Safe Harbor
A Starting Over Short Story
Publisher Description
Her late husband called Seward, Alaska his sanctuary but for Patricia it’s a place of secrets.
Arriving in the misty harbor town to settle his affairs, Patricia Grant hopes to find closure. Instead, she finds Sam Harrington—a handsome boat mechanic with salt-and-pepper hair and a quiet strength that calms the storm inside her. More than a stranger, Sam was her husband’s best friend, a keeper of stories from a life she was never part of.
As Sam shares memories of the man she loved, a new portrait emerges: a romantic who named his boat after her and left behind an unfinished carving that speaks of a deeper passion. The connection between Patricia and Sam is immediate, a tender bond forged in shared loss and the promise of a new beginning.
But their fragile hope is threatened when her husband’s family descends, intent on preserving a legacy that leaves no room for Patricia’s happiness. They issue an ultimatum: honor his memory their way, or risk being cast as the unfaithful widow.
Patricia’s torn between her duty to the past and the man who makes her feel truly seen. To choose a new love, will she have to betray the memory of the old one?