Chapter 1

The first thing I did after I came back to life was swap fiancés with my cousin.

Last time around, we got married on the same day.

My cousin, Claire, all gentle and quiet, married the stoic Navy officer, Jack Cole.

He missed their anniversary to be with his childhood sweetheart, and when Claire just asked for an explanation, he told her he had nothing to be sorry for.

They ended up in a fifty-year cold war because of it.

Me, on the other hand, with my fists-first, talk-later personality, I married the accountant from the local manufacturing plant.

He was a quiet type, always complaining that I was too loud and didn't know how to dress like a lady.

We’d have small fights every three days and big ones every five, until he just stopped coming home altogether.

We were divorced in less than a year.

Then I opened my eyes, and I was right back on that same wedding day with my cousin.

……

"Sadie, you get your butt off that train right now, you hear me!"

"Passing up a perfectly good accountant to go to that godforsaken island… why did I ever raise such a stubborn child…"

Watching my mom chase the train down the platform, yelling her head off, I felt a little pang in my heart.

But then I remembered how things ended for me and Claire the first time, and I knew I was making the right choice.

Sure, Seabrook Island was desolate, and Jack Cole wasn't exactly Mr. Charming, but so what?

If it worked, it worked.

If it didn't, we’d go our separate ways.

I’m a grown woman; I don’t need a man to survive.

But Claire did.

Last time, she married Jack, and they spent a lifetime tangled in misunderstandings because of another woman wedged between them.

A person as gentle as her was just worn down to nothing by him.

So this time, seeing her frowning, her face clouded with worry, I started packing my bags without a second thought.

"Claire, I'll marry Jack," I told her. "That accountant, Leo, might seem a little bland, but he's good-natured. You two should get along just fine."

Her face lit up with relief for a second, but then she bit her lip and shook her head firmly.

"Sadie, Jack is not an easy man to be with, and don't even get me started on his childhood friend. I can't let you take on my unhappiness."

"Hey," I said, "it’s a family promise we can't get out of, so someone has to do it. Our granddads never specified which granddaughter had to marry him. And besides, so what if Jack’s a handful? You think your cousin can't handle him?"

"When I get to that island, if things are good, we'll live. If they're not, we'll fight. I’ll give as good as I get. All that matters is that I don't take any crap!"

To prove my point, I popped into a fighting stance and threw a few jabs right there in the living room.

Seeing me act like a goofball, Claire finally cracked a smile through her tears and poked my forehead.

"Oh, you..."

Unlike Claire's gentle nature, I grew up doing martial arts and learned that actions speak louder than words.

That’s why I never clicked with Leo, who fancied himself an intellectual.

I thought he was a pretentious windbag, and he thought I wasn't ladylike at all.

Our life together wasn't any better than Claire and Jack's; we split up before the year was out.

So this time around, it was better for Claire to marry him.

At least Leo lived close to home.

Having family nearby was a world better than Claire suffering all alone on that remote island with no one to turn to, eventually falling into a deep depression.

Thinking all this, I grabbed Claire's hand and laid on the charm, refusing to let go until she finally, reluctantly, nodded.

"Okay," she sighed. "I'll switch with you."

And just like that, I grabbed my suitcase and hopped on the train heading for Seabrook Island.

I just didn't expect my mom to show up at the station so fast.

I’d left her a letter explaining everything, crystal clear, so I don’t know what she was still worried about.

"I'm going to the island to get married!" I yelled out the window at her retreating figure. "If it doesn't work out, I'll come right back on my own!"

I spent the next three days and two nights just eating and sleeping on the train until it finally pulled into the station in Washington.

I quickly grabbed my things and squeezed onto the ferry bound for the island.

I figured I could just sleep my way through this leg of the journey too, but I had no idea that seasickness was a thing.

By the time the boat docked, my face was the color of ash, and I was pretty sure I smelled like something had died.

As I sat in the guard post at the naval base entrance, waiting for Jack Cole to come get me, I thought about how I’d just spent the last hour puking my guts out.

A small wave of relief washed over me.

Thank God it was me who came.

How would a delicate soul like Claire ever handle a trip like this?

"Jack, honey, what's that weird smell in here? It's making me feel sick."

A syrupy-sweet voice cut through my thoughts, and I looked up.