Two estranged sisters. One final wish. A summer that could mend everything…or tear open old wounds.
Calista and Athena Dempsey were once inseparable until their father’s ambition drove a wedge between them. When a very public betrayal shattered their bond, Calista walked away from her family, determined to rebuild her life on her own terms. Athena stayed behind, shouldering the weight of expectations and guilt in silence.
Now, with their mother gone, the sisters are summoned to Hobby Island, a secluded retreat where their mother spent her final days, with one final request: come together and make peace. But the past isn’t so easily buried.
Especially when Calista comes face-to-face with Reid Thornton, the man who once held her heart and then upended her life. He says he wants to make things right. But can she believe him? And can she forgive Athena when the scars between them still run deep?
As secrets surface and loyalties are tested, Calista and Athena must make a pivotal choice. Will they honor their mother’s last wish and find their way back to each other, or let their shared past destroy what little remains of their bond?
Lori Wilde is the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of 97 works of romantic fiction. She’s a three-time Romance Writers’ of America RITA finalist and has four times been nominated for Romantic Times Readers’ Choice Award. She has won numerous other awards as well. Her books have been translated into 26 languages, with more than seven million copies of her books sold worldwide. Her breakout novel, The First Love Cookie Club, was made into a Hallmark movie titled A Kismet Christmas.Lori is a registered nurse with a BSN from Texas Christian University and an MLA from the same university. She holds a certificate in forensics and is also a certified yoga instructor.A sixth-generation Texan, Lori lives with her husband, Bill, in the Cutting Horse Capital of the World.