Free Finding The Way Back To Love (Lakeside Porches 3) by Katie O'Boyle

“Just in time,” he told his partner. “The ladies were talking about you.” He and Sam bumped knuckles.
    “Sara, meet my partner, Peter Shaughnessy.” Sam’s hand lingered on Sara’s lower back. “You know everyone else.”
    Sara held out a dainty hand for Peter’s handshake. She blew kisses to Gwen, Joel, and Manda. Her dress was a long, off-white sheath that showed off her slender hips. The only adornment was a bright-pink, faux flower at her waist that matched the shock of pink in her short blond locks. She chose the chair next to Manda’s, and Sam sat shoulder-to-shoulder with Peter.
    Gwen traded a nod with Manda and whispered, “She’s glowing.”
    After a few minutes of small talk, Joel cautioned, “Dinner is served.”
    They sat back as the waiter delivered their choice of prime rib or grilled salmon. Sam and Peter tucked into prime rib while the rest of the table went for salmon.
    Manda and Sara kept the discussion lively through dinner, interspersing each topic with questions for Peter. “Tell us about your family,” “Where did you grow up?” “Do you miss Syracuse?” “Do you like kids?”
    Peter handled the interrogation with good humor. Gwen rubbed his back, squeezed his arm, patted his thigh, smiled sideways—whatever she could, to let him know how much she sympathized and appreciated his cooperation as her friends checked him out.
    Peter volunteered that he had grown up “pretty poor” in Syracuse. His mother was a nurse who worked multiple jobs, and his dad was an alcoholic who couldn’t hold a job or stay sober. He loved his younger sister, Bree, who had survived a few scrapes with the law in her teens. “Glad I could pull some strings for her,” he said without making eye contact with anyone at the table.
    When no one responded to that, Manda asked him, “And is she in recovery now?”
    “Not necessary,” Peter told them, his mouth a grim line. “I forbid her to be an alcoholic.”
    Manda gasped and leaned forward.
    Before she could say another word, Joel’s hand stroked her arm from shoulder to wrist. She turned to him, and he leaned close. Gwen overheard his quiet, “Let’s not argue that in this forum.”
    Manda nodded, flashed a worried glance at Gwen, and pressed her eyes shut.
    Sam, oblivious of the whispered exchange, jabbed his partner with his elbow. “How’s that working for you, Peter?” he said with a friendly chuckle.
    “Working fine. I haven’t heard a word since then about cures for hangovers or drunken parties or crashing all night at Susie’s camp on the lake.”
    Sara piped up, “Gwen, you look amazing tonight.”
    “Why thank you, master hairstylist.”
    “Sara,” Joel said, “I understand you’re planning a new business. I’d love to hear more.”
    Sara’s blush spread up her neck and into her cheeks.
    “Please tell us,” Gwen urged.
    Sam reached an arm along Sara’s shoulders. “Don’t be nervous.”
    “It’s—it’s kind of in the early stages.”
    “But it’s going to be fabulous,” Manda told them.
    Gwen gave Sara a chance to regroup. “You’re graduating soon, aren’t you?”
    Sara took a sip of water and fanned her face with her hand. “December. I’m getting my MBA from RIT,” she said for Peter’s benefit.
    “Very impressive.”
    “Sara is my inspiration,” Manda said. “Tell them how long it took you.”
    “Four years, part time. And I commuted from here to Rochester, just like Manda’s doing.”
    “If you can finish, I can finish,” Manda asserted. “It’s just one more year.”
    “But you’re going for your CPA, too, right?” Gwen pressed.
    “Manda, you’re in accounting?” Sam shuddered. “I can’t do numbers to save myself. Tools, no problem. Legal codes and procedures, piece of cake. Talk a hungry dog off a meat wagon, just watch me.”
    The table erupted in laughter.
    Peter concurred. “It’s true. My partner can get a pair of handcuffs on anyone without laying a finger on them.”
    “Do