The Inn at Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber Read Free Book Online Page B

what had happened that fateful December night. Both denied it, but Abby feared her parents were looking to protect her from the truth.
    Either way, it no longer mattered. With her parents in Arizona, Abby had heaved a giant sigh of relief. She’d been grateful to put Cedar Cove behind her. Her parents’ retirement plans were the perfect excuse to put that part of her life behind her and strive to look forward.
    Only Abby had never quite succeeded in forgetting. Really, how could she forget Angela? Or shove her to the back of her mind as if her life had been of no importance? She’d been the one driving. She was the one responsible. The blame was squarely on her shoulders. What it took her years to realize was that she’d lost far more than her best friend that night. Right along with everything else, Abby had lost her soul.
    The carefree happy teenager she’d once been had died that night right alongside her best friend. Her entire life had changed afterward—even her personality. Before the accident she’d been gregarious, outgoing, and fun-loving. These days she was much more subdued, intense, and quiet. She dated, but not much. It seemed grossly wrong that she should continue on with a happylife while Angela was dead. And from everything she’d learned about the White family, they’d never recovered from the loss of their only daughter.
    Eventually Abby had graduated from college and left Washington State, but she was never the same. She had few friends; she avoided getting close to anyone, for it always felt like a betrayal of Angela. She lived in regret, or so her counselor had once told her. Nothing she did, good or otherwise, would ever be enough to wash away the burden of guilt she carried.
    Through the years, the fact that she was responsible for killing her best friend had become part and parcel of who she was, who she was destined to always be.
    After obtaining her degree, Abby had accepted a job in management at the QVC fulfillment center in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Florida was just about as far away from Cedar Cove as she could get, both physically and otherwise. Living in a place of ninety-degree winter days, humidity, and alligators made it almost possible to believe that a small wooded town on a cove in the Pacific Northwest was just a dream.
    With her parents living elsewhere and her only brother in Seattle, there’d never been a reason to revisit her childhood home. Until now.
    The family was excited for Roger. He’d been in and out of relationships for years before he met Victoria. Their mother had been ecstatic with the news when Roger and Victoria announced their engagement. This was Linda and Tom’s best shot at being grandparents.
    Everyone, Abby included, accepted that she would probably never marry. In many ways she felt like her entire life had been placed on hold following the accident. She’d grown accustomed to living in this emotional bubble.
    Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she glanced at the bedsideclock radio for the tenth time. It was after six now and still pitch dark. She’d slept, if she could even call it sleeping, for a grand total of three hours.
    Turning on the lamp by the bed, Abby reached for a book she’d brought with her. Immersing herself in a good story would occupy her for a while, keep her mind busy until it was time to go downstairs and join Jo Marie and the other guest for breakfast.
    Later she would venture into town to find the pharmacy Jo Marie had mentioned, and hope she didn’t run into anyone she knew in the process. Then, this afternoon, she would hook up with her parents and her brother for Roger and Victoria’s wedding rehearsal.
    Abby was genuinely happy for her brother and resolved to put on a smile for his sake.

Chapter 6
    Josh didn’t sleep well. Little wonder—the dreadful scene with Richard played continuously in his mind, like a movie that refused to be shut off. Despite his best efforts the confrontation had gone even worse than he’d