Shem Creek Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  ONE - FISH OUT OF WATER

  TWO - LINDA AND MIMI

  THREE - GRACIE SPEAKS

  FOUR - NO TRAVELING FOOLS

  FIVE - “JACKSON HOLE, BRAD SPEAKING”

  SIX - BOATHOUSE

  SEVEN - MIDNIGHT PLANE TO GEORGIA

  EIGHT - LINDA AND LOUISE

  NINE - LIFE GOES ON

  TEN - SOUTHERN ITALIAN WEDDING PLANS

  ELEVEN - LINDSEY’S LAUNCH PAD

  TWELVE - MOVING

  THIRTEEN - FOUR WOMEN AND A FAREWELL

  FOURTEEN - PAR-TAY TIME

  FIFTEEN - PLANTED SEEDS

  SIXTEEN - HERE’S LUCY!

  SEVENTEEN - WHIRLPOOL

  EIGHTEEN - CRYSTAL BALL

  NINETEEN - DUCK!

  TWENTY - GRACIE WANTS TO TALK

  TWENTY - ONE - ENCORE

  TWENTY - TWO - BRAD WAITING

  TWENTY - THREE - LOVE IS ALL THERE IS

  EPILOGUE

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  THE DEEP DARK SECRETS OF SOUTHERN BISCUIT BAKERS

  Teaser chapter

  “The self-proclaimed ‘Geechee girl’ once again sets her story in the steamy, salty, sea islands of the Lowcountry, following the literary paths of authors Pat Conroy, Anne Rivers Siddons, and Cassandra King.”

  —Savannah Morning News

  “Rich in the charms of small-town South Carolina . . . The strong pull of friendship, the leisurely pace of a tiny, waterfront Southern town, and the steady buildup of romance help buoy Frank’s well-drawn, memorable characters in the face of life’s challenges.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  Meet Linda Breland, single parent of two teenage daughters—one of whom is headed off to college. Between that and the married men, the cold New Jersey winters, her pinched wallet, and her ex-husband who marries a beautiful, successful woman ten years younger than she is—let’s just say, Linda has seen enough to fill a thousand pages. Now, she’s bound for Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, the magical landscape of her ancestors. Welcomed by the help of her advice-dispensing sister and an intriguing ex–investment banker turned restaurant owner, Linda slowly begins to find her way and realize that she too is entitled to a second chance . . .

  “Dorothea Benton Frank represent[s] the best of fiction.”

  —Greensboro (NC) News & Record

  “[An] entertaining, witty author.”

  —Winston-Salem Journal

  “No one can capture an over-the-top colorful voice better than Frank . . . She injects the story with her trademark quirky voice.”

  —The Columbia (SC) State

  Acclaim for

  SHEM CREEK

  “Frank’s warm, lively writing style, fine handle on pacing, and truthful insights about mother-daughter relationships are the highlights of this book.”

  —Savannah Morning News

  “[Frank] combines evocative descriptions of the place and its culture with rollicking tales of middle-age women making a fresh start in work and love.”

  —The Charlotte Observer

  “Having Shem Creek in your possession will be a great excuse to get in one more weekend at the beach.”

  —Winston-Salem Journal

  “Fans no doubt will love it . . . few can capture an over-the-top colorful voice better than Frank.”

  —Lexington Herald-Leader

  “This delightful book embraces characters that will not soon be forgotten . . . You’ll enjoy your visit to Shem Creek.”

  —The Decatur Daily

  ISLE OF PALMS

  “Isle of Palms is as light and gratifying as a sand dollar just washed to shore . . . The author and Anna like to remind folks of the things that matter most: finding inner peace, learning to forgive and cherishing friends who become family.”

  —The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

  “A fun beach read.”

  —The Raleigh News & Observer

  “[A] page-turner.”

  —St. Petersburg Times

  “Dorothea Benton Frank is the bad girl of southern fiction—the bad, bad girl. Her books are funny, sexy, and usually damp with seawater.”

  —Pat Conroy

  “Entertaining.”

  —Orlando Sentinel

  “[Frank] defies convention and weaves comically twisted plot lines for each of her characters . . . Fans of Sullivan’s Island and Plantation will not be disappointed . . . Anna’s narration makes Isle of Palms stand out.”

  —The Florida Times-Union

  SULLIVAN’S ISLAND

  “Blazingly authentic . . . A rich read.”

  —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  “Hilarious and wise, an up-to-the-minute report on what it is like to be alive and female in the South Carolina Lowcountry today. It contains the funniest sex scene I have ever encountered.”

  —Pat Conroy

  “Dottie Frank’s take on the South Carolina Lowcountry is tough, tender, achingly real, and very, very funny. Sullivan’s Island roars with life.”

