Spotlight: The Gathering Table by Kathryn Springer
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From USA TODAY bestselling author Kathryn Springer comes a tale of starting over when life takes an unexpected turn.
Winsome Lake, Wisconsin, is postcard-pretty, but for chef Jessica Keaton it’s also a last resort. Fired from her dream job, Jess is starting over as a live-in cook and housekeeper. When she arrives, she finds her new employer is in rehab after having a stroke, and Jess expects she’ll be all alone in Elaine Haviland’s quaint house. A chef with no one to cook for.
But instead, she encounters a constant stream of colorful visitors who draw her back into the world. As Jess contends with local teenagers, a group of scrappy women and a charming football coach, Elaine faces some battles of her own that extend past her physical challenges. For both of them, all the ingredients for a fulfilling life are within reach, if they’re willing to take a leap. And maybe Jess will start to see that it’s not just what’s on the table that matters—it’s the people gathered round it.
A must-read novel from Love Inspired: Stories to Uplift and Inspire.
Excerpt
A wooden privacy fence, weathered to a dull silver by the changing seasons, didn’t look strong enough to contain the mass planting of flowers and herbs that had taken control of the backyard.
Basil. Rosemary. Roses. Lemon verbena. Poppies.
The clash of colors and fragrances reminded Jess of the potager gardens she’d admired during a virtual culinary tour of France. Only this one was untamed, rebellious, flourishing in spite of its obvious neglect.
Jess stepped off the patio into a bed of creeping thyme. Following the stone pavers turned into a game of hopscotch.
A leap over a spiky mound of hens and chicks. A quick sidestep past the rosebush.
She bent down, plucked a purple viola and popped it into her mouth. The burst of sweetness unlocked a memory of the garden party Gwyneth had hosted for the top tier of her elite clientele two summers ago.
Jess had overheard one of the guests complain it wasn’t fair that Gwyneth kept such a talented chef all to herself. Gwyneth had dismissed the comment with an airy laugh, but it had taken root in Jess’s heart. The moment her dreams had dared to outgrow Gwyneth’s kitchen.
“I prefer a good burger myself, but whatever floats your boat.”
Jess’s head snapped up.
A man had materialized out of nowhere. Close to thirty, Jess guessed. Clean-cut. Slim with an athletic build and broad shoulders; traits she would have admired until a few days ago. Until Ian. Now he was merely a six-foot-tall obstacle between her and the house.
“I thought I heard someone back here.” He waded toward her through an ankle-deep patch of lemon balm.
Jess remained mute; the viola lodged halfway down her throat.
Her silence didn’t seem to make the guy uncomfortable, though. He stopped a few feet away from her. “Sorry if I startled you. I was expecting to see Elaine. I’ve been taking care of her yard the past few months.”
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About the Author
Kathryn Springer grew up in a small town where her parents published a weekly newspaper. As a child, she spent hours sitting at her mother’s typewriter, plunking out stories, and credits her parents for instilling in her a love of reading – which turned into a desire to tell stories of her own.
Kathryn has written over thirty books and lives and writes on a lake in northern Wisconsin. She enjoys long walks in the woods and the change of seasons (although sometimes she wishes the “change” between winter and spring didn’t last quite so long!) When Kathryn isn’t at the computer, she’s spending time with family and friends, paging through cooking magazines or sitting in the sun. A really, really good day includes all three!
