The Guest Book (22 page)

Christy Baca, who unknowingly suggested this story.

My husband, Curt, who is patient and kind and generous and loving. I am blessed to have you in my life and in my corner.

My kids —Jack, Ashleigh, Matthew, Rebekah, Bradley, and Annaliese. As much as I love writing novels, you guys are far and away my greatest creations.

My mom, who always finds ways to make my life better.

My best friend and the other half of my writing brain, Ariel Lawhon.

The Writers and Sisters in Christ: Jenny B. Jones, Cara Putman, Cindy Thomson, Kit Wilkinson, Nicole O’Dell, and Kim Cash Tate.

The belles of Southern Belle View: Lisa Wingate, Rachel Hauck, Beth Webb Hart, and Shellie Tomlinson.

Kathy Patrick and Wanda Jewell, who opened the door and welcomed me in.

Jonathan Clements, who applauds from the balcony.

Crazy writers like me who take joy in doing this and help me remember my own: Karen Zacharias, Judy Christie, Kim Wright, Carla Stewart, Mary DeMuth, Nicole Seitz, Christa Allan, and Susan Meissner.

My IRL friends, who laugh with me and root for me: Jill Dean, Lisa Shea, Jen Tolbert, Missy Johnston, Lisa Whittle, Shari Braendel, Kim Young, April Mangum, Rachel Olsen, Karen Ehman, Zoe Elmore, Paige McKinney, and Nancy Malcor.

The on-location folks in Sunset Beach, North Carolina: Thom Seaman, the sculptor; the Carroll family, who own the real Time in a Bottle, for letting me use their house’s name; Lisa Massey, the chief of police; and Pat Wilson, who gave me a spot on the shelf at Pelican Books, my favorite bookstore in the world.

My story consultant, Nicci Jordan Hubert.

My agent, Esther Fedorkevich.

The folks at Zondervan: Sue Brower, Alicia Mey, Don Gates, Michelle Lenger, Jennifer VerHage, Heather Adams, Katie Beth Broaddus, Becky Philpott, Ben Greenhoe, Joyce Ondersma, Jackie Aldridge, and Tonya Osterhouse.

The Artist, who painted me pictures all along the way and supplied the words to describe them.

MARYBETH WHALEN
is the wife of Curt and mom of six children. She is the director of She Reads, an online book club focused on spotlighting the best in women’s fiction. Marybeth is the author of
The Mailbox
and
She Makes It Look Easy
. Marybeth spends most of her time in the grocery store but occasionally escapes long enough to scribble some words. She’s always at work on her next novel. Marybeth and her family live in North Carolina.

You can find her online at www.marybethwhalen.com.

Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

“Lost loves, a beach house, hope, healing, and a mysterious guestbook combine to create a delight as warm and compelling as a day in your favorite beach chair. You’ll be rooting for Macy as she reconciles the past and searches for the mystery man she can’t forget.”

—L
ISA
W
INGATE,
national bestselling, award-winning author of
Dandelion Summer
and
Blue Moon Bay

“Marybeth Whalen is masterful at setting the stage and drawing the reader in. A trip to Sunset Beach for a family stuck in regrets and sorrow is a journey for the heart that kept me in suspense until the very last page.
The Guest Book
is lovely. Uplifting. Satisfying. A must-read!”

—C
ARLA
S
TEWART,
award-winning author of
Chasing Lilacs
and
Stardust

“
The Guest Book
has the perfect blend of a Nicholas Sparks’ beach setting with a heavy dose of hope and happily-ever-after. Doomed to repeat the mistakes of her past, Macy returns to the beach house of her youth. Her journey becomes one of discovery and opening dormant dreams. Then God answers her prayer with a flood of men. A delightful read with underlying strands of poignancy. I loved this book!”

—C
ARA
C. P
UTMAN,
author of
A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island
and
Stars in the Night

“
The Guestbook
is sheer intrigue, romance, and the perfect kind of agony. I couldn’t put it down until I knew every last detail. Quirky and surprising storytelling, multidimensional characters, and a killer beach setting captured me from page one. Marybeth Whalen is to be commended again for another complex yet stunning read. Count me as a fan.”

—M
ARY
D
E
M
UTH,
author of
The Muir House

Dear Macy,

I feel like Writing this is breaking the rules for us. That we aren’t supposed to need words between us. But I am going to set aside the rules just this once. I never liked rules much anyWay, and I have a feeling you don’t either.

I think it’s time that we meet. In person. I’ve been drawing you pictures for most of my life, and I Want to finally see the face of — hear the voice of — the artist who has captured my imagination for as long as I can remember. We communicate in pictures and not many people understand that. I’m ready to move past these pictures, which have been our connection all these years, and finally tell you who I am. And explain why I’ve never told you before.

So this year, I’ve drawn you a picture of the place where we can meet. I will be waiting for you there on Friday at two o’clock. I hope you will come. Please, say you will.

Love, the artist

ZONDERVAN

The Guest Book

Copyright © 2012 by Marybeth Whalen

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.

EPub Edition © MAY 2012 ISBN: 978-0-310-33475-0

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan,
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Whalen, Marybeth.

The guest book : a novel / Marybeth Whalen.

      p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-310-33474-3

I. Title.

PS3623.H355G84 2012

8l3’.6–dc23          2012003444

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other — except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Lyrics from “Man of Colours” by Icehouse. All rights reserved.

Published in association with the literary agency of Fedd & Company, Inc., Post Office Box 341973, Austin, Texas 78734.

Cover design: Michelle Lenger
Cover photography: © Veer

Founded in 1931, Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Zondervan, a division of HarperCollins
Publishers
, is the leading international Christian communications company, producing best-selling Bibles, books, new media products, a growing line of gift products and award-winning children’s products. The world’s largest Bible publisher, Zondervan (
www.zondervan.com
) holds exclusive publishing rights to the
New International Version of the Bible
and has distributed more than 150 million copies worldwide. It is also one of the top Christian publishers in the world, selling its award-winning books through Christian retailers, general market bookstores, mass merchandisers, specialty retailers, and the Internet. Zondervan has received a total of 68 Gold Medallion awards for its books, more than any other publisher.

Free Online Resources at
www.zondervan.com/hello

	Zondervan AuthorTracker: Be notified whenever your favorite authors publish new books, go on tour, or post an update about what’s happening in their lives.
	Daily Bible Verses and Devotions: Enrich your life with daily Bible verses or devotions that help you start every morning focused on God.
	Free Email Publications: Sign up for newsletters on fiction, Christian living, church ministry, parenting, and more.
	Zondervan Bible Search: Find and compare Bible passages in a variety of translations at www.zondervanbiblesearch.com .
	Other Benefits: Register yourself to receive online benefits like coupons and special offers, or to participate in research.