When We Found Home + Giveaway
About When We Found Home
Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: HQN Books (July 10, 2018)
Life is meant to be savored, but that’s not easy with no family, limited prospects and a past you’d rather not talk about. Still, Callie Smith doesn’t know how to feel when she discovers she has a brother and a sister–Malcolm, who grew up with affection, wealth and privilege, and Keira, a streetwise twelve-year-old. Callie doesn’t love being alone, but at least it’s safe. Despite her trepidation, she moves into the grand family home with her siblings and grandfather on the shores of Lake Washington, hoping just maybe this will be the start of a whole new life.
But starting over can be messy. Callie and Keira fit in with each other, but not with their posh new lifestyle, leaving Malcolm feeling like the odd man out in his own home. He was clever enough to turn a sleepy Seattle mail-order food catalog into an online gourmet powerhouse, yet he can’t figure out how to help his new sisters feel secure. Becoming a family will take patience, humor, a little bit of wine and a whole lot of love. But love isn’t Malcolm’s strong suit…until a beautiful barista teaches him that an open heart, like the family table, can always make room for more.
In this emotional, funny and heartfelt story, Susan Mallery masterfully explores the definition of a modern family—blended by surprise, not by choice—and how those complicated relationships can add unexpected richness to life.
Delaney was so stunned it took her
a full second before she could move. She ran after Keira who was barreling out
the doors and into the busy street. Before Delaney could figure out what was
happening, she saw Keira bend down and pick up something from the street, then
turn back toward the safety of the sidewalk. But before she could make it,
there was a hideous screech of brakes followed by a horrible thud as a Prius
struck Keira, sending her into the air, then back onto the street where she lay
lifeless, a tiny kitten cradled in her small hands.
The world went silent. All Delaney
heard was the beating of her own heart. Everything moved in slow motion as the
driver flung open the car door and ran toward the fallen girl. People emerged
from everywhere to surround her. Phones were pulled out as dozens called 9-1-1.
Shock later, action now, Delaney
thought, willing her limbs to move. She stumbled to Keira’s side and fell to
her knees next to her. Keira’s eyes fluttered open.
“Take care of the kitten,” she
murmured, passing the small animal to Delaney before groaning. “I hurt.”
“Just stay still, Keira. It’s okay.
An ambulance is coming. I’ll take the kitten.” The tiny creature trembled in
her hands. “I’ll stay right here.”
“You know her?” a woman asked.
“She’s a friend of mine. She, ah,
goes to the private school. Keira…” Delaney swore. “I don’t know her last name.
She has a brother and a grandfather.”
Her brother! Delaney had to call
him. Only where was Keira’s phone?
She looked around and realized the
girl’s backpack was still next to her chair in the lobby eating area. Before
Delaney could figure out what to do, Luzia ran out with Delaney’s purse in one
hand and Keira’s backpack in the other.
“Are you going with her to the
hospital?”
Delaney hesitated for only a second
before nodding. “I’m going to call her brother to meet us there.”
Delaney dug for the phone while a
man yelled he would go tell someone at the school that one of their students
had been injured. Delaney found the phone just as an ambulance pulled up.
She scrolled through the short
contact list, then, despite everything, smiled. Right under the As—Asshole Brother.
As the EMTs began to work on Keira,
the girl called out. “Delaney, don’t leave me.” She looked at the guy helping
her. “She’s my sister and she has to come with me.”
“Sure. No problem. Now tell me
where it hurts. Can you move your toes? Not your legs, just your toes. We’re
going to stabilize you, then get you to the hospital.”
“I can move my toes and it hurts
everywhere.” Tears seeped out of the corners of Keira’s eyes. “Delaney!”
“I’m right here. I’m calling your
brother to let him know what happened.”
“Don’t bother. He won’t care.”
The tears came faster now and she
started to sob. “It hurts. It hurts. Make it stop.” The sobs turned into screams.
Delaney’s own eyes burned as she
pushed the button on the phone. Pick up,
pick up, she thought frantically. The kitten stayed perfectly still,
huddled against her chest.
“Hello?”
“Are you Keira’s brother?”
“A friend of hers. Look, she’s been
hit by a car. She’s conscious but I don’t know how badly she’s hurt. They’re
taking her to the hospital. Hold on.” She turned to the EMTs who were loading
Keira on a stretcher. “Which hospital?”
She repeated the information to
Keira’s brother. “I’m going with her so she won’t be by herself. I have the
kitten, too.”
“Kitten. What are you talking
about? Who are you?”
“Delaney, don’t leave me!”
She saw that Keira was in the
ambulance. She ran toward it. “I have to go. I’ll meet you at the hospital.
Hurry.” She ended the call and started to climb in the back. One of the EMTs
protested, but Delaney stared him down.
“She’s a kid who was just hit by a
car. Give us both a break, okay?”
He nodded and helped her inside.
Delaney sat close to Keira.
“It’s going to be okay,” she told
the still-crying girl. “I’m right here.”
She shrugged out of her sweater,
folded it up and put it in her tote, then settled the kitten on top of it.
“Once I know you’re taken care of, I’ll see to our little friend here. Do you
trust me to do that?”
Keira nodded, even as she cried.
“It hurts so much.”
“I know, sweetie. I’m here.”
The EMT in the back started an IV,
then the sirens came on and they were moving. Delaney knew what was next—the
hospital, where the sounds and smells would bring everything back. She mentally
braced herself for the onslaught, even as she hung on to Keira’s hand. For all
she knew, she was all Keira had.
Purchase Links
Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble
About Susan Mallery
#1 NYT bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming, humorous novels about the relationships that define our lives-family, friendship, romance. She’s known for putting nuanced characters in emotional situations that surprise readers to laughter. Beloved by millions, her books have been translated into 28 languages.Susan lives in Washington with her husband, two cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Visit her at SusanMallery.com.
Excerpt Tour:
Monday, June 18th: From the TBR Pile
Tuesday, June 19th: Book Reviews and More by Kathy
Wednesday, June 20th: Books & Spoons
Thursday, June 21st: Palmer’s Page Turners
Friday, June 22nd: The Sassy Bookster
Monday, June 25th: Reading Reality
Tuesday, June 26th: A Holland Reads
Wednesday, June 27th: Drey’s Library
Thursday, June 28th: Cheryl’s Book Nook
Friday, June 29th: Mama Reads Blog
Monday, July 2nd: The Sketchy Reader
Tuesday, July 3rd: Satisfaction for Insatiable Reader
Thursday, July 5th: OMG Reads
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Comments