A Vineyard Spring

A Vineyard Spring The Vineyard Sunset Series Katie Winters ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Copyright © 2023 by Katie Winters This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. Katie Winters holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Contents 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 Coming Next Other Books by Katie Winters Connect with Katie Winters Chapter One The year had not gone how Isabella Montgomery had planned. Had her mother, Laura, been there, she’d have said, “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. But we keep making plans, don’t we? We don’t give up just because everything else has fallen apart.” Isabella was twenty-three years old. This was a fact. Another fact was she’d planned to move from Martha’s Vineyard to New York City last September to begin the next phase of her life. Graciously, and although Isabella’s decision to leave had broken her mother’s heart, Laura had agreed to help her move. Hours after their arrival to the Big Apple, the place where all of Isabella’s dreams were meant to come true, her mother suffered an aneurysm and passed away. Isabella had been right beside her. The last few words she’d said to her were, “Do you want to share some guacamole?” It was February on Martha’s Vineyard, and Isabella was still reeling from Laura’s death. Grief was a difficult thing to carry, as it felt different every day. Some days it felt so enormously heavy that getting out of bed was out of the question. On other days, Isabella carried her mother’s death around with her, as though it was a sword that had gone all the way through her belly but left her capable of movement. Because of Laura’s death, Isabella had decided to stay at her childhood home with her father, Steven Montgomery. He had lost a lot of weight since Laura’s death, and he walked silently around the house like a ghost. It was difficult for Isabella to find topics to discuss with him. She’d always been closer to her mother. Both of them knew that. But she also wanted to find the strength to make their relationship stronger, especially during this time when they needed company so badly. Last year, they’d both gone through grief therapy, and it had helped a little bit, but with each other, they remained lost. That week, Isabella’s father had decided to re-open the auto shop he’d owned and operated since he’d married Isabella’s mother. Although Isabella had been afraid that the work would be too much for him, she’d noted a lightness in his eyes after each hard day, proof that it was probably good to put your brain somewhere during very dark times. On the fourth day after the re-open, Steve suggested that Isabella come work at the auto shop. “I could use some help in the office,” he explained sheepishly. “I would pay you, of course. Whatever the going rate is.” Isabella wasn’t sure what the going rate was as a secretary at an auto shop. They decided together on eighteen an hour, twenty hours a week. Although normally, in the summertime, Isabella made much more than that as a waitress, this amount was nothing to scoff at. Isabella suspected her father wanted her at work because he was lonely there. Isabella was lonely, too. Most of her friends had left the island, and in the frigid light of winter, there was really not much to do on the island. Isabella set herself up at the front desk of the auto shop. The air stank of grease, fuel, and car upholstery, but for the daughter of a full-time mechanic, it smelled like home. Steve helped her get to know the computer system, where they kept phone numbers, addresses, and payment information for numerous local clients. Vineyard residents knew Steve to be a fair and good repairman. They trusted him with their family vans, their SUVs, their trucks, and their camper vans. Steve decreased prices for family, and if there was anything Steve and Isabella had, it was family. The Montgomery and Sheridan clans extended across Oak Bluffs. With each new birth, their Christmases at the Sunrise Cove Inn grew bigger and brighter. Of course, the most recent Christmas at the Sunrise Cove had been bleak for Isabella, Steve, and her brother, Jonathon. They’d left early and returned to Steve and Isabella’s place, where they’d sat quietly and watched television. Their sorrow had been very heavy that day. The Sunday after Isabella’s first full week at the auto shop, Grandma Kerry and Grandpa Trevor invited the Montgomerys to their home for dinner. The night before, dark clouds had blanketed the island in snow, and the drive from their place to the grandparents’ was slow and steady to ensure they didn’t skid on any black ice that hid beneath the snow. Steve parked the truck in the driveway, and Isabella carried the pie she’d baked for dinner with gloved hands. Before they reached the front door, Grandma Kerry opened it and squealed with excitement. It had only been a few days since they’d seen each other, but Grandma Kerry was sentimental. She always made you feel like you belonged. Everyone in the Montgomery clan had already arrived. They sat across the living room, stood in the kitchen, or drank wine and beer at the dining room table. Isabella dropped off the pie in the kitchen and said hello to Aunt Kelli, Aunt Charlotte, and Aunt Claire, who attempted