A Walk Along the Beach

CHAPTER 1

Willa

He s cute. My sister Harper stage-whispered when I joined her at the table in Bean There, my small coffee shop in Oceanside along the Washington coast. I knew exactly who she was talking about and refused to look. I really shouldn t pay him any mind. I shouldn t look. Shouldn t look.

I looked.

Who? I asked, doing my best to hide my interest. I d noticed the tall, lean man with sandy-colored hair who stood at the counter with regularity. My sister was right. He was cute. Not the drop-dead gorgeous of a cover model, though. His appeal was subtle, understated. His hair fell haphazardly across his forehead and his blue eyes were warm. Some days they were a deeper shade than others, depending on what he wore. He had a small cleft in his chin with a single dimple on the right side of his cheek. I knew his first name was Sean for the simple reason I d written his name across the cup. He d corrected me the first time he ordered when I spelled it S-h-a-w-n and explained it was spelled with an e.

Don t be coy, Willa. You know exactly who I mean. That man is gorgeous. Admit it.

Shrugging, I acted disinterested. If you say so.

Does he stop by often? Harper leaned forward, as if to get a better look.

My sister was an outrageous flirt. She always had been, although her relationships never seemed to last more than a few weeks. She was the outgoing one in the family, while I was the introvert, the shy, retiring one. Harper taught yoga classes at the Oceanside Fitness Center two blocks over from my coffee shop. She was their most popular instructor, and with good reason. Everything was fun with Harper, even exercise, and that was saying something.

What s his name? she pressed, unwilling to drop the subject.

Normally I would suggest she introduce herself, and she would make sure she did. For my own selfish reasons, I didn t. I knew that within minutes they would likely be involved in a friendly conversation. That was

Debbie Macomber, the author of It's Better This Way, A Walk Along the Beach, Window on the Bay, Cottage by the Sea, Any Dream Will Do, If Not for You, and the Rose Harbor Inn series, is a leading voice in women's fiction. Thirteen of her novels have reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and five of her beloved Christmas novels have been hit movies on the Hallmark Channel, including Mrs. Miracle and Mr. Miracle. Hallmark Channel also produced the original series Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove, based on Macomber’s Cedar Cove books. She is, as well, the author of the cookbook Debbie Macomber’s Table. There are more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide.

Praise for A Walk Along the Beach

You can always trust Macomber . . . to tug at your heart strings and keep you turning pages. AARP
 
Macomber scores another home run with this surprisingly heavy but uplifting contemporary romance between a café owner and a photographer. Eloquent prose . . . along with [a] charming supporting cast adds a welcome dose of light and hope. With this stirring romance, Macomber demonstrates her mastery of the genre. Publishers Weekly (starred review)
 
Highly emotional . . . a hard-to-put-down page-turner, yet, throughout all the heartache, the strength and love of family shines through. New York Journal of Books
 


Praise for Debbie Macomber
 
No one tugs at readers heartstrings quite as effectively as Macomber. Chicago Tribune
 
The reigning queen of women s fiction. The Sacramento Bee
 
It s impossible not to cheer for Macomber s characters. . . . When it comes to creating a special place and memorable, honorable characters, nobody does it better than Macomber. BookPage