Excerpt from Lori Wilde | Exclusive Excerpt: OUR EXTRAORDINARY SUMMER by Lori Wilde:
Three days had passed since Calista received word of her mother’s death. She stood on the wharf in Everly, Texas, waiting for the Hobby Island ferry. In her hand, she worried the golden ticket (which had arrived via express mail the night before) between her fingers, bending the stiff cardboard back and forth.
How was she supposed to feel? Sad? Check. Remorseful? Check. Hurt? Check. Numb as hell? Check and double check.
She turned the ticket over, her gaze snagging on the small, handwritten note on the back she’d read a hundred times since yesterday.
Your mother’s final wish was for you and your sister to reconcile. Please come in remembrance of your beloved and let our island magic soothe your soul.
A bitter laugh escaped her. Peace? What a farce. Peace was an ill-afforded luxury while her mother’s ghost still haunted every corner of her mind. Not when she and her sister hadn’t spoken to each other in five years.
She tucked the showy ticket into her shoulder bag. The breeze picked up, carrying with it the briny sea scent. Fingering the locket around her neck, the jewelry she never took off, Calista closed her eyes and counted to ten, steadying herself. She’d faced much worse. She could handle a few days on an island, even if it meant confronting the history she fought so hard to escape.
Someone tugged on her skirt.
Calista glanced down into the tearful blue-eyed gaze of a sweet girl who looked to be about five. The child clung to a worn stuffed bunny with a missing button eye and drew in a deep, shuddering breath that shook her little body all the way to her Grogu Crocs.
“I can’t find my mommy!”
Empathy flooded Calista’s heart. She knew all too well what losing your mother felt like. She knelt down to the child’s level, giving her a gentle smile.
“It’s okay,” she reassured her. “We’ll find her. Where did you see her last?”
“Over there.” The child pointed to a refreshment kiosk. “She was getting lemonade, but I accidentally dropped BunBun and when I looked up, Mommy was gone.” The girl gave the stuffed bunny a tight hug as fresh tears filled her eyes.
Calista’s chest tightened, grief both old and new pressing in. “What’s your name?”
“Emily.”
“Emily, I’m Calista. Let’s go sit over there on that bench, and we’ll see if we can spot your mommy.”
“Okay.” Emily nodded.
The girl’s mother must be frantic with worry. Calista searched the crowd, on the lookout for a distraught mom. The child reached for Calista’s hand, and something inside her softened. They settled onto the bench, Emily leaning back, clutching the bedraggled bunny in her arms.
“Is BunBun your favorite stuffed animal?” Calista asked.
Emily nodded. “Uh-huh. He’s my bestest friend.”
“You’re brave, you know. Staying here and waiting for your mommy is the best thing you can do.”
The girl smiled through her tears. “Thank you.”
A strange sensation came over Calista, as if she were being pulled down a long tunnel, seeing herself not just as a child, but as the person she had become—still searching, still terrified of losing what little she had left. She brushed a tear from her cheek, surprised by the surge of emotion.
“Emily!” A frantic woman rushed toward them. “There you are!”
Emily’s face lit up and she hopped off the bench. “Mommy!”
Calista got to her feet as the woman scooped up her daughter and rained kisses onto her face. “You scared me half to death, puddin’ pop. Please don’t ever wander off like that again.”
Emily buried her face against her mother’s neck and clung on for dear life.
The woman’s eyes met Calista’s. “Thank you so much,” she said, her voice choked with relief. “I turned around and she was gone.”
“It’s okay.” Calista offered a soft smile. “She’s safe.”
“Thank heavens for kind souls like you.” The woman set Emily on the ground and took her hand. “Tell the nice lady goodbye.”
“Bye!” Emily beamed, her distress already fading as she walked away with her mother.
Calista exhaled. That little moment had pulled her from her thoughts, if only for a few minutes, a brief, unexpected reprieve.
“You did a bang-up job with that kid,” a masculine voice said. “You’re a natural mother.”
Calista stilled.
That voice.
Familiar.
Unwelcome.
Slowly, she turned.
Reid Thornton.
Her stomach dropped to the soles of her ankle boots. No forgetting that smug, gorgeous mug. Her most egregious nemesis… and one-time lover.
The YouTube sports vlogger who had covered her meltdown at the Chevron Championship five years earlier, the humiliating incident that ended her career and shot her older sister to stardom. One of the most relentless reporters, hounding her for interviews and insider scoops with no respect for her privacy.
The man had a knack for showing up at the worst moments of her life.
Apparently, today was no exception.
