My name is Theodora Wainsworth. Everyone calls me Teddy because in Texas no one is called Theodora. I say Texas, but I grew up in Bird Isle, an island village off the Texas Gulf. We call the Gulf the third coast which is practically a state of its own. We are famous for Whooping Cranes, deep sea fishing, kite surfing and hurricanes. Every year thousands of visitors come to our town to enjoy the miles of beaches, the warm water, the gentle waves. The sand sculpture competition is held annually. I’ve never entered the contest, but my friends have. I have this thing about sandcastles—most of the time they’re ruined by the tide. That’s why I wish I’d had a chance to tell my mother that the saying on the beach is “tide and chance happens to us all”, not “time and chance.” She might get a kick out of the quip.
Back to business, Bird Isle hosts a Whooping Crane festival in February each year. The last wild flock of the endangered Whooping Cranes migrate to their wintering grounds to enjoy the company of Winter Texans aka Snowbirds who flock to the Gulf each year as well. The birds—Avian and Human—fly or drive North each March.
In case you hadn’t guessed, the citizens of Bird Isle love birds—all kind of birds from sandpipers to spoonbills to pelicans. The Amos Rehabilitation Keep is famous for rehabilitating our feathered friends and the giant sea turtles. Yes, we have those, too. In 2017, Hurricane Harvey threatened the habitat of the Whooping Cranes and injured many pelicans. My friends and I worked to restore the habitat and the rehabilitation keep while building back on our own businesses.
My candy store, Sweet Somethings, was demolished in the hurricane. Mine wasn’t the only business destroyed. Those were tough times, but Bird Isle folks always stick together. After a few hard years, the town is back better than ever. Sweet Somethings is now a thriving business where I sell candy, saltwater taffy, and lots of fudge.
My friend Dot’s restaurant of the same name was the first eatery to open after the hurricane. That was a glorious day. Bird Islanders celebrated and joined forces to restore their town. Another night, unknowingly giving Dot a break, a handsome barbecue pitmaster arrived from Ft. Worth with enough brisket to feed the entire island. Yes, he was a hunk, at least he was declared so by my employee Brooke. And, yes, a romance ensued, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Now the main drag of Bird Isle is filled with shops and restaurants and a boutique called Gratitude. “Books Save Lives,” they say. The owner has a bubble making machine that runs all day, a car that matches her pink shop, and the wicked witch buried beneath her store. I’m thinking she agrees , “Tide and chance happens to us all.”
Diane Owens Prettyman
For fans of Mary Alice Monroe’s The Beach House comes a heartwarming story from women’s fiction author Diane Owens Prettyman about second chances as two people find a pathway out of their grief—directly in the aftermath of a hurricane.
The Texas Gulf: beautiful yet unpredictable.
A beach town destroyed. Her mother’s candy store swept away. This is what Teddy Wainsworth faces when she returns to Bird Isle. Meanwhile, Jack Shaughness, owner of a popular barbecue restaurant chain and widower still grieving the death of his wife, receives permission to cross over to the island with a smoker full of brisket to feed hurricane survivors. Soon after arriving, he meets Teddy and immediately finds himself drawn to her—which makes him feel he is betraying his wife. When the two find a lost dog, Jack convinces Teddy to take it home while they attempt to find the owner, creating a bond that brings them closer.
In the wake of the hurricane, Bird Isle residents fear the Aransas Wildlife Refuge will not be ready for the whooping cranes’ annual migration south. Seeing that Jack has important connections and a love for the island, they enlist him to help restore the habitat of the endangered cranes before they fly to Padre Island for the winter. With their rescued dog always nearby, Teddy and Jack work side by side to rebuild Bird Isle for the return of the whooping cranes. But Jack is harboring a secret that may ruin everything he and Teddy are creating—and he won’t be able to keep that secret forever.
Women's Fiction [She Writes Press, On Sale: October 8, 2024, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781647427801 / ]
Diane Owens Prettyman is the author of the romantic adventure story "Thin Places" and the twentieth-century historical novel "Redesigning Emma". She is also a frequent contributor to the Austin American-Statesman. Her third book "Love is for the Birds" will be released in October of 2024. This novel combines contemporary romance with eco-fiction for an entertaining beach read set on the Texas Gulf.
Diane stays true to her belief that every story has a happy ending, though perhaps sometimes, maybe even often, one has to wait for the perfect finale. Diane lives just a few hours’ drive from the Texas Gulf. She is an avid boogie boarder and spends her summers in the water. Her husband and two black standard poodles provide her room and board in Austin, Texas.
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