#1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber brings you a humorous and uplifting story, in which one woman’s plans take an unexpected detour!
Susannah Simmons has a five-year plan to succeed in her career. And it doesn’t include falling in love with her next-door neighbor!
Nate Townsend is undeniably attractive, but he seems to lack ambition. He stays home baking cookies and flying kites while Susannah struggles up the corporate ladder.
She resents the way he questions her values—and makes her question them, too. Is he right? Has she given up too much in pursuit of her career goals? Has she given up family, fun…and Nate’s love?
Originally published in 1990.
Make time for friends.
Make time for Debbie Macomber.
DEBBIE
MACOMBER
CEDAR COVE
16 Lighthouse Road
204 Rosewood Avenue
311 Pelican Court
44 Cranberry Point
50 Harbor Street
6 Rainier Drive
74 Seaside Avenue
8 Sandpiper Way
92 Pacific Boulevard
1022 Evergreen Place
1105 Yakima Street
A Merry Little Christmas (featuring 1225 Christmas Tree Lane and 5-B Poppy Lane)
BLOSSOM STREET
The Shop on Blossom Street
A Good Yarn
Susannah’s Garden (previously published as Old Boyfriends)
Back on Blossom Street (previously published as Wednesdays at Four)
Twenty Wishes
Summer on Blossom Street
Hannah’s List
A Turn in the Road
Thursdays at Eight
Christmas in Seattle
Falling for Christmas
A Mother’s Gift
Angels at Christmas
A Mother’s Wish
Be My Valentine
Happy Mother’s Day
On a Snowy Night
Summer in Orchard Valley
Summer Wedding Bells
This Matter of Marriage
Summer Brides
Home for Christmas
The Perfect Match
The Summer Wedding
Not Just for Christmas
No Place Like Home
Summertime Dreams
There’s Something About Christmas
THE MANNINGS
The Manning Sisters
The Manning Brides
The Manning Grooms
THE DAKOTAS
Dakota Born
Dakota Home
Always Dakota
The Farmer Takes a Wife (Exclusive short story)
Rainy Day Kisses
Debbie Macomber
The First Man You Meet
CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
EPILOGUE
“Is it true, Michelle?” Jolyn Johnson rolled her chair from her cubicle across the aisle and nearly caught the wheel on a drooping length of plastic holly. The Marketing Department had won the Christmas decoration contest for the third year in a row.
Michelle Davidson glanced away from her computer screen and immediately noticed her neighbor’s inquisitive expression. It certainly hadn’t taken long for the rumors to start. She realized, of course, that it was unusual for a high school senior to be accepted as an intern at a major company like Windy Day Toys, one of the most prestigious toy manufacturers in the country. She’d be working here during the Christmas and summer breaks—and she’d actually be getting paid! Michelle had connections—good connections. She’d been a bit naive, perhaps, to assume she could keep her relationship to Uncle Nate under wraps. Still, she’d hoped that with the Christmas season in full swing, her fellow workers would be too preoccupied with the holidays to pay any attention to her. Apparently that wasn’t the case.
“Whatever you heard is probably true,” she answered, doing her best to look busy.
“Then you are related to Mr. Townsend?” Jolyn’s eyes grew