Butternut Summer: A Novel (The Butternut Lake Trilogy)
“Engaging and true to life, Butternut Summer offers a story not limited just to a beach read.”
Back home from college for the summer, Daisy Keegan spends her time working at Pearl's, her mom's coffee shop. But Daisy has a secret. Daisy's dad Jack, who ran out on them when she was an infant, contacted Daisy a year prior in Minneapolis where Daisy attends the university. They met several times, and now Jack is back in Butternut Lake, Daisy's hometown.
The big question: How will Caroline, Daisy's mom, react to her ex returning home? Caroline never remarried and for three years has been dating Buster Caine, a retired military officer. They share a comfortable, somewhat regimented relationship, but Caroline feels only friendship toward him.
Jack shows up at the diner to meet Daisy for lunch, and Caroline is furious. Caroline's usual manner is calm and composed, which changes, as shown by the following:
When Caroline reached him she stopped abruptly, and resting her hands on the tabletop, she leaned across it toward him, "Jack," she said, not bothering to lower her voice. "What the hell are you doing here?"
He looked surprised, shocked even, but only for a second. After that, he recovered his equilibrium, his infuriating equilibrium. "Caroline," he said, putting down his menu, "I don't remember you ever swearing before."
Caroline is flustered and infuriated, not only with Jack, but also with Daisy. Jack swears he has amended his ways and no longer drinks or chases women. He is in AA and still loves the woman he married when they were both so young. Caroline holds doubts for she remembers only too well how this charming man broke her heart.
Daisy is has car trouble and pulls into a gas station not far from home. The mechanic is Will Hughes; two years ahead of her in high school, he was considered a "bad boy." They talk as he works on her truck, and she at once finds him interesting. Not only that, Will is attracted to her.
Meanwhile, Jack is determined to win his wife back. Left a cabin by the lake when an old friend died, Jack decides to reside there. The place is nothing but a shack, though he vows to remodel and build a proper home.
This is Ms. McNear's second novel in this series, but one does not need to read the first, Up at Butternut Lake, since this stands well on its own. The plot includes four main characters, each with a distinct personality, bringing differing scenarios to the tale, which add interest and perspective to familiar everyday challenges. Engaging and true to life, Butternut Summer offers a story not limited just to a beach read.