We’re officially all about Aftermath of Secrets, Molly, and Brad from now on—or at least until June 4. I’m so excited to share the next installment of The Carter Island Novels with you. If you missed the cover reveal and book blurb, click here.

For a little background, Brad and Molly have been close friends for as long as either can remember. Here’s an opportunity to see their dynamic, which is all kinds of fun.

Aftermath Of Secrets Excerpt

“So, what now? The tree’s officially decorated. It’s just you, me, hot chocolate, and…a movie?”

“Scrabble,” Brad decided. His family wasn’t going to ruin one more moment of his night.

Molly’s left brow winged up again. “Scrabble?”

He nodded. “By the Christmas tree—something we’ve never done before. I didn’t get a chance to kick your ass after Thanksgiving dinner this year.”

She flashed him one of the grins that lit up her face and made his pulse race. Damn, she was spectacular. “I’ve kicked your ass the last two years in a row, which is odd because didn’t you go to Harvard?”

He laughed, rolling his eyes at the ceiling. “You’ve gotta come up with something else.”

“But it was Harvard, right? And Harvard Medical School after that?”

“Yeah, it was both of the Harvards.” He reached out, tugging gently on her hair. “Let’s do this, brat.”

She pulled the game out of the basket beneath the coffee table. “Oh, let’s indeed.”

They brought their mugs and plate of treats with them as they moved to lie on their stomachs across from one another and set up the game under the lights of the tree.

He selected his preliminary tile and grinned when he drew a letter A and Molly a G. “Looks like I go first.” He drew his seven tiles and let out a hoot as he studied his selection. “And here we go.” He laid out quit in the center of the board. “That looks like fourteen points.”

She glared as she pulled her tiles and looked at her pieces. “Beginner’s luck.”

He sent her a mischievous smile. “We’ll see.”

Molly beamed. “Got one.” She laid out an S, L, and T.

His brow shot up. “Slut?”

“And a double word score for eight points. Don’t be jealous.”

“I’m not. First move, and I’m winning.”

“For now, but it’s early days, Ivy League. Early days.”

He laughed as she did. Christmas tree decorating, Scrabble, and plenty of smack talk with Molls. Her five nights of fun idea was turning out to be the ultimate gift.

Molly and Brad certainly enjoy each other’s company, but that doesn’t mean that simple, lifelong relationships can’t cross lines and turn into something murky and entirely confusing. (Hint: This totally happens in their story.)

There’s more where this came from.