A Sweethaven Summer Read Online Free PDF

funeral?
    She skimmed page after page of the papers that had been tied together with bright red ribbon, but she found no mention of a boyfriend. There were entries about a Blossom Festival. An entry about the old carousel on the boardwalk being restored. Even one page about Meg’s mom’s famous cheesecake. But not one word about a boy who might be her father.
    What if all the secrets had been preserved by one of the other girls? What if the other pages lay somewhere in Sweethaven? In one of those cottages? What if someone—after she’d spent years wondering—could tell her where her long legs and blond hair came from?
    What if she wasn’t alone after all?
    The phone rang, startling Campbell back to reality. She stared at it, not sure if she should answer Mom’s phone. Finally, after three rings, she walked into the kitchen and picked up the receiver.
    “Hello?”
    “Suzanne. It’s so good to hear your voice. I was just callin’ to check in on you. How’re you feelin’, darlin’?”
    Oh no
, Campbell thought.
Someone who hasn’t heard about Mom’s death
.
    “I’m sorry, this is Campbell, Suzanne’s daughter.”
    A pause on the other end.
    “Hello?”
    “Oh, yes, sweetie, I’m still here. I’m sorry. Is your mother home?”
    Campbell sighed. “I hate to be the one to tell you this, but she passed away two days ago.” The words nearly stuck in her throat.
    The Southern woman on the other end of the line let out a faint gasp. “Oh, hon,” she said, “I’m so sorry. I hadn’t heard.”
    Campbell stared at the ceiling—something that always kept her tears from escaping. “Who am I speaking with?”
    “I’m an old friend of your mom’s,” the woman said. “Adele Barber.”
    Campbell frowned.
Barber
. She walked to the living room and picked up the scrapbook pages on the couch.
Meghan Barber
.
    “As in Meghan Barber?”
    “That’s my daughter,” Adele said. “So your mother
did
tell you about Sweethaven.” Adele sounded relieved.
    Campbell started to respond and considered pretending she knew everything—she’d get more information that way—but she’d never been a good liar.
    “Actually, no,” she said. “I just found some photos and scrapbook pages. Do you know where these other women are? And your daughter?”
    Adele cleared her throat. “Maybe it’s best if we meet in person,” she said. “Can you come up here? To Sweethaven?”
    “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Campbell said. “I’ve already been off work for a week.” That part was true. She didn’t mention she’d called her boss at
The Buzz
, the Internet tabloid site where she worked, and taken the rest of the week off.
    “I see.”
    “So, my mom’s friends don’t know she’s gone?”
    “No, darlin’. I don’t see how they could. The girls haven’t spoken in years.”
    Campbell frowned. “Why not?”
    “It’s a long story. I was hopin’ your mama would get in touch with them before she passed away.”
    “You knew she was sick?”
    “I did. She came to see me not too long ago. Wantin’ to make amends, I suppose. Wantin’ some advice. I’m sad she didn’t get to say a proper good-bye.”
    Confused, Campbell glanced around the kitchen, not wanting to get off the phone, but not sure what else to say. Maybe her mom had planned to tell her a lot more than just who her father was that night. Maybe she planned to tell her about Sweethaven.
    The outgoing mail pile still sat in the organizer on the edge of the counter. In it, a stack of small envelopes caught her eye.
    She picked them up and flipped through them one by one.
    “Huh,” she said. “It looks like my mom planned to get in touch with them. I just found three cards, one addressed to each of them.”
    “Oh dear.” Adele’s voice wavered. “She just ran out of time.”
    “Why didn’t she tell me about any of this?” Campbell wondered aloud.
    “I’m sure she had her reasons, hon.”
    Campbell studied the envelopes. Should she mail