Page 1 of The Perfect Distraction

Chapter One

Welcome to Harbor Springs. Beth smiled wide when she saw the familiar sign and resisted the urge to do a fist pump. She slowed down as she entered the outskirts of town and glanced out the window at the charming homes that lined Main Street.

This was home for the next two months, and it was all thanks to her aunt Jenny. Beth reminded herself to call and thank her once she got settled.

“There it is,” she said aloud, spotting the two-story yellow house with the wraparound porch.

Aunt Jenny’s summer cottage was one of those homes that could have been featured in a magazine. Like many of the homes in downtown Harbor Springs, it was an old farm-style house that had been renovated to look new while maintaining its original charm.

She’d stayed there every summer as a kid when her family had made their annual treks Up North, but she hadn’t visited much in the past ten years. Seeing the house again sparked a lot of fond memories, although this time, she’d be staying there alone.

This would be the first year that Aunt Jenny and Uncle Brad wouldn’t be coming up for the summer. Uncle Brad was recovering from heart surgery, and they couldn’t make the trip. When Aunt Jenny had called and suggested that Beth stay in the house for the summer, she’d been thrilled, although she’d been sorry to hear about Uncle Brad.

The weekend after school let out, she’d packed up her summer clothes and enough books to last her the entire two months (maybe) and headed Up North. As a third-grade teacher, Beth was grateful to have summers off, particularly this summer. It had been a rough year, and she really needed the break. This would also be the first summer she’d spend alone—ever. And she was looking forward to it.

She pulled into the narrow driveway alongside the house and parked in front of the one-car garage. Leaving her bags in the car, she hurried up the steps and onto the porch, noticing the profusion of petunias that bloomed in the flower boxes and the white wicker furniture with the colorful striped cushions. A wooden porch swing had recently been added, and it looked like the perfect spot to curl up and read.

Using her aunt’s key to open the side door, she stepped into the bright kitchen.

“Wow!” she exclaimed as she set her purse and keys on the granite counter. The kitchen had been completely updated since she’d last been there. The cabinets had been painted white and had new black iron drawer pulls. The appliances had been upgraded to stainless steel, and the tile floor had been replaced with wide wood planks. The windows let in plenty of natural light, and the one over the sink looked right onto Main Street. Even doing dishes would be more fun here!

Brooke would love this, she mused as she looked around. Brooke, her youngest sister, loved to cook, and her dream job was to own a restaurant or bakery someday. Unfortunately, Beth didn’t possess the same talent. She only cooked to survive, and whenever she had an opportunity to eat out, she nabbed it.

Next, she went through the kitchen and into the cozy living room. This room looked much the same with its cheerful gingham upholstered furniture and the large stone fireplace flanked by floor-to-ceiling bookcases. Aunt Jenny was as avid a reader as she was, and she vowed to peruse the bookshelves more later.

Passing through the living room, she peeked into the enclosed sunroom that jutted out at the back of the house. Like the other rooms, it was filled with cozy furniture, including an antique rolltop desk and chair. Beth imagined herself working there with the sun streaming in and sipping her morning cup of coffee. Luckily, she wouldn’t have much work to do until the end of the summer when she’d have to start preparing for the new school year. As much as she loved her job, she didn’t want to think about work yet. This summer was all about refueling her soul and coming to grips with what had happened ten months ago.

She climbed the narrow staircase to the second floor and moved through each of the three bedrooms. Her aunt’s bedroom was the largest and had an attached bathroom, but for some reason, Beth didn’t feel right sleeping there. She decided to use the same bedroom she’d stayed in when she was a kid, noticing that a queen-sized bed had replaced the bunk beds and the twin bed where she and her sisters used to sleep.

The rest of the room looked much the same, with a white dresser and matching mirror and an overstuffed chair and ottoman by the window. Beth recalled the times when she and her sisters would argue over who got to sleep on the top bunk. She’d used the logic that since she was the oldest, she should get to choose first, but Becca and Brooke had gotten tired of that old argument, and they’d settled for drawing straws.

Inevitably, she and her sisters would take turns regardless since they were pretty good that way. Beth would have loved it if her sisters could have accompanied her this time even though it was probably better they hadn’t. She needed to do this on her own. Besides, as they often reminded her, they didn’t get summers off like she did.

It’ll be good for me to be alone, she’d told herself a thousand times. And she reminded herself again as she went back downstairs and out to the car to get her luggage.

She’d just popped open the trunk and removed her first bag when she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. Standing there on a strip of grass between Aunt Jenny’s driveway and the neighbor’s was a boy who looked to be similar in age to her third graders.

“Hi,” she said, giving him a polite smile.

“Are you moving in?” he asked in lieu of a greeting.

“No. I’m only here for the summer.”

“Oh,” he said, watching her intently as she continued to remove her bags from the trunk.

The boy was holding a soccer ball, and he passed it from hand to hand as he studied her. His presence didn’t bother her, but she briefly questioned where his parents were and how they would feel about him talking to a stranger. Maybe people didn’t worry as much about that here.

Setting down her last bag, she wiped her hands on her shorts and said, “What’s your name?”

“Joey,” he said. “Joey Woodward.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Joey. My name’s Beth Summers.”

He nodded.

“What grade are you in, Joey?”

“I’m going into fourth.”