Best friends Kimi, Melinda, Jacque, and Lilianna grew up in Aspen Grove, Colorado, but went in separate directions after high school. Now they’re invited to their twentieth high school reunion. They want to see each other again, but will they attend, and what stories will they have to share?
Finding Love in Paradise by Lorna Collins
When Kimi McGuire goes to Honolulu to discover her Hawaiian roots, she also finds Jason Nakagiri, a good-looking Hawaiian surfer who steals her heart. But is he truly the love of her life or just her dream of a soul mate?
Love South of the Border Style by Christie Shary
Melinda Miller falls hard while on a vacation in Mexico, but when Juan Carlos Navarone doesn’t call, she believes her one chance at happiness has died. Is he merely a summer romance as she fears, or can their love survive time and distance?
Love, Wisconsin Style by Sherry Derr-Wille
Jacque Harris dreams of living in Scandinavia working as a translator, but a hasty marriage kills her dreams, trapping her in Wisconsin. Now divorced, Jaque wonders if Bryan Chapman, the guy she meets in the grocery store, may be the man of her dreams.
Love Under the Northern Lights by Luanna Rugh
Lilianna Anderson left town in humiliation the day after high school graduation, vowing never to return. But her mother’s sixty-fifth birthday can’t be ignored. When she runs into Russ Anthony, the high school sweetheart who betrayed her, can she forgive and find love again?
Excerpt
Prologue
Judi (Wilson) Brower
May 2007
Aspen Grove, Colorado
I can’t believe it’s been nearly twenty years since we graduated from Aspen Grove High School. Where has the time gone?
I just returned from the post office where I mailed invitations for our reunion weekend to sixty-two of the seventy-four graduates of the class of 1987. It hasn’t been easy locating everyone, and I hope we’ll find a few more before next October’s event.
Since I’ve worked on the planning committee for the last six months, the names and faces of all my friends have been refreshed in my mind.
I feel sad when I think about Kevin Black. He skidded on a patch of black ice and died on the mountain the winter after graduation. I look at his photo and remember the sweet, quiet kid everyone liked.
Next I spot the picture of Laurel (Spencer) Allen who died of cancer two years ago. She was such a pretty young girl, with long, dark hair and big brown eyes. Her husband, Dennis, and their twin girls still live here in town. Dennis was three years ahead of us in Josh’s class.
That’s Josh Brower, my husband. Josh’s family has been in Aspen Grove since the silver mining days. They built the Mother Lode Saloon in town and have owned it and the surrounding land since 1867. During the first half of the twentieth century, the building was deserted, but Josh’s grandfather reopened the place in the 1950s. He expanded the bar to include the dance floor and stage in the ’70s. About ten years ago, Josh and his brother, Bill, helped their dad further expand to include the family-style barbeque restaurant.
Today, it’s thriving. The food is so good that folks come from Denver to eat, and we’re listed in quite a few of the tour books. During ski season, a lot of people stop on their way to and from the slopes.
The big reunion party will be at the Mother Lode on Saturday night following a cocktail party on Friday night at the Aspen Grove Hotel. We’ve also scheduled a brunch on Sunday at the hotel for everyone and their families.
I’ve already scanned the graduation pictures and made nametags for everyone who has said they were coming. They’re ready and waiting.
As I look at them, I’m filled with so many memories. I can’t wait to see the people who moved away from Aspen Grove and haven’t been back for many years. In particular, there are four faces I want to see. ‘The Fantastic Four’ they used to call themselves. It always seemed to me that the four of them had everything: brains, popularity, beauty, personality, and great senses of humor. Heck, the rest of us would probably have been really envious if we hadn’t liked them so much.
Lilianna, Kimi, Melinda, and Jacque started kindergarten together and were inseparable throughout school. All four of them left town right after graduation and, except for Melinda and occasional brief visits from the others, they never returned—at least not all at the same time.
We heard that they each headed in a different direction. I don’t know if the four of them have seen each other in all these years.
When I think of Lilianna, I also think of Russ Anthony. They were quite a pair. Everyone thought they’d end up married. But she left town right after graduation, and I hear she has two sons now. I wonder how Russ will react when he sees her again.
In high school, Kimi dated Elliott Greene, although I always thought they were just good friends. When she moved to Hawaii, Elliott didn’t date anyone from here in town, but eventually married Margo. He met her in college in California. They live here now with their four kids.
Melinda came back to town to teach for many years, but she stayed pretty much to herself. I don’t think she ever dated, at least that I ever heard. We saw her around town, and she was always friendly. But then she left again. The last I heard, she was teaching in Mexico.
And Jacque dated everyone. She always seemed to be looking for excitement. I wonder if she found it.
Penny Lopez left town after graduation, too, and we haven’t been able to locate her. No one knows where James Thomas and Cynthia Thornton are either. We’re following up with family and friends and hope to find a couple of the others in time for the reunion.
It should be an exciting event, if I manage to pull it all together. I can’t wait!
Professional Reviews
Excellent Anthology
Directions of Love" is an anthology about four women that each take a different direction in their lives after graduation. Kimi McGuire, Jacque Harris, Melinda Miller, and Lilanna Anderson grew up in Aspen Colorado and were best friends from kindergarten through graduation. The Fantastic Four were ready to save the world. They each received an invitation to their twentieth high school reunion, but hesitate to attend.
After graduation, Kimi returned to her roots in Hawaii to attend the university. She met a fellow surfer, Jason. As their relationship deepened, Kimi questioned whether he was really is in love with her or was she just wishing. Jacque heads off to Wisconsin with dreams of going to Scandinavia, until she meets Darrin. A hasty marriage, two children, and a divorce follow. Now she finds a chance at happiness.
Melinda stayed in Colorado but on a trip to Mexico she met Juan. Is this just a summer fling or does he really care for her. Lilianna headed to Alaska right after graduation, vowing never to return. But a party for her mother's 65th birthday was impossible to refuse. When she meets up with her old high school sweetheart, Russ, who betrayed her, will she high-tail it back to Alaska?
Will they all show up at the reunion, even though their lives turned out differently than what they expected? This is another excellent anthology written by four fantastic authors. It is easy to recommend "Direction of Love."