  —Anne Rivers Siddons

  “In Sullivan’s Island, southern womanhood has found a new voice, and it is outrageous, hilarious, relentless, and impossible to ignore.”

  —John Berendt

  “One heck of a beach book . . . Frank keeps you reading compulsively.”

  —The Charlotte Observer

  PLANTATION

  “Effortlessly evokes the lush beauty of the South Carolina Lowcountry while exploring the complexities of family relationships . . . Readers will enjoy immersing themselves in the lives of these deftly drawn, heartfelt characters.”

  —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  “Think Terry McMillan meets Rebecca Wells by way of the Deep South and you’ll be barking up the right bayou.”

  —The Mirror (London)

  Titles by Dorothea Benton Frank

  PAWLEYS ISLAND

  SHEM CREEK

  ISLE OF PALMS

  PLANTATION

  SULLIVAN’S ISLAND

  THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

  Penguin Group (Canada), 10 Alcorn Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4V 3B2, Canada

  (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

  Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)

  Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia

  (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)

  Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India

  Penguin Group (NZ), Cnr. Airborne and Rosedale Roads, Albany, Auckland 1310, New Zealand

  (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)

  Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196,

  South Africa

  Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  SHEM CREEK

  A Berkley Book / published by arrangement with the author

  Copyright © 2004 by Dorothea Benton Frank.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distribu
ted in any printed or electronic form

  without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in

  violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,

  a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  eISBN : 978-1-101-53323-9

  BERKLEY®

  Berkley Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,

  a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  BERKLEY is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  The “B” design is a trademark belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  http://us.penguingroup.com

  For

  my great friend

  Debra Pietromonaco Zammit

  SHEM CREEK

  I

  The ripe earth swells,

  splitting its skin

  into waterways

  scattered and winding

  in every direction,

  releasing winds

  that carve the land

  to shreds. Where

  sun-filled clumps

  of spartina, smoothed

  into supplicating rows

  of bent heads crowd

  the edges of Shem Creek,

  marsh wrens build

  their tiny nests.

  As if they are playing

  hide and go seek,

  porpoises appear

  then disappear

  below the water.

  Fish birds are everywhere

  littering the sky:

  egrets, herons, and terns,

  oyster catchers, pelicans,

  gulls diving and turning

  through the thick air.

  II

  As the creek weaves

  through treeless subdivisions,

  strip malls, and concrete,

  it gathers everything

  from oil, soap, and gasoline

  to tires and old refrigerators.

  Run-off fills the oyster beds

  with unpronounceable toxins.

  Arsenic and mercury

  drift through the water

  in invisible clouds,

  as if no one will notice.

  III

  Beyond the clutter of traffic

  seafood restaurants,

  hotels, bars, and parking lots,

  docked shrimp boats,

  bobbing up and down

  beside the docks,

  wait where the creek

  divides oil from water

  and opens into the endless sea.

  —MARJORY HEATH WENTWORTH

  South Carolina Poet Laureate

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  In the making of a book there are many hands besides those of the author. I would like to thank the following people who gladly picked up the phone, sent information and answered my questions and gave me their support: Tim Mink of Poe’s Tavern on Sullivan’s Island; Dana Beach, Nancy Vinson, and Jane Lareau of the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League; Fred Holland, Ph.D.; Nancy Rhyne of Pawleys Island; Vickie Crafton and Tom Warner of Litchfield Books; Tom Schaefer of Atlanta; Michael F. Nickell and Trisha Boorman of Cypress restaurant in Charleston; Dr. Ian Smith of New York; Nathalie Dupree of Charleston, South Carolina; and Mark Hiebel of the Renaissance Grand Beach Hotel in St. Thomas. Huge thanks to Diane Razzano and Bella Kovtun of Atlantic Express, Staten Island, New York, especially for the cookies!

  Special thanks to Mary Allen of Montclair, New Jersey, for resurrecting my computer from its many crashes and to George Zur for his technical expertise on numerous occasions in all areas pertaining to my Web site.

  To Marjory Wentworth, South Carolina Poet Laureate, for the creation and use of her exquisite poem “Shem Creek,” I am always and forever in awe of your enormous talent and grateful to the skies for your friendship.

  To Debbie Zammit of New York, whom I found after an absence of decades, without you, this book could never have come to pass. I am thrilled to have you back in my life and I thank you with my whole heart.

