Pieces of the Past
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
From all appearances, Anne-Elizabeth Adams had the 'perfect' life. Her birth into an old money world complete with the Social Register and all its trappings, gave her a charmed beginning. With a pedigree of proud Southern heritage dating back to the early days of America, from outward appearances, it was a fairy tale existence of wealth and privilege. Outwardly, that is. There is always another side to every story.
Now in the Autumn of her life with a good marriage, family and grandchildren, she and her husband of nearly forty years were settled into the unhurried world of retirement. Her life was 'comfortable'. So, how was it on a beautiful summer day opening an e-mail from her ex sister-in-law would cause all of the demons of her long sealed Pandora's Box to awaken and stir up pieces of the past. Pieces, broken and scattered from a long ago summer when hearts were broken, destinies altered and innocence was lost forever.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Sitting back down at the computer, she began to read Elena’s e-mail—a paragraph of catch-up news about her four grandbabies and of her and Rolfe’s latest travels—but it was the next sentence that jumped off the screen at her. So much so that while she had meant to set her mug down securely on the desk, she missed it all together, sending the just filled mug crashing to the floor. Elena hedged at first but then said she had been contacted by Joshua …her Joshua of a lifetime ago. Whoa—why was the room spinning? Anne grabbed the side of the desk to steady her thoughts, closing her eyes to bring the room back down from outer space. Being the protector that Elena had always been toward her, she said she had not offered much information to him because she wanted Anne to be aware of his looking for her first. Could she give him her phone number, or what about the e-mail address? Anne’s head was spinning … how … where … when did this happen? What was she to do …why, why, now? As she took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and silently willed herself to finish reading the words that were now jumping off the page at her, she tried to read and not let her mind wander back. Back to all those years ago … what was it now, at least forty … to that hot summer when everything went wrong … everything. Everyone remembers their first love, whether it lasts a season or a lifetime. In the course of a summer more than forty years ago, Anne-Elizabeth Adams’s first love nearly destroyed her. Up until that time, her life had been close to perfect. Pretty, rich, and spoiled, she had all the best a life of wealth and privilege could provide—everything except protection from a cruel world of wounded pride, mistrust, and scandal. Memories of that summer and of Joshua have haunted Anne for years, and even now, in the autumn of her life, the pain remains. Although she has promised herself never again to allow the demons of her past to wreak havoc on her life, an e-mail from her former sister-in-law serves as a catalyst for change and brings Joshua Breckenridge back into her life. Both have full lives, families, and spouses they love—but they can’t deny the draw they still feel, even today. Now they must struggle to maintain their current lives in light of the past and in order to ensure their futures.
About the Author
Bree Matthews is a true southerner, having lived her entire life in the beautiful countryside near the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Now retired, she was an English major for whom writing has always been a passion. Pieces of the Past is the first novel of an intended trilogy.