Page 1 of One Southern Summer

Prologue

One year earlier

With the Carolina blue sky cradling the mid-May sunshine, every blade of grass on the manicured lawn standing at attention and the humidity unexpectedly missing in action, she almost believed nothing could go wrong.

Almost.

In the unwritten rules of Southern etiquette, every woman innately understood the expectations regarding a proper social gathering. And more importantly, the ramifications of an unforeseen party planning faux pas. That’s why Avery Lansing Crawford had hired Raleigh’s premier event planner to oversee the flawless execution of her baby’s gender reveal festivities.

She stood on the back steps of her screened porch and surveyed the yard like an offensive coordinator mentally preparing for the first play of the football game. Ice rattled against the galvanized steel buckets as the caterer packed the containers with bottled drinks. A woman wearing black pants and a white blouse strode past her, balancing an oval tray of cupcakes. A rogue wave of emotion washed over Avery and she blinked back tears.

Finally. She’d stayed pregnant. This party was actually happening. Those pastel pink– and pale blue–frosted cupcakes crowned with custom-made pacifier-shaped candies symbolized victory. Avery smoothed her hand over the royal blue fabric of her maternity dress and caressed her rounded abdomen. After last year’s miscarriage all she wanted was an unremarkable full-term pregnancy.

Was that too much to ask?

For the past twenty-two weeks she’d held her breath at every cramp and mysterious backache. Her frequent visits to the restroom were fraught with anxiety. She’d been terrified her worst fear would manifest—bleeding. When the twenty-week ultrasound results confirmed a healthy pregnancy, Avery allowed the first inklings of hope to take root. Pax said he’d be happy with a girl or a boy, but she suspected he had a strong preference for a boy. And she longed to give him the gift of a healthy son.

Sure, she had tried to convince herself contentment was possible with only one child. After all, they had a beautiful home, wonderful friends and a thriving business. But ever since that miscarriage, her need to have another baby consumed her. Like a woman tearing through the pantry looking for the good chocolate, Avery couldn’t escape her obsession with getting pregnant again.

Was she selfish for wanting to grow their family?

No. She banished that thought as their three-year-old daughter skipped across the backyard. Lots of people had multiple children. Addison needed a sibling.

A breeze kicked up, blowing a lock of the little girl’s curly honey-colored hair across her face. She stopped and tossed her head impatiently then tugged the strand free with her hand. Avery smiled. So precious. Addison spun around, her blue eyes finding Avery.

“Mama, can I have a balloon, please?” She stretched the single syllable word and twirled in a clumsy circle. Her yellow polka-dotted dress billowed around her bare legs.

“Not yet, baby. The balloons are for the party, remember?” Avery stopped short of asking how Addison knew they had balloons. The event planner had received explicit instructions to keep them tucked away in the enormous trunk in the middle of the yard until they were ready for the big reveal. Once the guests arrived and had their drinks and appetizers, she and Pax planned to open the trunk together. Whatever color balloons emerged would indicate the gender of their baby. Avery’s heart fluttered with anticipation. She could hardly stand the wait.

“I. Want. A. Balloon.” Addison stopped twirling and pooched out her lower lip.

“Do we get anything when we ask like that?” Avery admonished. “And where is your father?” she whispered to herself, surveying the yard for Pax or the babysitter she’d hired to keep Addison entertained. The professional photographers had just arrived and she wanted to go over her expectations one more time. The event planner had positioned the photo booth in the wrong place. They needed a better location or all the guests would have to squint into the sun during their pictures.

“If Daddy says yes can I have a balloon?”

Avery smiled. This girl. She was relentless. Addison crossed her arms over her tiny torso. Anticipation gleamed in her eyes.

“Do you know where your daddy went?”

“He’s inside.” Addison tipped her chin up, well aware that she provided a crucial piece of information. “Talking to Uncle Trey.”

Avery’s shoulders sagged. Uncle Trey was Pax’s best friend and partner in the Crawfords’ successful home renovation business—an enterprise launched from Avery’s widely read lifestyle blog. Trey had recorded the highest number of closings this spring of any Realtor in Raleigh, Durham or Chapel Hill. The housing market wasn’t showing any signs of cooling off, so she couldn’t blame them for plotting their next move. But couldn’t they take a break? Production had wrapped on the first season of their new TV show. The camera crew had left yesterday. Two magazines had wanted to feature the gender reveal in upcoming issues, but she’d declined. Today was all about gathering with their family and friends, and celebrating this new life growing inside of her. Hadn’t they earned a reprieve from eating, sleeping and breathing real estate?

She’d lost more than a little sleep over her decision to keep the event private. The pilot episode of their home renovation show had pulled in an enthusiastic audience. Her popularity on social media had skyrocketed. Along with her almost constant fear that she’d somehow mess it up. When she’d first started out, mingling with strangers on the internet, the conversation had been light. Fun. Encouraging. It wasn’t long before their small company’s unexpected success had brought out a mean streak in her opinionated followers. Comments could be deleted and the most offensive trolls blocked, but she never quite got over the sting of hurtful words flung at her with casual indifference.

Oddly enough, now she felt guilty for depriving their fans of an exclusive look at their family life. Trey and Pax had roped her into becoming the face of their brand. Despite her initial reluctance, she couldn’t deny that the dopamine rush she earned when her pretty posts gained the approval of her capricious demographic motivated her to keep producing more appealing content. Always on a relentless quest to go viral. Again. No one had to know she had nothing to do with staging that home. Or the content of the pictures she posted.

“Mama, when can I have a balloon?”

Addison’s question tugged her back to the present. “When the party is over. I’ll make sure we save one just for you.”

“Oh-kay.” Addison heaved a sigh then slinked away, like a defeated athlete who’d unexpectedly lost a competition.

Avery pulled her phone from her pocket to check on the babysitter’s status. An incoming text from her sister Harper bubbled up.

We’ve been delayed another twenty minutes on the ground in Atlanta. I’m so sorry. I hope we get there before the party is over.

Avery glared at the update. What a bummer. She really wanted Mama and both her sisters here. She couldn’t hold off a hundred guests another two hours, though. Maybe longer, depending on how long it took her family to get their luggage and catch an Uber from the airport. She put her phone away without responding.

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