Pitch:

Motherhood hasn't been the elixir Sabrina hoped. While she's drowning in crayons, a call from her mother pulls her back to Seaside. Her estranged father is dying, and their family is desperate. It’s been fifteen years since her sister's tragic accident, but now, Sabrina’s unresolved grief is waiting for her, and this time—she can’t run away. Returning home doesn't just unearth nostalgia and her high school ex, it brings to surface secrets that threaten to unravel her and her carefully crafted life completely.

Excerpt:

Chapter 1

We turn down Ely Street, and my childhood home comes into view. A wave of nausea rolls in my gut, quickly traveling up my throat, into my mouth.

Do not puke in this woman’s Lyft, I coach myself, desperately grabbing for my water bottle. I close my eyes and take a sip.

When my eyes open, I see it again. The little blue cape that held the three little Harrison girls. The big oak tree I’d climb when I needed to hide. The pebble driveway I’ve fallen in hundreds of times. The front steps my boyfriend Kai and I would sit on, kissing until we got yelled at by my parents.

“We’re here,” I say softly, but the kids don’t say anything back.

“Coming home can be complicated, huh?” our driver, whose name on the app says is Fiona, asks.

My cheeks redden. I’m embarrassed my kids didn’t respond. I’m used to being ignored but ignored in private. Not in front of a stranger.

“You hit the nail on the head,” I say, and inconspicuously pinch the inside of my left bicep, diffusing some anxiety.

Deep breath. Say hi. Get settled. Eat dinner. Bedtime soon. Then quiet.

“We’re here!” I try again, this time with forced excitement in my voice.