On the Rocks (A Turtle Island Novel) Read Online Free

in her mother’s house, pretending it was okay that she was single.
    Her world was moving in a new direction, and Ginger either had to get on board and go along with it, or she would be left watching by the sidelines. Her mother was getting married, Clint would be moving in, and she would be underfoot.
    And unless something changed, that marriage would be taking place in a short six weeks.
    She ignored the robin’s-egg–blue box, and grabbed her phone. She needed to talk to her friends.
    Andie Kavanaugh and Roni Alexander had been her best friends since the age of seven. The other two hadn’t grown up on the island, but Andie’s aunt lived there, and Roni’s mother was a die-hard fan of the beach, so they’d visited every summer. A few years ago all three of them had seen the pact they’d made as kids come true when Andie and Roni had both moved to the island full-time.
    Only, they’d subsequently fallen in love with men whose lives were not on the island.
    That wasn’t to say they didn’t come back when they could. Roni, her husband, Lucas, and her stepdaughter, Gracie, had been there in June. Gracie had turned five, and she’d wanted a birthday party on the beach. Since Roni still owned her house here—and Lucas could telecommute from anywhere—they’d stayed for the month before Lucas and Gracie had returned to Dallas, and Roni had headed off for her first concert tour in years. She was a concert pianist. And she was amazing.
    Roni had managed a day away from the tour after Andie and Mark’s first child had been born in July, and both she and Ginger had flown to Boston to see the young man just a few days after he’d entered the world. Theodore Wayne Kavanaugh had been born with a head full of dark hair and the kind of blue eyes that would someday turn many a girl’s head. Ginger had lost her heart to the little guy immediately. As well as promised countless hours of babysitting anytime they came for a visit.
    Then Roni had confessed that she’d also be joining the ranks of motherhood. And Ginger had smiled through her envy.
    Unwelcome jealousy or not, they were her girls, and she needed them now.
    After running upstairs and tugging on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, both of which had seen better days, she went to the front porch to make her call. She tried Roni first, but there was no answer. Her tour would be finishing in a couple of weeks. Probably she was in the middle of prepping for tonight’s show.
    Andie did answer her phone. With the sound of crying not far away.
    “Hey, hon,” Andie said. She sounded completely exhausted, and not a little frazzled. “Can I call you back in just a bit? I’m sorry, I’m—”
    “Yes,” Ginger interjected. “Call me later. Whenever. Take care of that cutie of yours. He sounds hungry.”
    Andie laughed tiredly. “He’s always hungry.”
    “Then feed the little guy. Don’t worry about me.”
    The sounds of suckling suddenly came through the phone, and a pang tugged at Ginger’s heart. She wanted that, too.
    “I’ll talk to you later,” Ginger whispered, ready to hang up.
    “Wait,” Andie shot out. “You said worry. Don’t worry about you. What’s wrong?”
    Ginger leaned her head against the back of the glider and closed her eyes. Moisture pushed at the seams. She missed having her friends close. “I didn’t mean worry ,” she said. “I just meant . . .” She pictured her mother’s ring. Then she pictured little Teddy at his mother’s breast. “It’s nothing. We can talk anytime. You sound like you could use some sleep after you get Teddy down.”
    “I can always use sleep.” A yawn followed the words, right on cue.
    “Then feed that baby, close your eyes while he’s eating, and doze for a few minutes. We can talk later. Give him a hug for me, will you? And tell Mark I said hi.”
    “Will do.” Andie yawned again. “You sure it’s nothing important?”
    “Just checking on you.”
    “ ’K.” She yawned for a third time,