Forensic accountant Maggie Martin survives the sudden death of her husband, the charismatic President of Windsor College, only to uncover the secrets of his carefully-concealed double life. Dealing with the financial and emotional wreckage left in Paul’s wake, she is stunned to learn he inherited an estate known as Rosemont in the seemingly-serene Midwestern town of Westbury. Why had he never told her?
Maggie travels to Westbury for the stated purpose of listing Rosemont for immediate sale, but what she really seeks are answers to her all-consuming questions about her sham of a marriage; her sham of a life. She never anticipated the seductive charm of Rosemont. Throwing her trademark caution to the wind, and over the objections of her opinionated grown children, she pulls up stakes and moves halfway across the country, determined to make a fresh start in Westbury. Behind closed doors, however, lurks a cadre of evildoers, playing with multiple wild cards of fraud, embezzlement and arson.
With a quiet, orderly – and distinctively solitary – life in mind, Maggie is instead thrown headlong into a crusade against political corruption, where defeat and retreat are not an option. Still bearing the scars of betrayal, will she find joy, romance and possibility in Westbury?
This fast-paced, smart novel has enough twists and turns to make the reader want to buckle in!
“What do you mean, mom? Fresh start? I don’t get it,” Susan finally replied.
“You know how awkward things have been for me with the College crowd. The new President and his wife are headed in a different direction and don’t want me hanging around. I don’t feel like I fit anywhere anymore. Helen is the only friend that I continue to see,” she said. Maggie raised her hand to hush their objections. “You both have your own lives. I need to have mine. I can run my business from anywhere with a phone and a computer.”
“So you’re thinking of moving there?” Susan choked.
“That’s exactly what I’ve decided to do,” Maggie replied with her best attempt at a firm, confident voice.
“But you don’t know anyone there,” Susan protested.
“Won’t you rattle around in that huge house all alone? Won’t that make you feel more alone?” Mike interjected for the first time.
“You know, that’s the part I’m most sure of. That I won’t be lonely in that house. When the front door closed behind me that first night, I knew I was home. I never told you, but I checked out of the hotel and moved into Rosemont the night I arrived,” Maggie said. Mike and Susan exchanged a skeptical glance. “And you know, the most extraordinary thing happened the next morning. I adopted a lost dog. Or more accurately, she adopted me,” Maggie said, and told them about Eve. “So you see, I won’t be alone there,” Maggie finished.
Both children remained silent. Astonished, Maggie thought with a measure of satisfaction.
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