First published 2023
Wind moves through dune grass above the Barlows' rocky bluff overlooking Long Island Sound. Below, a weathered stairway winds down the steep sandy slope to a small hidden beach. The wooden steps have sat empty for years, visited only by salt air and changing tides. Then someone offers to repair the crumbling structure. The project draws people to this forgotten place where water meets sky. A man who desperately needs refuge finds it here among the restoration work. Others gather as the stairway takes new shape. They share stories on the rebuilt steps. Old secrets surface. Hidden longings emerge. The renovated stairway transforms from neglected relic into sanctuary. In this nineteenth installment of The Seaside Saga, DeMaio explores how broken things can heal both themselves and the people who tend them.
Genres: fiction, romance, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, second-chance
Setting: Long Island Sound
Period: 19th-century
316 pages · Paperback