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Synopsis-

Starting from Scratch

★★★★★ “Are you looking to loose yourself in some tight knit family drama? Or maybe you would like to escape into warm family relationships? This well developed book has it all! Grab a cup of coffee and settle in for a wonderful time!” - Amazon reviewer

A story of love, sisterhood, and starting over…

Lena Merrill and Owen McEnna have been best friends for decades, and she’s done a great job of pretending she’s not in love with him that whole time…until recently. Maybe it’s all the changes in the air. Maybe it’s realizing that life is passing her by and most of her dreams are still unfulfilled. Whatever the case, her already notoriously bad poker face is slipping, and it needs to stop, pronto. Because there’s only one thing worse than not having Owen love her back, and that’s the thought of driving him away altogether.

When Nikki Merrill set off for Bluebird Bay to find her long lost sister, Anna, she never imagined she'd be returning home to Cherry Blossom Point with her in tow. Battle lines are drawn when each of her siblings have wildly different reactions to their new family member. Lena is willing to invite Anna into their lives, Gayle and Jack can’t even look at her, and Nikki? She’s caught dead in the middle of things. Will building a relationship with her new sister splinter the one she has with the siblings she's always known?

Anna Sullivan didn’t want another family. Now that she has one, though, she’s in for the long haul. When she leaves Bluebird Bay to spend some time with Nikki and meet the rest of her siblings, she isn’t prepared for the drama that ensues. It’s kind of hard to make a good impression when half of them see her as a walking representation of their father’s infidelity. And when more family secrets are uncovered, she realizes they’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg.

Will Anna figure out how to navigate these choppy family waters, or will her visit to Cherry Blossom Point turn out to be a disaster of Titanic proportions?

