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      Praise for the novels of Susan Wiggs

      “Wiggs writes with an even hand, thus adding another excellent title to her already outstanding body of work.”

      —Booklist on Table for Five

      “Wiggs excels at portraying the delicate dynamics among lovers, friends and family members, and her keen awareness of sensory detail ensures that the scents and sounds of Rosa’s kitchen are just as palpable as heady attraction between the protagonists.”

      —Publishers Weekly on Summer by the Sea

      Rave Reviews from Publishers Weekly

      starred review

      “Wiggs’s characterizations are strong, jumping off the page with a winning blend of realism and warmth. A richly textured story…this book will polish Wiggs’s already glowing reputation.”

      —on Passing Through Paradise

      starred review

      “Wiggs richly evokes her multi-faceted setting while depicting equally complex human relationships…the story’s theme—the all-encompassing power of love—is timeless, and it is this theme, along with the author’s polished prose and well-rounded characters, that make Wiggs’s story so satisfying.”

      —on A Summer Affair

      starred review

      “With its lively prose, well-developed conflict and passionate characters, this enjoyable, poignant tale is certain to enchant.”

      —on Halfway to Heaven

      Also by SUSAN WIGGS

      SUMMER BY THE SEA

      THE OCEAN BETWEEN US

      A SUMMER AFFAIR

      HOME BEFORE DARK

      ENCHANTED AFTEROON

      PASSING THROUGH PARADISE

      HALFWAY TO HEAVEN

      THE YOU I NEVER KNEW

      JUST BREATHE

      The Chicago Fire trilogy

      THE FIREBRAND

      THE MISTRESS

      THE HOSTAGE

      THE HORSEMASTER’S DAUGHTER

      THE CHARM SCHOOL

      THE DRIFTER

      THE LIGHTKEEPER

      Susan Wiggs

      Table for Five

      To Jay

      Contents

      part one

      chapter 1

      chapter 2

      chapter 3

      chapter 4

      chapter 5

      part two

      chapter 6

      chapter 7

      chapter 8

      chapter 9

      chapter 10

      chapter 11

      chapter 12

      chapter 13

      chapter 14

      chapter 15

      chapter 16

      chapter 17

      chapter 18

      chapter 19

      part three

      chapter 20

      chapter 21

      chapter 22

      chapter 23

      chapter 24

      part four

      chapter 25

      chapter 26

      chapter 27

      chapter 28

      chapter 29

      chapter 30

      chapter 31

      chapter 32

      chapter 33

      chapter 34

      chapter 35

      chapter 36

      part five

      chapter 37

      chapter 38

      chapter 39

      chapter 40

      chapter 41

      chapter 42

      chapter 43

      chapter 44

      chapter 45

      chapter 46

      chapter 47

      chapter 48

      chapter 49

      chapter 50

      chapter 51

      Acknowledgments

      part one

      Some things are so unexpected that no one is prepared for them.

      —Leo Rosten

      chapter 1

      Friday

       2:45 p.m.

      “Hey, Miss Robinson, want to know how to figure out your porn-star name?” asked Russell Clark, bouncing on the balls of his feet toward the school bus.

      “I think I’ll make it through the day without that.” Lily Robinson put a hand on the boy’s shoulder to keep him from bouncing off the covered sidewalk and into the driving rain.

      “Aw, come on, it’s easy. You just say the name of your street and—”

      “No, thank you, Russell,” Lily said in her “enough’s enough” tone. She hoped he didn’t really know what a porn star was. “That’s inappropriate, and you’re supposed to be line leader this afternoon.”

      “Oops.” Reminded of the privilege, Russell stiffened his spine and marched in a straight line, dutifully leading twenty-three third-graders to the area under the awning by the parking lot. “I’m going to Echo Ridge today,” he said, heading for Bus Number Four. “I have a golf lesson.”

      “In this rain?”

      “It’ll clear up, I bet. See you, Miss Robinson.” Russell went bounding toward the bus, hopscotching around puddles in the parking lot.

      Lily doled out goodbyes and have-a-good-days to the rest of her students, watching them scatter like a flock of startled ducklings to buses and carpools. Charlie Holloway and her best friend, Lindsey Davenport, were last in line, holding hands and chattering together while they waited for Mrs. Davenport’s car to pull forward.

      When Charlie caught Lily’s eye, she ducked her head and looked away. Lily felt a beat of sympathy for the little girl, who was painfully aware that her parents were coming in for a conference after school. The child looked small and fragile, trying to disappear into her yellow rain slicker. Lily wanted to reassure her, to tell her not to worry.

      Charlie didn’t give her a chance. “There’s your mom,” she said,

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