Laurel McBride knows how to make other people’s dreams come true. She just has no idea what to do with her own.
As an event planner at a Florida resort, Laurel can rescue beachfront weddings, soothe impossible clients, and solve disasters before anyone notices. But six weeks after she and five other women split an $84 million lottery jackpot, she is still answering emails, fixing everyone else’s problems, and postponing her own life.
So Laurel does something wildly out of character: she walks away from work, crosses the Atlantic, and spends July on the Amalfi Coast with the other winners.
The plan is simple—sunshine, spectacular food, beautiful views, and one glorious month in which nobody needs anything from her.
Then she meets Tore.
With him, Laurel cannot hide behind schedules, competence, or the carefully controlled version of herself who always knows what to do. And as the women settle into their lucky year, Laurel begins to wonder whether the dependable life she built was ever truly hers—or whether being needed has simply kept her from risking what she really wants.
For the first time, Laurel has enough money to choose almost anything.
Now she must decide what would actually make her happy.
Sun-drenched, romantic, and full of friendship, food, and second chances, The Amalfi Wish is the first interconnected standalone novel in The Lucky Year series.
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EXCERPT:
The condo was quiet at seven, and the orange was still on the cutting board.
Laurel McBride had paid four ninety-nine for it at Whole Foods, then left it there for days, sticker still on the peel. She hadn’t eaten it or put it away.
Outside the sliding door, the courtyard sprinkler was drowning the same azalea again. Laurel caught herself planning what to tell the superintendent, then remembered she wasn’t at Mariner’s Crown. The superintendent could handle the azalea on his own.
Over Memorial Day, a storm at Mariner’s Crown had stranded six women at the Compass Bar long enough for them to buy a Powerball ticket and make a promise. The ticket had left each of them with fourteen million dollars. The promise had given them a year of places to go together, beginning with Laurel’s month on the Amalfi Coast.
Six weeks after the money reached her account, Laurel still hadn’t bought herself a thing. She had paid bills, shifted money among accounts, and stared down every question about what came next. Then she’d spent four ninety-nine on an orange and left it on the cutting board like incriminating evidence. Fourteen million dollars, and produce made her nervous.
She’d been excellent at spending other people’s money. Give Laurel a wedding budget and she could tell you where to save, where to splurge, and which upgrade a bride would remember after the flowers were gone. This money belonged to her rather than a client, free of deadlines and finalized floor plans. It was hers whenever she chose to want something.
Author Bio:
Rosie Donlin writes destination women's fiction about complicated friendships, second chances, and women figuring out what they truly want. Her books blend escapist settings, grown-up romance, humor, memorable meals, and plenty of reasons to pour another glass of wine.
Rosie lives in San Francisco.
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