Summer to Remember

Danielle Washington is left with no family, no job, no car, and no money to pay rent. An unexpected call leads her across the country to her mother’s home town. Maybe the small town holds her chance to start over—or at least discover the secrets that kept her mother from ever returning.

As a middle-school teacher, Mark Dawson tries to teach students it’s okay to embrace your quirks; a lesson he also finds himself reiterating to the cute new baker in town. When he is accused of the unthinkable and his career and community threaten to crumble; the shame is too much to share.

Danielle finds herself caught up in the charm of small-town life and the handsome teacher who shares her love of video games and superheroes. Can she overcome the skeletons of the past to connect with the only family she has left and start a new life? Will Mark’s own secrets push them apart before they ever have a chance?

The healing power of the truth and God’s provision are front and center in this story of forgiveness, acceptance, community, and love.

Read Summer to Remember today!

Anna5.0 out of 5 stars Best!

Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2020

After reading all the (Seasons of Love) books, I can honestly say I liked this one the best. Okay, maybe I like it so much because it’s the one I just finished? Lol. I love how the two awkward nerds found each other and connected so fast! I love how the characters is all of TGE’s books appear in each other’s stories. Makes me excited to keep reading them all!

Danielle Washington threw the phone into the passenger seat and tapped her forehead on
the steering wheel. She squeezed her eyes shut to hold back the tears stinging
behind the shuttered lids. Why is this happening to me? First, some jerk broke into her apartment. They stole the
only thing of value - her stand mixer and her personal cake decorating supplies. Now she was losing her job, too?

She didn't earn much money working at Cupcakes by Casey, not remotely enough to afford living in San Francisco, but she loved every minute. Her friend and boss, Casey, just
called to tell her the store was closing. There was too much competition and
they weren't earning enough to afford the lease. Casey would continue baking
special order cakes from her house, but there was no room for an employee in
such a small business. Dani knew that even though it was devastating for her to
hear, it was probably ten times harder for Casey. Not only was she taking a big
step backwards on her dream bakery, but she had to fire a friend. As much as
she knew she should feel bad for Casey, Dani was preoccupied with her own
situation.

What am I supposed to do now? She didn't have a family. Danielle’s parents had been nearly forty
when she was born. Her mother died a few years ago and her father died when she
was only eleven. Her mom's family had never been a part of her life, and her
father's parents were gone, too. Danielle’s only roommates were an artist even
more broke than she was and her cat, Loki. Other than her friends, she was
alone.

Dani took a deep breath and tried to compose herself.
There's no use in crying, she thought.
With a sniffle, she grabbed the keys from the cupholder and slipped them
into the ignition. Turning the key resulted only in a click, click, click sound.

“You've got to be kidding me, God. Did I tick you off or something?” She threw a little tantrum, flailing around the seat as much as the small space would allow and stomping her feet on the floorboard. She looked up at the roof of the car and released the scream that had been building during weeks of frustration while she shook
the steering wheel.

A car door slammed
outside her window and she turned to see an old lady standing between their
cars. Her eyes were wide and she slowly backed away from Danielle toward the
rest of the parking lot.

Great. Now I scare little old ladies. Danielle couldn't help
laughing at the poor woman's face. But the laughter soon turned to unrestrained
sobs. Is this going to be my life? An eighty-year struggle for money, acceptance, and happiness? And then I die. Every time she thought she finally found her place, it was pulled out from under her.
Culinary school had been her dream. Six months into the program, she'd had to
quit her job working nights at the hotel. Which meant she ran out of money for
school. The job at Casey's had been a godsend. She didn't have a degree, but
Casey gave her a shot anyway. Danielle loved experimenting with new flavors and
decorating cupcakes with seasonal designs. It was unlikely she could find
another bakery to hire her for more than cleanup without her finished degree.

God, what am I going to do? I trust You; I swear I do. But seriously. I hope You
aren't just messing with me.

I
have a plan for you, a plan to prosper you and not to harm you.

She wiped her cheeks and took a few deep, shuddering breaths. Well, okay then. But can we get to the prospering part sooner rather
than later?

With one last sigh, Danielle grabbed her phone and keys and climbed out of the car. Now, she
had to figure out how to get home. And how to get her car to the shop when it
wouldn't start. And how to pay for the repairs. She glanced around and found
the sign for the bus stop. Hopefully, her bus pass still had a few bucks on it.
Otherwise she would have to resort to begging the driver to take pity on her.
She officially had zero money in her account. Nothing to pay rent. Nothing to
pay for the car.

With a glance skyward, she trudged toward the bus stop and spoke out loud. “Anytime now, God.”

Dani felt the buzz
in her palm and her phone lit up with an unfamiliar number. Terre Haute, Indiana? It sounded vaguely
familiar, but Danielle definitely didn't know anyone there. She tried to picture Indiana on the map, but her geography was more than a bit rusty. With
nothing better to do while she waited for the bus, she answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“Is this Beatrice
Washington?”

Danielle rolled her eyes. She was still using her mother's cell phone number and telemarketers
called all the time.

“This is her daughter. Beatrice died four years ago.”

“Oh well, I didn't
know that. Perhaps you can help me then? I'm calling on behalf of Margaret
Woodson. Your aunt, I suppose. This is Ruth Coffman.”

Danielle searched
her memory and came up blank. “Who?”

“Beatrice's
sister, Margaret.”

“Aunt Maggie?” The
name sounded familiar, but Danielle couldn’t remember her aunt. Had she ever met her? While Dani was
young, her mother hadn't mentioned her family much. When Danielle asked, her
mother always avoided the topic.

“I'm sorry to tell
you that your aunt is in the hospital. Your mom is listed as the emergency
contact.”

Confused, Danielle
responded, “Okay? What am I supposed to do about it?”

The woman on the
phone let out a huff. “She's going to be okay, thanks for asking.” Danielle
felt a tinge of guilt before the woman continued. “Look, Margaret broke her hip
and needs someone to stay with her for a while and help run her bakery.”

Danielle sat up
straight on the bus stop bench. “Bakery?” With one word, this call was much
more interesting.

“I don't know if
she has any other family. She doesn't even know I'm making this call. But she
needs her family. And I guess that's you.”

“Where exactly do
I need to go?” Danielle tried to sound more friendly and disguise the fact she
had no idea where her aunt lived.

“She's at the
hospital in Greencastle.”

“Indiana?”
Danielle ventured a guess and crossed her fingers she didn't sound completely
ignorant.

“Of course. When
can you get here?”

Danielle considered her options. There was nothing for her here anymore. She wasn't sure how she would get to Indiana, but surely she had a credit card that wasn't
quite maxed out and could charge the airfare.

“I'll head that way as soon as I can. It may take a few days.”

“That's okay,
Sweetie. She'll be in the hospital for at least a week and at the rehab center
for a couple weeks after that. You just call me when you are in town and I'll
help you get settled at her house.”

Huh,
Danielle thought, that's an interesting
turn of events. I'm moving to Indiana. She hadn't realized Aunt Maggie was
still around or that she owned a bakery. A vague memory of standing on a chair
mixing a cake with her aunt surfaced. Was that where she got her love of
baking? It wasn't from her mother, that was for sure.

The bus pulled into the loading zone and she gathered her things. Time to go pick up Loki and let Willow, the starving
artist, know she was on her own for the rent from here on out. Indiana, here we come.