By Invitation Only Read online

Page 31


  It’s a little incredible to realize it’s only thirty-five years, especially when it feels like I’ve loved you forever.

  Finally, to my readers to whom I owe the greatest debt of all, I am sending you the most sincere and profound thanks for reading my stories, for sending along so many nice emails, for yakking it up with me on Facebook and for coming out to book signings. You are why I try to write a book each year. I hope By Invitation Only will entertain you and give you something new to think about. There’s a lot of magic down here in the Lowcountry. Please come see us and get some for yourself! I love you all and thank you once again.

  About the Author

  New York Times bestselling author DOROTHEA BENTON FRANK was born and raised on Sullivans Island, South Carolina. She resides in the New York area with her husband.

  Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.

  Also by Dorothea Benton Frank

  Same Beach, Next Year

  All Summer Long

  All the Single Ladies

  The Hurricane Sisters

  The Last Original Wife

  Porch Lights

  Folly Beach

  Lowcountry Summer

  Return to Sullivans Island

  Bulls Island

  The Christmas Pearl

  The Land of Mango Sunsets

  Full of Grace

  Pawleys Island

  Shem Creek

  Isle of Palms

  Plantation

  Sullivans Island

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity, and are used fictitiously. All other characters, and all incidents and dialogue, are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.

  by invitation only. Copyright © 2018 by Dorothea Benton Frank. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  first edition

  Cover design by Elsie Lyons

  Cover photographs © plainpicture/Cultura/Henglein and Steets (couple); © plainpicture/Cultura/Henglein and Steets (petals); © Cosmo Condina/Getty Images (trees); © anmo/Shutterstock (petals); © danielo/Shutterstock (sky); © David M. Schrader/Shutterstock (texture); © Curly Pat/Shutterstock (endpapers)

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.

  Digital Edition MAY 2018 ISBN: 978-0-06-239083-7

  Print ISBN: 978-0-06-239082-0

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