It's Better This Way

Chapter 1

Nearly six years later

Julia woke, glanced at the clock on her nightstand, and wondered how long it would take for her to sleep past six. Old habits die hard, even though she no longer had any need to set her alarm. For more years than she could remember, she had risen at six every morning. Her business, West Coast Interiors, had been sold, and she was easing into retirement, working part-time as a consultant.

The decision to sell had been a weighty one and followed on the heels of her mother s passing. As Julia neared sixty, she felt she had plenty of good years left. Then an offer had come through that was far and above her expectations. Julia didn t feel like she could turn it down. She wasn t ready to give up her work entirely, which was why she d made continuing as a consultant part of the agreement. The buyers had asked her to stay on, as well. She could work as much or as little as she wanted. After finishing this latest project, she d decided to take a few days off and test what semiretirement felt like.

This certainly wasn t how she d once anticipated retirement. There d been a time when she d hoped to travel the world with her husband. Julia longed to explore Europe and Asia. As of now, traveling alone held little appeal. Perhaps one day.

As she knew it would, her dream home had sold less than a week after it had been listed. So many changes had come into her life. After her divorce was final, she d rented an apartment before making a decision on her new home. She knew she wanted to remain living in Seattle, and possibly in the downtown area itself.

The city was her home and there had been enough upheaval in her life without facilitating another major life change. Her girls were close, as was her sister and her family. She waited a year to start looking, and then the search had taken on a life of its own.

For three long years, Julia was on an endless quest to find a place she felt she could call home. The

Debbie Macomber

Macomber has a firm grasp on issues that will resonate with readers of domestic fiction. Well-drawn characters and plotting coupled with strong romantic subplots and striking coincidences will keep readers rooting for forgiveness, hope and true love to conquer all. Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines

Macomber keeps her well-shaded, believable characters at the heart of this seamlessly plotted novel as she probes the nuances of familial relationships and the agelessness of romance. This deeply emotional tale proves it s never too late for love. Publishers Weekly (starred review)