Love Letters: A Rose Harbor Novel Read Free Page A

this strongly about any man, especially someone she hadn’t met in person. They had a great deal in common and had really connected. They both liked fish tacos and stargazing, long walks, and classic novels. In fact, they met through an online book club.
    Tom was a former submariner who worked in the Navy shipyard in Bremerton. The minute her mother heard that small bit of information, it’d thrown her into a tizzy. Sailors were notorious for having a girl in every port; they were men with loose morals, or so her mother claimed. But Ellie refused to believe it about Tom. He was like her, a bit shy and reserved, unless she was nervous. Silly as it seemed, when overly anxious, like now, she could blurt out the most nonsensical information to a stranger that she wouldn’t consider sharing with her closest friend.
    Despite her mother’s warnings, Ellie wasn’t worried that Tom was using her. Everything she knew about him told her he was kind and thoughtful, intelligent and studious, and not the stereotypical sailor who played on others’ emotions. She couldn’t make herself believe he would do anything to hurt her. She trusted him, and if his photo was anything to go by, he was as open and honest as she believed. She was willing to go by faith and trust her gut feelings. What counted was his heart.
    They would meet face-to-face for the first time this weekend. Tom was the one who’d suggested she stay at Rose Harbor Inn. Ellie prayed once more that she was doing the right thing. She made the reservation at the inn in May, almost three months ago, and twicesince then she’d changed her mind. They’d set the date for August, and Tom had been pleased and excited that they would meet at last. She was, too.
    Her mistake, she realized, was telling her mother about Tom. The instant Virginia Reynolds heard that Ellie planned to meet this man she’d met through Facebook, she had become rattled and unglued, certain Ellie was about to make the worst mistake of her life. After constant badgering from her mother, Ellie had given in and canceled the trip. When she’d told Tom she’d changed her mind, he’d offered to contact her mother and reassure her that his intentions were honorable. Ellie was touched, but thought it ridiculous that at her age she had to justify to her mother what she did and who she met. Eager to prove she was capable of making her own decisions, Ellie rebooked the inn a short while later. Tom stood by his offer. He’d be happy to chat with her mother, answer her questions, and give character references if needed.
    Ellie’s cell phone dinged, indicating she had a text message. Hoping it was from Tom, she dug her phone out of her purse and sighed with frustration when she saw it was from her mother.
    Please let me know you’re OK , Virginia Reynolds had written.
    Landed. Am safe. Ellie quickly typed back.
    Thank God. You don’t know how worried I am.
    I’m fine, Mom. Ellie sighed and returned her cell to her purse, ignoring the next ping, certain it was her mother yet again.
    The root problem, Ellie realized, was her parents’ failed marriage. A thousand times through her childhood, Ellie had heard her mother claim that men weren’t to be trusted. Men would stomp on your heart and then walk away as if it meant nothing. That had been Virginia’s experience, and she was willing to do whatever was necessary to protect her only child from the same fate.
    Following her parents’ divorce, Ellie had become the entire focus of her mother’s world. Virginia had dedicated everything to Ellie: Her time, her resources, and her love were all directed toward Ellie. At times she felt her mother was suffocating her. Ellie craved toforge her own path and then instantly felt guilty, knowing she was everything to her mother.
    Her phone rang, and again, hoping it was Tom, Ellie grabbed it out of her purse.
    Her mother.
    Ellie let the call go to voice mail. The woman across the aisle sent her a curious glance, which