Nikki Merrill stood in her kitchen, surveying the breakfast she was making for her sister, Anna. The waffles were almost done, the fruit was all cut, the hollandaise was finished… she just needed to poach the eggs, but that could wait until the last minute.
Might as well make a fruit compote for the waffles, she decided, pulling a bag of frozen berries from the freezer.
Okay, so maybe cooking entirely too much food for one meal was a nervous habit. But it was soothing.
She sniffed the air, rife with the scent of melted butter and maple syrup warming, and let out a sigh. God, it felt good to be in her home again after being away for so long. It had surprised her...the sense of comfort she’d felt when she’d walked in. She hadn’t been at all homesick during her stay in Bluebird Bay. Sure, she had missed her daughter, but Beth was away at college anyway. And the time away from her family here had actually given her some much-needed clarity. No, she hadn’t missed all that much about Cherry Blossom Point...except her kitchen.
She had to admit, it was a chef’s dream. Literally. Nikki had scrimped and saved for years as she’d planned every detail of the kitchen she’d wanted her whole life. The rest of the house was a hodgepodge of generic box-store furniture and household bric-a-brac that had been left on the side of the road with a Free sign. The walls were bare of art, save for a few childhood photos of Beth, and the rugs were nearly worn through. It didn’t usually bother her, but she had almost been embarrassed showing Anna around when they’d arrived two nights before. The dusty living room with its one yellow couch and one gray. The outdated bathroom with its pale pink tiles. Beth’s bedroom, where Anna currently slept, still a garish shade of purple that Beth had chosen six years ago at the age of thirteen.
The kitchen, though?
The kitchen was the bomb, and Nikki’s sanctuary. Each item had been chosen with the utmost care, and she had done most of the renovations herself. She had tiled the floor—twice, when her first efforts had been lackluster—painted the cabinets a pale dove gray, and installed each handle and knob herself. The Blue Damasco marble countertops were a work of art, and the collection of copper pots and pans hanging on the wall never failed to lift Nikki’s spirits. It had taken her five years to save up for her Lacanche range, and she loved that thing like a second child. Sure, she’d taken her chef’s knives and a few other essentials with her to Bluebird Bay, but lord… she had missed this kitchen.
She lifted the handle on the waffle maker, noting the pale golden color of the waffles, before closing it again. Two more minutes, tops.
She hadn’t had access to this outlet in months. Rented apartment kitchenettes and slinging hash at Mo’s Diner just didn’t have the same feel as cooking food in her own home. And if she made enough for an army? Well, it never hurt to have some extra waffles in the freezer, just in case. Back when Beth was younger, Nikki used to make a huge batch of waffles every Sunday and just pop them into the toaster oven on weekday mornings for a quick breakfast. All the convenience of a toaster waffle, but a hundred times better.
“Coffee?” Anna asked blearily as she shuffled in.
“There.” Nikki pointed past the gently steaming waffle maker to the fresh pot of coffee in the corner.
Anna poured herself a cup and went to sit at the table, scrolling through her phone while she rejoined the land of the living.
Nikki hoped that her sister hadn’t been sleeping too poorly on the lumpy mattress in Beth’s room… if Nikki had known that her sister was going to come stay with her, she would have been better prepared.
She watched her sister from under her lashes, noting the hazel eyes so like her own. Who would’ve thought just a couple months ago that Anna would be here right now? Nikki had gone to Bluebird Bay in hopes of meeting her father Eric’s other daughter, who had been the product of an affair he’d had while already married to Nikki’s mother. It hadn’t been an easy decision to go. Her much-older brother, Jack, and his twin, Gayle, had nearly lost their minds.
“Let sleeping dogs lie, Nikki. Why bring more attention to Dad’s terrible betrayal?”
Her sister Lena had been more diplomatic.
“If you need to go do it to feel settled, do it. I’m here for you.”
And her father? Despite keeping the secret from them until after their mother passed out of respect for her feelings, he’d been all for it. In fact, he’d had hopes that maybe, if Nikki broke the ice and was able to actually connect with Anna in a meaningful way, he might get to meet her someday too. She hadn’t been as optimistic as all that, and knew it was a risk to even try. Anna was a fifty-year-old woman with a life of her own. One she might not want disrupted by some stranger barging in on account of them sharing some of the same DNA.
Nikki had been dead right on that count. Initially, Anna had slammed the door shut on any attempts to get to know her. But she had stuck it out for weeks, hoping...waiting. She’d all but given up when Anna had finally relented and agreed to see her. Nikki had been sure it would be a one-time thing. When it had blossomed into more, she’d been ecstatic. They might live two hours apart, but by the time she’d packed up and was ready to leave Bluebird Bay, she knew she would see her sister again. Given their rocky start, she’d been satisfied with that.
So, two days ago, when Anna had told Nikki that she was going with her to Cherry Blossom Point?
Nikki was floored.
“Are you serious?” she’d asked.
“As a heart attack,” Anna had replied. “You’re my sister, Nikki, and you’ve felt like my sister from the moment I finally let my guard down. And Beth already feels as dear to me as the nieces I’ve known their whole lives. You saw how she fit in on Thanksgiving. It was like the both of you had always been there. I can’t imagine not having you guys in my life. I can’t believe I almost missed out on that, just by being pig-headed. I want to meet my biological father. There are so many things I wish I’d said to Pop before he passed away. Things that I should have done with my mom before she got too sick to do them, adventures we could have had together...I’m too old to keep making the same mistakes, Nikki. I don’t want to miss my chance to get to know our dad. I don’t want to live with one more regret over what I should have done. Family comes first, and if something happened and I never got to meet him? I think it would feel like another loss, in some ways.”
As soon as Nikki had caught her breath, she’d agreed without really thinking it through. More time to get to know her funny, whip-smart, sassy older sister, who was brave in ways that Nikki could only dream of. But on the two-hour drive to Cherry Blossom Point, doubts had begun to creep in. As they began to pass familiar buildings—and the street that their brother Jack lived on—she’d started to freak out a little.
Internally, at least.
Outwardly, she had tried to keep calm… but she was never much of a pretender.
She swallowed a sigh and cracked an egg into the swirling vinegar water. They’d been here two days and she still had no clue how to handle this part of things. Who should she tell first? Initially, she’d considered calling a family meeting. Letting them all know at once. Just rip off the band-aid in one fell swoop. Was that a terrible idea?
She’d had a nightmare about it the night before—Gayle had given her a look of withering disappointment, Jack had loomed over them all and lectured them until Nikki had started to cry, and Anna had started disintegrating, blowing away like dust.
