Showing results by author "Cindy Nichols" in All Categories

Widow Jen Watson's grown boys are on their own, and she's looking forward to having a blissful summer at the family beach house with her lifelong best friends, for the first time in years—until she finds out her family has been scheming to sell it. Just the thought of losing her late grandmother's home and all the memories it holds makes her head spin, even though it needs quite a bit more fixing up than her family is willing to do. But Jen and her best friends will do just about anything to keep the house in the family. Especially when a long lost friend comes back into Jen's life.

Meg Walsh always had a plan. Climb the ladder. Earn the title. Build a life on her terms. But when she returns to Laguna Beach after her brother's emergency call, the tidy version of her life begins to unravel. The Beach Shack—her grandmother's restaurant and the heart of their coastal town—is floundering. The money is disappearing. And no one wants to talk about why. Suddenly, Meg is swept into a world of sourdough starters, bonfires, and unexpected truths.

Somebody's getting married . . . And Jen's going to be a grandma, any minute. Her daughter-in-law's mother has dropped the ball for the baby shower and the wedding has come out of the blue. Faith, Carrie, and Jen have to manage both events—but will any of them be the star of the show?

In Southern California, it's twinkle lights on palm trees, boat parades with colored lights everywhere, gondola rides, and beachfront mansions decorated with Santas. But also cookie exchanges, house decorating contests, and hot chocolate. And Jen is determined to recreate all of her grandmother's Christmas traditions, if it's the last thing she does.

Jen, Faith, and Carrie have worked hard to make sure that the Newport Harbor house is out of the woods and stays in the family. New plans, a new future for Faith's pillow business and new love for Jen and Carrie are on the horizon. But the unexpected high tide from the full moon coupled with high winds put the house—and their dreams—in jeopardy once again. All hands on deck are required to keep everything on track, and the friends come together to ensure the future of the house—and their plans.

With Jen and Carrie at the beach full time, it's gotten harder by the week for Faith to return to her job inland as a new life has been unfolding for her at the beach on the weekends. Her part time job at the boutique has taken more and more of her time as the owner becomes increasingly scarce. Her daughter, Maggy, has been visiting more frequently, with all the ups and downs that brings. Jen's son, Max, has been spending time in Newport as well, and Faith still holds out hope that Maggy and Max might end up together.

It took Jen and her best friends Carrie and Faith all summer to save the beach house. And none of them could have realized how much it would change their lives. Jen's making a new life for herself in Newport, facing new challenges and new relationships. The beginning of the school year calls Faith back to her kindergarten classroom while she tries to juggle that and her job at the boutique. But Carrie—Carrie's life is about to be turned completely upside down when the stepdaughter she thought she'd lost forever turns up on her doorstep.