Every summer has a story. Every woman finds her way.
Chapter One
April
“Good evening. My name is Julia, and I’m 192 days sober. For those of you who are new, welcome, and keep the faith. If I can do it, so can you.”
Julia Salinger silently scanned the room, absorbing the mood. Six people sat in the circle, plus her. The physical space was as expected, church basement cinder block walls with thick gray-green peeling paint. There were posters of Jesus with children scattered about the walls, covering the bigger peelings, she suspected. A statue of Mary was positioned in a corner—a Madonna, the Catholics called her—eyes downcast. A crucifix balanced the room on the opposite wall.
God grant me the serenity…
Not overly religious, Julia viewed the images and relics in the room as memories, or perhaps reminders, of her past. She’d grown up with Sunday School and Vacation Bible School in a Methodist Church. Her parents still went there. She stopped going during college, much to her mother’s distaste. What decent southern girl didn’t go to church of some sort?
Well, she didn’t. Not anymore.
Her meetings, in this church basement, were about as close as she would get.
She frequented several groups, all with different moods, setting dissimilar tones. The early morning group took place in a Starbucks—an entirely different atmosphere. Her noon group, located in a meeting room at the hospital downtown, was convenient to her office. The evening groups were generally at one of the churches.
She centered her attention on the two newcomers. Homeless, or close to it, she suspected. Maybe here for the cookies and coffee.
A woman sat to her right, mid-thirties she’d guess, nicely dressed in a skirt and sweater, heels. On her way home from work.
A man sat directly across from her, older, graying, beard—one might describe him as a silver fox. Attractive and knows it.
Two regulars, friends of hers, sat side-by-side to her left. Gretchen, a twenty-something, pink-haired server at a downtown eatery battled pills and booze. You’re way too thin, Gretchen. Are you using again? Larry, a real estate agent from the east side, came all the way downtown for meetings so he wouldn’t run into friends or colleagues. Not a great plan, Larry. But at least he was there.
…to accept the things I cannot change…
The leader of the group, Bill Martinez, stood silent with a coffee mug outside the circle, listening intently. Carefully observing. Part of Julia’s growth was stepping up and taking a leadership role occasionally. That’s what she was doing tonight. Bill was her sponsor.
They locked gazes for a split second, then she refocused, zeroing in on the woman to her right, who fiddled with a small object in her lap—a child’s pacifier. Shit. Julia’s gaze rose to her profile, where a tear begged to spill over a lower eyelid.
…courage to change the things I can…
Julia turned back to the group. “My story is exactly like yours and nothing like yours,” she began. “While how we got here is different for each of us, we’ve all followed the same repetitive, addictive, hopeless, and hopeful process, time and again, before we stepped through that door—or through any AA door anywhere.”
All eyes were on her, except for Working Woman, who stared into her lap.
The look on Silver Fox’s face was overly intent.
She blinked away.
Gretchen’s troubled gaze caught her eye, and Larry heaved a sigh.
“My story involved a horrible personal tragedy, then bourbon, lots of bourbon, and kicking my husband out of the house. In between, there was much more. So much more. I’m still there, now,” she told them, glancing about the group, making brief eye contact with anyone who would make it back. “I’m in that space in between. I could be here for a while but that’s okay because that is where I will grow and heal. And so will you.”
…and the wisdom to know the difference.
“My advice to you tonight, for anyone who needs to hear it, is to find joy in the dark moments, if you can. That might sound odd but try it.” She paused, glancing about. “Tonight’s topic is patience. But first, let’s do some introductions. Would anyone like to share?”
Julia's story, The Space in Between, is part of a multi-book women's fiction series focusing on the kinds of issues that face women and their families.
Heartfelt and empowering, the Tuckaway Bay series delivers upmarket women’s fiction filled with friendship, secrets, and second chances. Each story follows a woman on her personal journey through love, loss, and self-discovery, all against the backdrop of a charming coastal town. At its heart, the series is about the strength women find in one another—proving that when life unravels, sisterhood can be the anchor that holds them steady.