Sherryl Woods - Welcome to Serenity

“Woods’s latest entry in her Sweet Magnolias series (after Stealing Home) is sure to please fans and entice new readers with…flesh-and-blood characters, terrific dialogue and substantial stakes.”

—Publishers Weekly on A Slice of Heaven

“Strong supporting characters, a vivid sense of place, and a strong appreciation for the past add to the appeal of Woods’ contemporary romance.”

—Booklist on The Backup Plan

“Compulsively readable…a universal tale of friendship’s redemptive power.”

—Publishers Weekly on Mending Fences

“Redolent with Southern small-town atmosphere, this emotionally rich story deals with some serious issues and delivers on a number of levels.”

—Library Journal on A Slice of Heaven

“Sweetly satisfying, clever characters and snappy, realistic dialogue…a delightful read.”

—Publishers Weekly on About That Man

“Sherryl Woods is a uniquely gifted writer whose deep understanding of human nature is woven into every page.”

—New York Times bestselling author Carla Neggers

www.mirabooks.co.uk

Dear Friends,

So many of you have welcomed the Sweet Magnolias into your lives and asked for more that I couldn’t resist. For all of you, here’s Jeanette’s story, along with a subplot about that diabolical Mary Vaughn who tried to steal Ronnie away from Dana Sue…twice! I think you’ll gain some new insights into what makes her tick and maybe even feel some sympathy for all she’s gone through in her life.

Of course, since this is coming out during my very favorite time of the year—Christmas—I couldn’t resist making the holidays a critical part of the story. We all know people who hate the entire season with a passion, but we rarely learn the reason for those bah-humbug attitudes. In Welcome to Serenity, both Jeanette and Tom have plenty of issues with the holidays. In Jeanette’s case, the reason is tragic. It’s shaped her entire adult life. Loving her as he does, Tom gains a whole new perspective on his own distaste for the season of goodwill. But the fun of the story is their bosses’ insistence that these two are among those responsible for making Christmas magic happen in Serenity, a town that absolutely adores its holidays.

I hope you’ll enjoy being back with the Sweet Magnolias at this wonderful time of year and that your own holiday season is filled with joy.

All best,

Sherryl

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

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

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

The relaxing scent of lavender in the hand cream that Jeanette Brioche was massaging into her cramped fingers did absolutely nothing to calm her jittery nerves. A few hours ago Maddie Maddox, her boss at The Corner Spa, had scheduled a meeting for six o’clock, immediately after Jeanette was due to finish with her last client. Maddie hadn’t said what it was about, but her grim expression suggested it wasn’t a celebration, something she and her friends Dana Sue and Helen organized at the drop of a hat.

Since Jeanette tended to be a worrier who saw disaster around every corner, she decided to get this over with even though it wasn’t quite six. Her stomach knotted with dread, she walked down the hall to Maddie’s office.

After tapping on the partially open door, Jeanette stepped inside to chaos. A disheveled Maddie was holding a wriggling six-month-old Cole in her arms and trying to feed him, while two-year-old Jessica Lynn ran wildly around the room, knocking everything in sight onto the floor. Maddie’s usually well-organized folders were in a chaotic heap, and samples from their suppliers were scattered everywhere. A topless bottle of hand lotion had been upended.

“Help!” Maddie said to Jeanette, who promptly scooped up Jessica Lynn and tickled her until the child dissolved into giggles.

“Having a bad day?” Jeanette inquired, feeling her stomach unknot as the toddler patted her cheek with sticky fingers that smelled of rose-scented hand lotion. The more time she spent around Jessica Lynn and Cole, as well as Helen’s little girl, however, the louder the ticking of Jeanette’s biological clock seemed to get. The alarm hadn’t gone off yet, but she sensed it was about to when the scent of baby powder started to smell better to her than the herbal aromas in the spa.

“A bad day, a bad week and more than likely a bad month,” Maddie replied.

The weary response pretty much confirmed the reason for her earlier grim expression. Maddie had already had three children when she’d married Cal Maddox a few years ago and now had two more. Her oldest son, Ty, was a sophomore at Duke and star of the school’s baseball team. Kyle was in high school and finally regaining his equilibrium after Maddie’s divorce from his dad, and Katie had just turned nine and was only marginally impressed with being a big sister, rather than the baby of the family.

There was no question that Maddie had her hands full, even without taking into account that she ran The Corner Spa, which was a thriving fitness club and day spa for residents of Serenity, South Carolina, and beyond. Jeanette couldn’t imagine how she juggled all those balls in the air. Most days she did it with aplomb. Today she looked completely frazzled.

“Want me to take our girl here and give her a beauty treatment?” she asked Maddie, even as Jessica Lynn struggled to break free.

“Actually, Cal should be here any second to pick them up,” Maddie replied. “Then you and I can talk.”

Just as she spoke, the man in question strode into the room, sized up the situation with a grin and took the squirming Jessica Lynn from Jeanette.

“How’s my favorite girl?” he asked, tossing the toddler into the air, then planting a loud kiss on her cheek that had Jessica Lynn squealing with delight.

“I thought I was your favorite girl,” Maddie grumbled with feigned annoyance.

Seemingly oblivious to his wife’s mussed hair, lack of makeup and formula-splotched blouse, Cal set the two-year-old down and then leaned down to give Maddie a long, lingering kiss. “You are my favorite woman,” he told Maddie. “And that is much, much better.”

Jeanette watched enviously as Maddie touched his cheek in response and their eyes locked. It was as if the two of them were alone in the room. Dana Sue and Ronnie Sullivan, and Helen Decatur and Erik Whitney were equally smitten. Never in her thirty-two years had Jeanette experienced anything like the love these couples shared. It was little wonder that Jeanette almost sighed aloud with longing whenever she was around any of them.

In fact, their happiness was almost enough to convince her to give relationships another try. She’d been out of action for three years now, ever since she’d dumped the guy who’d resented her commitment to The Corner Spa. With Cal, Ronnie and Erik all devoted to their wives and supportive of their careers, Jeanette knew it was possible to find a man like that. She simply hadn’t been that lucky yet.

Finally, her cheeks pink, Maddie tore her gaze away from her husband. “Nice save, Coach Maddox,” she said, referring to Cal’s role as the high school’s baseball coach and her son’s onetime mentor. “Now, would you get these two little munchkins out of here so I can have an intelligent conversation with Jeanette?”