  To the following folks whose names appear as characters: Robert and Susan Rosen, Louise Waring, Patti Elliott, Gretchen and Sandy Prater, Louie and Cherry Provost, Bill Thompson, Mimi Bagnal, Mike “the Zone Man” Evans, Barbara and Lowell Epstein, and Philip Ragone, M.D., many thanks and I hope y’all get a kick out of seeing your names in this crazy story. If your namesakes do something you would never do, which I think almost all of them do, remember, they could not help themselves, I could not stop them, and it’s all meant in good humor anyway, just to make this more fun for you to read.

  The Honorable Joseph P. Riley Jr., Mayor of the City of Charleston, is one of my heroes in many areas, not the least of which is his advocacy and leadership in all areas aimed at preserving and maintaining the great beauty and quality of the landscape, water, and wildlife of the Lowcountry. The reference in this text to the ease with which someone can secure his company at their dinner table is meant to be humorous.

  To Scott Bagnal (husband of Mimi, who in real life is the queen of pound cake in addition to a thousand other things), the Birdman of Edisto Beach, and my brother-in-law for almost all my life, who is a prince, I thank him for his wisdom and good humor, neither of which is ever in short supply.

  To my brother and his wife, Michael and Jennifer Benton of Irving, Texas; Vicki Oliver of Savannah, Georgia; to Dr. and Mrs. Michael Hay of Orangeburg, South Carolina; Tom Houck and Patsy Thomas of Atlanta, Georgia; Margot Sage-El; Val Fisher of Montclair, New Jersey; Mary Jo McInerny of Greenville, South Carolina; and most especially to Robert and Susan Rosen of Charleston, who collectively feted over one thousand people in the name of celebrating the publication of my last book, during the hottest and most humid weather of our lives, and did so in grand style, I love y’all forever and thank you over and over.

  Huge bowing and scraping starts with Norman Lidofsky and the whole sales team at Berkley, especially Ernie Petrillo, Sharon Gamboa, Don Rieck, Patrick Nolan, Trish Weyenberg, Don Redpath, Rich Adamonis, Joe Crockford and Ken Kaye—I love y’all forever. To Rick Pascocello and the whole promotion team who dream up all the wonderful ideas that add the sparkle to sales, huge thanks for your generous support. As always, thanks to Joni Friedman and Rich Hasselberger for their extraordinary vision and efforts for my covers. And huge love to the publicity wizards, Liz Perl and Heather Connor. Wow! I don’t know how you do all you do and you know, I am going nowhere without y’all. Ever!

  Obviously, I am still kissing the footprints of Leslie Gelbman, who is still my magnificent and fearless publisher. Leslie, what can I say? I get this big lump in my throat when I think about your faith in my work and how generous and wonderful you have been to me. Seriously, I send you endless thanks and love. And right behind Leslie is my editor, Gail Fortune, who knows I hold her judgment in the highest esteem and that I treasure her friendship and always will. Someday, we are all going to the Lowcountry and I am going to show you what the magic is all about.

  To my agent, Amy Berkower, what can I say? You’ll make a woman of me yet! Thanks for all your great advice, your friendship and for being my best advocate. And even though we are just warming up, many thanks in advance to Sandy Mendelson for your warmth, excellent humor and expertise.

  Okay, Buzzy, you’re next. Insiders know that the wondrous Buzzy Porter left South Carolina to work for B&N in New York and Southern writers are weeping. Don’t weep. Patty Morrison is still holding the fort, the fort will endure, and who knows? Maybe our New York numbers will rise? Love you, Patty and Buzzy, and thanks for everything! Especially for the plantation gig . . . people who give poor directions should be shot.

  Special thanks to Kevin Sherry for going over all the recipes with us and making sure they were usable. To booksellers everywhere, I curtsy deeply t
o you and thank you profoundly for each time you have recommended me to a new reader. I mean that with all my heart. I loved being in your stores last summer and thank you again for your gracious hospitality and generous support.

  And, last but most assuredly not least, to Peter, Victoria and William. My, oh my! I love you all so much and with all I’ve got. Thank you for your patience, your love and faith and your endless understanding. My door might be closed half the time but my heart is always open wide for you. At the end of the day, it’s just us.

  A POSTCARD FROM LINDA

  CAN I just tell you why I am so deliriously happy to drive all through the night from New Jersey to South Carolina? Here we are, boxed in between this wall of eighteen-wheelers on our left and right, in front and behind, in this little pocket of flying road, racing down I-95 at seventy-six miles an hour. My daughters are asleep beside me and in the backseat. I don’t care that it’s pouring rain. I don’t care that it’s dark. On another night, I would be terrified out of my skin by the blasting of horns. But not tonight. Let me tell you something. These trucks are like huge guardian angels rushing us to safety and the rain is washing us clean. Life has been a little rough around the edges and it was time to break out. Yeah. A little rough would be one way of understating it.