She bit back a groan and scooped the perfectly poached egg from the water and transferred it to a paper towel.
Maybe she would call Lena first or go straight to Dad. After all, he was the one Anna had come to meet, and she was well aware that Jack and Gayle wanted nothing more than to sweep this part of their family history under the rug and had no interest in meeting her. But despite the whopper he’d managed to keep under wraps for decades, Eric Merrill had grown notorious for his inability to keep a secret in his old age. Once he knew, Jack and Gayle wouldn’t be far behind.
How would he react to the daughter he had never known? With joy, Nikki hoped. And gratitude. When he’d told them about her, he’d been emotional and clearly indicated that he’d love to meet her. But would the reality of it be too much for him? And could Anna ever truly forgive him for just handing her over and walking away?
It had been a condition imposed by both parties. Nikki’s mother had agreed to take Eric back if he never saw Rose or their baby again, and Anna’s father had promised Rose that he would raise the baby as his own if she severed all contact with Eric.
What a mess.
But Anna was here now. That was the important thing.
Now she just needed to figure out how to break the news. Her family was expecting her back any day, and their texts and voice messages trying to nail down when that might be were getting more insistent.
Her relationship with Anna was still so new. What if her siblings acted like jerks? Nikki trusted Lena to be kind, but the twins… What if they treated Anna so poorly that she up and left? What if she wanted nothing to do with any of them anymore?
Anna, disintegrating until she disappeared from her life altogether.
No way, Nikki assured herself as she plated their food. She and Beth were part of Anna’s family now, for better or for worse. And it was Nikki’s job to let her siblings know it. Their dad only lived a few blocks away, and Cherry Blossom Point was a pretty small town. She would hate for them to hear her news from anyone else, and she was running out of time.
It had to be today.
“Breakfast,” Nikki announced grimly as she approached the table.
“I’m not sure why you sound like you’re about to serve me a severed head,” Anna said, setting down her phone, “but that smells amazing. You’d better stop cooking like this; I might never leave. Those meatballs you made last night were a revelation. I can’t believe you made pasta from scratch.”
Nikki managed a smile. “It’s good to be back in my own kitchen.”
“Oh wow,” Anna said with her mouth full. “This sauce is to die for. Like silk.”
“It came out good,” Nikki agreed, and for a moment they enjoyed their food in silence.
“So,” Anna said, still chewing. “What’s the sitch, sis? You ready to bite the bullet yet?”
Nikki gulped and stared at her sister, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.
Anna cocked an eyebrow. “Or are we hunkering down here for the foreseeable future? It’s fine, either way. I’m just trying to decide if I need to take up knitting. Maybe order Rosetta Stone and brush up on my Italian...”
“I’m not sure what you mean,” she stammered, trying to get her head together and think of how to respond. Anna was all-too perceptive. Nikki should’ve known she couldn’t put one past her.
“You’re hiding me away like I’m your side chick and your wife is on a business trip.”
“Ouch!” Nikki laughed and winced at the same time. “I am not!”
“It’s okay, I’m not mad. But let’s talk about it,” Anna replied, setting her fork down and leaning back in the chair.
“Was it that obvious?” It was amazing how well her sister knew her already.
“Aside from driving to the next town over for groceries at ten PM? Or staying inside all day yesterday to ‘settle in’? Or the phone calls and texts you keep ignoring?” Anna shook her head solemnly. “Not obvious at all.”
Nikki chuckled and held up a hand. “Okay, okay, I get it.”
“What are you afraid of?” Anna asked. “Jack’s disapproval? Gayle’s anger? Upending everyone’s lives? Worst case scenario here is what? Lay it on me.”
Nikki pushed some food around on her plate, unable to meet Anna’s gaze. “Worst case scenario is that Jack is such a complete ass that you run off and I never see you again.”
“Not gonna happen,” Anna responded immediately. “Next?”
Nikki looked up as a heavy layer of fear slipped away.
“I’m not here to cause trouble for him...or anyone else,” Anna told her. “I just want a little time with Eric, if he’ll have me. If anyone else decides they want to meet me, fine. I’m not going to force myself on them.”
“Dad will be thrilled. And Lena wants to meet you. She won’t say it to the twins, but I’m sure of it.” Nikki almost stopped there, for fear of scaring her off, but she deserved to know what she was getting herself into.
“I just don’t know about Jack and Gayle,” she continued. “Jack is… difficult. He means well. I think. But he’s so overbearing. Thinks he’s always right, you know? There’s never much room for compromise, no gray areas. And he’s super bossy. To him, this secret should have stayed buried, and Gayle agreed. They said no good would come of it.”
“I don’t care about Jack or Gayle,” Anna said with a shrug. “No skin off my back. I don’t have any feelings toward them at all… aside from some irritation that they’re stressing out my little sister.” She leaned in and took a sip of coffee. “I say we get the truth out there and let the chips fall where they may,” she told Nikki. “I deserve the chance to meet my dad if he wants to meet me. And if that’s all that happens while I’m here, I’ll consider it good.” She shrugged. “I’m grateful just to have gotten the bonus sibling, to be honest.”
“I’m grateful too. I just hope that Jack and Gayle don’t make our lives hell.”
“You’re really selling the Merrill family dynamic in a big way,” Anna quipped, withdrawing her hand and taking a huge bite of her waffles. “Seems like a party in a box.”
“Sorry,” Nikki said with a chuckle. “They’re not all bad. They’re just… protective.”
“It’s not like you live with them, Nikki. You can take space if they try to bully you.”
Nikki pushed her plate aside and set her forehead on the table with a groan. “You haven’t met Jack…” she muttered into her placemat.
“The way you’re talking, I don’t much want to,” Anna said lightly. “Let him stay away if he disapproves so much. It’s just as well. That way, I only have to juggle one long-lost relative at a time.”
The words were barely out of her mouth when the front door swung open and banged against the wall, caught up by the howling November winds. A bundled-up figure tumbled inside. Nikki jumped up from her chair, heart pounding.
“You’re home!” Teal green eyes shone bright in a face reddened by cold. Then again, Lena was nearly always pink-cheeked, whether that was from chilly weather or summer sun or simple excitement. Her curly blonde hair was a frizzled mess this morning, sticking out every which way from between her hat and scarf.
“I’m home,” Nikki echoed shrilly, panic taking hold as her brain went offline.
Code red. Code red.
Dimly, she heard her sister Lena continue as she closed the door behind her and yanked off her cap.
“Your phone kept going to voicemail, so I wasn’t sure if you had stayed longer in Bluebird Bay or if you’d taken a det— Oh, hi!” Lena said brightly. “I didn’t realize Nikki had company.”
Nikki watched in silent horror as Lena made a beeline toward Anna and then stopped short. Her head whipped toward Nikki, then to Anna, and back again.
The ever-present color leached from her face as she swayed on her feet.
“Holy cannoli.”