74 Seaside Avenue

74 Seaside Avenue
Debbie Macomber

Perfect for fans of Maeve Binchy' - CandisDear Reader, I'm living a life I couldn't even have dreamed of a few years ago. I'm married to Bobby Polgar now (you know, the famous chess champion who just happens to be the man I love! ). And we've got this beautiful house with a view of Puget Sound. But lately something's been worrying Bobby. When I asked, he said he was "protecting his queen"–and I got the oddest feeling he wasn't talking about chess but about me. He wouldn't say anything else.Do you remember Get Nailed, the beauty salon in Cedar Cove? I still work there. I'll tell you about my friend Rachel, who's got two men interested in her (count 'em, two). And I'll let you in on what I've heard about Linnette McAfee, who left town when her love life fell apart. (That kind of trouble I know all about. ) Come in soon for a manicure and a chat, okay? Teri (Miller) PolgarThe Cedar Cove series is now a hit Channel 5 TV series, appearing on UK screens on CHANNEL 5USA

Make time for friends. Make time forDebbie Macomber.

CEDAR COVE 16 LIGHTHOUSE ROAD 204 ROSEWOOD AVENUE 311 PELICAN COURT 44 CRANBERRY POINT 50 HARBOR WAY 6 RAINIER DRIVE 74 SEASIDE AVENUE

BLOSSOM STREET THE SHOP ON BLOSSOM STREET A GOOD YARN OLD BOYFRIENDS WEDNESDAYS AT FOUR TWENTY WISHES SUMMER ON BLOSSOM STREET HANNAH’S LIST

THURSDAYS AT EIGHT

CHRISTMAS IN SEATTLE

FALLING FOR CHRISTMAS

Some of the Residents of Cedar Cove, Washington

Olivia Lockhart Griffin: Family court judge in cedar cove. Mother of Justine and James. Married to Jack Griffin, editor of the Cedar Cove Chronicle. They live at 16 Lighthouse Road.

Charlotte Jefferson Rhodes: Mother of Olivia and of Will Jefferson. Now married to widower Ben Rhodes, ,who has sons David and Steven, neither of whom lives in Cedar Cove.

Justine (Lockhart) Gunderson: Daughter of Olivia. Mother of Leif. Married to Seth Gunderson. The Gundersons owned The Lighthouse restaurant, recently destroyed by fire. They live at 6 Rainier Drive.

James Lockhart: Olivia’s son and Justine’s younger brother. In the Navy. Lives in San Diego with his wife, Selina, and daughter, Isabella, and son, Adam.

Stanley Lockhart: Olivia’s ex-husband and father of James and Justine. Now lives in Seattle.

Will Jefferson: Olivia’s brother, Charlotte’s son. Formerly of Atlanta. Now divorced, retired and moving back to Cedar Cove.

Grace Sherman Harding: Olivia’s best friend. Librarian. Widow of Dan Sherman. Mother of Maryellen Bowman and Kelly Jordan. Married to Cliff Harding, a retired engineer who is now a horse breeder living in Olalla, near Cedar Cove. Grace’s previous address: 204 Rosewood Lane (now a rental property).

Cal Washburn: Horse trainer, employed by Cliff Harding.

Vicki Newman: Local veterinarian, romantically involved with Cal.

Maryellen Bowman: Oldest daughter of Grace and Dan Sherman. Mother of Katie and Drake. Married to Jon Bowman, photographer.

Joseph and Ellen Bowman: father and stepmother of Jon, grandparents of Katie and Drake. They live in Oregon.

Zachary Cox: Accountant, married to Rosie. Father of Allison and Eddie Cox. The family lives at 311 Pelican Court. Allison is attending university in Seattle, while her boyfriend, Anson Butler, has joined the military.

Cecilia Randall: Navy wife, married to Ian Randall. Parents of Aaron. Lived in Cedar Cove until recently. Now transferred to San Diego.

Rachel Pendergast: Works at the Get Nailed salon. Friends with widower Bruce Peyton and his daughter, Jolene. Romantically involved with sailor Nate Olsen.

Bob and Peggy Beldon: Retired. Own a bed and breakfast at 44 Cranberry Point.

Roy McAfee: Private investigator, retired from Seattle police force. Two adult children, Mack and Linnette. Married to Corrie, who works as his office manager. The McAfees live at 50 Harbor Street.

Linnette McAfee: Daughter of Roy and Corrie. Lived in Cedar Cove and worked as a physician assistant in the new medical clinic. Leaving for North Dakota. Her brother, Mack, a fireman in training, is moving to Cedar Cove.

Gloria Ashton: Sheriff’s deputy in Cedar Cove. Biological daughter of Roy and Corrie McAfee.

Troy Davis: Cedar Cove sheriff. Married to Sandy. Father of Megan.

Faith Beckwith: Troy Davis’s high-school girlfriend, now a widow.

Bobby Polgar and Teri Miller Polgar: He is an international chess champion; she’s a hair stylist at Get Nailed. Their home is at 74 Seaside Avenue.

Pastor Flemming: Local Methodist minister.

Dear Friends,

It’s time for another visit to Cedar Cove. (And if this is your first visit, let me reassure you that it won’t take long to catch up.) Come and spend a few hours with Grace, Olivia and their families, plus Rachel (and Nate and Bruce) and Bobby and Teri Polgar and … a cast of hundreds. Well, maybe not hundreds, although it sometimes feels that way.

I created Cedar Cove because of the popularity of my earlier series, particularly MIDNIGHT SONS and HEART OF TEXAS. Every day I received reader mail that asked what happened to such and such a character. It occurred to me that I should write an ongoing series, one without a predetermined end. Each book would be an update on the characters, with multiple plotlines. The fact that you’ve stuck with me into the seventh book validates what all those early reader letters told me. You wanted to go back, or in this case forward.

Because Cedar Cove is based on the very real town of Port Orchard, Washington, some of you have come to visit us here. Welcome! A number of the businesses and streets are loosely based on those in Port Orchard, and I’ve put together a Cedar Cove map. You can either download it from my website at www.DebbieMacomber.com or stop by our Chamber of Commerce for a free copy. If you aren’t online just send me an SASE at PO Box 1458, Port Orchard, WA 98366, USA and I’ll be happy to mail you one.

By the way, I also love to hear from readers. You can reach me via my website or at the address mentioned above. I hope you enjoy 74 Seaside Avenue.

Debbie Macomber

74 Seaside Avenue

www.mirabooks.co.uk (http://www.mirabooks.co.uk)

To

Susan Plunkett, Krysteen Seelen,

Linda Nichols

and

Lois Dyer

All gifted authors

All treasured friends

One

Late Thursday afternoon, Teri Polgar went to the grocery store. Roaming the air-conditioned aisles, she decided to make her specialty—a macaroni-and-cheese casserole—for dinner that night. Some might consider it more of a winter meal, not really suitable for the middle of July, but Teri liked it any time of year. And Bobby—well, Bobby was hardly aware of what season it was, or for that matter, what time of day.

When she got home, she found her husband in front of a chessboard, deep in concentration. That in itself wasn’t unusual. But the board was set up on the kitchen table and her younger brother was sitting across from him. Two out-of-the-ordinary occurrences.

Johnny grinned sheepishly when she walked in with her bag of groceries. “I came by for a quick visit and Bobby insisted on teaching me,” he explained.