grandmother, it would be nice if you’d let me help with something too,” SuAnn said, her voice giving Julie the distinct impression that she was feeling left out.
“I wanted to talk to you about that. Meg wants to have a dessert bar instead of a big cake. She wondered if you’d make a variety of desserts?”
“Of course. I’ll work on a menu.”
“Thanks. So, what’s going on with you today?”
“Well, I came to tell you the latest gossip.”
“Oh, do tell,” Julie said, pretending to be overly interested. Actually, she was a little curious.
“Well, Darcy heard from her friend Avery that there’s a new lighthouse keeper.”
“Lighthouse keeper? That place has been closed down for years,” Dixie said.
“Well, apparently the county has restored it, and they hired someone to live in that little house next to it. They’re going to be starting tours and opening a little gift shop. Whoever this mystery person is will be running all of that.”
“That’s great! Anything that brings more tourists,” Julie said.
“Well, I just hope the person is decent and not some troublemaker who will wreak havoc in our beloved town,” SuAnn said.
Julie rolled her eyes. “Oh, yes, let’s not have any troublemakers move here, Mom.”
SuAnn tossed a magazine at her as they all laughed.
As she stood there, staring up at the tall black and white lighthouse, she wondered if she was up to this task. The last few months had taken a toll on her in a way she couldn’t really describe in words, and it wasn’t often that her words failed her.
She stepped out of her small, compact car and shut the door. Surprisingly, it had gotten her here all the way from Nashville, although there was that moment near Knoxville where she thought the wheel might pop off. Thankfully, it turned out to be a pothole in the
