Page 1 of A Brambleberry Summer

Chapter One

Summer Saturdays in a busy tourist town like Cannon Beach, Oregon, were not for the faint of heart.

As always, the sidewalk outside Rosa Galvez’s gift shop, By-The-Wind, was packed with tourists. Kids in swimming suits. Parents with sunburned noses, their arms loaded with buckets and towels and umbrellas. And, her favorite, older people arm in arm, enjoying an afternoon of browsing through the local stores.

The long, wide stretch of beach that gave the town its name was only a half block from her store, which meant she had a nonstop view of the action, both in front of her store and farther down the beach.

One could never grow bored watching the kites, the recumbent bicycles, the children building sandcastles.

Some hardy souls were even swimming in the shallows, though Rosa always considered it entirely too cold. Maybe her childhood in Honduras had left her too warm-blooded.

Instead, she was busy working the cash register at her gift shop while her newest employee and dear friend, Jen Ryan, rearranged a display of tiny hand-carved lighthouses an artist in Lincoln City had crafted for her.

Nearby, Jen’s six-year-old daughter, Addie, giggled at something in the small children’s area Rosa had created, complete with a miniature kitchen and dollhouse. The children’s area worked beautifully to keep little hands away from the more breakable items in the store while their parents browsed.

While she finished ringing up a cute handmade teapot for her customer, she kept a watchful eye on Jen. This was only her second day working in the store, though she and Addie had been in town for a few weeks. She still seemed anxious, and was constantly looking toward the door as if she expected something horrible to burst through at any moment.

Rosa hoped that with time her friend would lose that skittish air, the impression she gave off that at the slightest provocation, she would grab her child and bolt out the door of the shop.

How could Rosa blame her, after everything Jen had been through? It was a wonder she could even go out in public. All things considered, she was doing remarkably well and seemed to be settling into life here in Cannon Beach. Having her living at Brambleberry House was a joy.

She finished carefully wrapping the customer’s teapot in bubble wrap so it would be safe in whatever corner of luggage it was stuffed into.

“There you are,” Rosa said, handing over the bag. “Thank you for shopping at By-The-Wind.”

“Thankyou. This is such an adorable shop. We’ve been to every store in town and you have the best merchandise. Authentic and charming souvenirs. I’ll definitely be back before we leave town.”

“I am very glad to hear this.” She smiled and waved the woman and her husband on their way. She was replenishing her supply of bubble wrap under the counter when the front-door chimes rang out again.

She happened to be looking in Jen’s direction and didn’t miss the way her friend’s features tensed with fear and then visibly relaxed when a woman came in, trailed by a young teenager.

Rosa’s day, already good, immediately brightened even further, as if the sun had just come out from behind the clouds.

“Look who it is,” she exclaimed. “Two of my favorite people!”

“Hola, Rosa,” the girl said, beaming brightly at her with a mouth full of braces.

“Hello, my dear.” Her friend Carrie Abbott brushed her cheek against Rosa’s.

“What a wonderful surprise. How may I help you? Are you looking for a gift for someone? I have some gorgeous new purses in and also some fantastic jewelry from an artisan in Yachats you might like.”

“Where’s the jewelry?” Like a little magpie, Bella was instantly drawn to anything shiny.

Rosa showed her the new display and they spent a moment looking over the hand-beaded pieces.

“Ooh. Those turquoise starburst earrings are gorgeous! How much are they?”

She named an amount that had the girl’s shoulders slumping. “I better not. I’m saving for an electric scooter.”

“You know, that’s the markup amount. I can probably drop the price by ten dollars.”

Bella looked tempted. “I’m babysitting this weekend. If they’re still for sale, I’ll come back and get them.”

“I’ll set them aside until you can get back in,” Rosa promised, which earned her another braces-filled smile.

“You’re too tempting!” Carrie said, shaking her head. “I could blow my entire mad-money budget in here. Believe it or not, we didn’t come in to buy earrings, no matter how lovely they are.”

“Is there something else I can help you find? You should try the new soaps from Astrid Larsen.”

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