“I thought that was you,” Reid said, a little too cheery. “Are you headed to Hobby Island for the golf tournament honoring your mother?” He glanced at her suitcase. “Did you bring your clubs?”
“Golf tournament?” Calista blinked.
What was he talking about? No one had said anything about a golf tournament to her. Did they even have a golf course on Hobby Island? From what she’d learned when she googled the place, it was quite restricted, with outsiders only allowed to visit if they’d been issued a golden ticket.
Could he be right?
Was she expected to play?
Her mouth went dry as old wounds split open. She had spent five years running from that green in the Woodlands. And now here it was again. Standing in front of her with a beguiling smile.
“Is Athena with you?” he asked.
Calista waved toward the docking ferry, ducked her head, picked up her luggage, and started around him. “Excuse me.”
But Thornton wasn’t about to let it go. He stepped into her path. “Come on, Calista…” His dark eyes gleamed. “Your fans have been wondering about you for years. They want to know why you disappeared from the golfing world.”
“My fans?” A hot flash of anger passed through her. “You mean the same people who couldn’t wait to tear me down the moment I showed weakness?”
He flushed. “People make mistakes. It’s not the fall. It’s how you bounce back that defines you.”
She held his gaze. “My life isn’t your content.”
“Your sister shot to the top of the LPGA in your absence,” he said.
“Such is life.”
“You’re a better golfer than Athena. By far. So why did you choke when everything was on the line?”
The question hit like a slap. Did he honestly not remember what he’d done? Or had he convinced himself he wasn’t responsible?
“You know what, Thornton? I don’t owe you or anyone else an explanation. What happened back then—it’s between me, Athena, and our father. Right now, the only thing that matters is honoring my mother’s memory.” She brushed past him, using her hip to knock him aside.
“Calista,” he called after her. “Think about the impact your story would have. You could inspire people—”
“You just don’t get it, do you?” She spun back toward him. “This isn’t about some inspirational message. This is about a daughter grieving her mother. Please leave me alone if you have a shred of human decency.”
The ferry tooted, and passengers streamed around them, boarding the boat.
“Listen,” he said, undeterred, “I’d be happy to interview your sister instead if you could just point me in her direction—”
As if on cue, a white limousine pulled up to the wharf.
Calista didn’t have to ask who it was.
Besides her father, Benjamin Dempsey, she knew only one other person who made entrances like that.
Athena.
Excerpted from the book OUR EXTRAORDINARY SUMMER by Lori Wilde. Copyright © 2026 by Lori Vanzura. From Avon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Reprinted by permission.
Hobby Island #2
A Heartfelt Tale of Sisterhood, Secrets, and Second Chances on a Magical Island
New York Times bestselling author Lori Wilde returns to the enchanting Hobby Island with a poignant story about two estranged sisters who come together after the passing of their mother, featuring family, love, and one unforgettable summer— perfect for fans of Jill Shalvis and Susan Mallery.
Two estranged sisters. One final wish. A summer that could mend everything…or tear open old wounds.
Calista and Athena Dempsey were once inseparable until their father’s ambition drove a wedge between them. When a very public betrayal shattered their bond, Calista walked away from her family, determined to rebuild her life on her own terms. Athena stayed behind, shouldering the weight of expectations and guilt in silence.
Now, with their mother gone, the sisters are summoned to Hobby Island, a secluded retreat where their mother spent her final days, with one final request: come together and make peace. But the past isn’t so easily buried.
Especially when Calista comes face-to-face with Reid Thornton, the man who once held her heart and then upended her life. He says he wants to make things right. But can she believe him? And can she forgive Athena when the scars between them still run deep?
As secrets surface and loyalties are tested, Calista and Athena must make a pivotal choice. Will they honor their mother’s last wish and find their way back to each other, or let their shared past destroy what little remains of their bond?
Romance | Women's Fiction Contemporary [ Avon, On Sale: April 21, 2026, Paperback / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9780063352193 / eISBN: 9780063352216 ]
Fresh, fun, sexy, Lori Wilde
Lori Wilde is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of 97 works of romantic fiction. She’s a three-time Romance Writers of America RITA finalist and has won numerous other awards as well. Her books have been translated into 26 languages, with more than five million copies of her books sold worldwide.
Her series, Wedding Veil Wishes, inspired three movies from Hallmark, that went on to shatter viewing records.
Lori is an RN with a BSN and a MLA from Texas Christian University. She holds a certificate in screenwriting from UCLA, a certificate in forensic nursing from Kaplan and she is also a RYT-200 yoga instructor.
A sixth-generation Texan, Lori lives with her husband, Bill, in the Cutting Horse Capital of the World.
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