Two mothers face the consequences of their choices in a gripping novel about friendship, family, and forgiveness by Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author Jamie Beck. Intrigued? Read on to discover the full synopsis and an excerpt from For All She Knows before it releases on March 30th 2021!
SYNOPSIS
Grace first met Mimi when she blew into their sons’ toddler playgroup like a warm bay breeze that loosened Grace’s tight spaces. Despite differing approaches to life and parenting, the fast friends raised their kids together while cementing a sisterlike bond that neither believed could be broken. But when a string of ill-fated decisions results in a teen party with a tragic outcome for Grace’s son, the friendship is ripped apart and an already-splintered community explodes.
Accusations are leveled, litigation ensues, and the people of Potomac Point take sides, all of which threatens Mimi’s business and her current custody agreement. Her sole salvation is a young cop who just might be her second chance at love. That fact only antagonizes Grace, whose marriage is crumbling beneath the weight of blame and the echo of past mistakes.
With their lives unraveling, the former friends stand to lose everything they love unless they learn to forgive—both themselves and each other.
The following excerpt occurs in the cafeteria of the inpatient rehabilitation center where Grace’s son Carter will be living for four weeks. It is the first time best friends Grace and Mimi have spoken since the night of the party at Mimi’s house that precipitated Carter’s injury because Grace has been refusing Mimi’s calls and offers of help:
The cafeteria’s towering windows and decent selection surprised me. Caving to the siren song of caffeine and sugar, I purchased a large coffee and chocolate-covered doughnut with sprinkles, even though I suspected comfort foods wouldn’t do the trick. While running my credit card through the register, I froze.
Grace sat at a table in the far corner, staring out one of those grand windows. Her back was to the entrance, so she probably hadn’t seen me come in. I could slip out unnoticed.
I hesitated, torn between leaving her to her thoughts and forcing her to deal with me. The twenty yards between us might as well have been the entire Chesapeake Bay, and crossing it would be equally treacherous. Then I remembered that very first playgroup. I’d shown up late with a batch of walnut brownies—unaware of Tina Tubman’s nut allergy or the group’s general ban on sugary foods for the tots.
The other four ladies in the group had barely hidden their contempt for my mistakes (or my short shorts), but Grace had smiled at me as if I were a fresh breeze coming off the water, before moving seats to introduce herself and then asking me all kinds of questions about Rowan. A week later she’d surprised me by booking a hair appointment with me when I was still working at Divaz. From then on, we’d been fast friends.
I never had a sister, nor had an easy time keeping female friends, so I’d cherished Grace in ways she probably never fully appreciated. The idea that one admittedly awful incident could erase a decade of love and trust gutted me. With that in mind, I summoned my courage, grabbed a butter knife from the buckets of silverware, and crossed to Grace’s table.
“It’s not one of Hannah’s pistachio muffins, but it doesn’t look terrible.” I set the plate with the chocolate-glazed doughnut on the table while sweat trickled down my back. Grace snapped her head my way, her face ashen. My stomach burned while I waited to see if my gamble would pay off. “I’ll share it with you.”
Her gaze darted over my shoulder as if looking to see if anyone else had come with me or was watching us. Two, three, four beats passed in silence. Her cornered expression made me feel guiltier for forcing my way in. I was about to leave, but then she gestured toward an empty chair across the table.
A bloom of hope mushroomed so fast I almost grabbed her into a hug. Fortunately, I kept my cool, took a seat, and cut the doughnut in half. I faked a smile, pretending that we were at Sugar Momma’s for one of our regular coffee dates, telling myself that baby steps were better than no steps at all.
But Grace’s scrutiny made me sweat even more. Her blue eyes darkened with sorrow, defeat, and regret. I set my half of the doughnut on a napkin and then pushed the plate with the other half closer to her. At first, she stared at it as if it might be poisoned.
A host of options might build a bridge back to our friendship. Another apology, perhaps? An offer to do something more? In the end, I asked the one question that had most concerned me about her since this happened. “How are you holding up?”
“Not great,” she said on a deep sigh. Grace raised her doughnut half and tore off a small piece. Before she put it in her mouth, she added, “I should’ve thanked you sooner for organizing the Meal Train. It’s certainly helped Sam and me keep some semblance of normalcy at home.” A flash of distress crossed her face so quickly I almost doubted I’d seen it. Were she and Sam fighting because he’d kept in contact with me?
Regardless, that thanks had not come out easily. I understood why, too. Her baby was in pain, and she would not be okay until he was better. “It was the very least I could do, Grace.”
She met my gaze—hers tinged with bitterness—then looked away. I sipped my coffee to buy time for my thoughts to settle. The silence—so unusual for us—killed my appetite. And I’d rarely let a doughnut go uneaten.
Grace set her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her palm. “I don’t know how to do this, Mimi. I can’t look at you or Sam without feeling angry—at you, at him, at myself. I resent you both so much, but hate myself most of all. And yet I don’t have time to indulge in and work through these feelings—the anger and the missing of what was. I have to be strong for Carter, but all I want to do is crawl into a hole to cry or find a way to turn back time. Why him? Why did this happen to my son?”
With a trembling hand, she swiped away the lone tear trailing down her cheek. Amazingly—or simply in Grace’s usual way—her posture remained poised and her voice steady. Meanwhile, inside, I was simultaneously dismayed that she’d admitted all that, and falling apart because of it. My mistakes hadn’t hurt only Carter; they’d hurt my friend and her entire family. No wonder she didn’t know what to say to me.
Curious about what happens to Carter and whether these friends can mend fences? If so, you can preorder FOR ALL SHE KNOWS by Jamie Beck here!
