The Best Is Yet to Come

by Gould, Judith (Author)

• ISBN13: 9780525946595
• ISBN10: 0525946594
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-08-01
• Publisher: E P Dutton

Summary

Carolina Mountcastle has everything she could ever want: a sexy, attentive husband, a terrific teenage son, and a successful career as a florist and decorator in New York. Then, without warning, tragedy strikes. Carolina's husband, an international business executive, suffers a fatal heart attack. Reeling from grief and shock, Carolina receives an even more devastating blow: He was having a long-term affair with a woman in Amsterdam. They shared a home-and a child. Shattered by her husband's betrayal, and obsessed with this "other woman," Carolina travels to Amsterdam to find her, intent on revenge. But forced to confront the truth about her marriage and the man she thought she knew, Carolina discovers her own inner strength-and opens her heart to new possibilities. Poignant and passionate, this is Judith Gould's richest novel yet-the tale of a woman who finds the courage to heal, to forgive, and to love again.

Author Biography

Judith Gould is the New York Times bestselling author of twelve novels, including Sins, Love-Makers, Dazzle, Never Too Rich, Forever, Till the End of Time, Rhapsody, Time to Say Good-bye, and A Moment in Time.

Excerpts

The shrill buzzing of the alarm clock was an unrelenting and joyless sound to Carolina's ears this morning. She groaned aloud as she slid one arm from under the sheet and reached over, slapping in the general direction of the harsh, unwelcome intrusion. Her fingers grazed glass and, too late, she jerked her hand back.The sound of her water glass crashing against the floor brought her struggling up and out from under the covers into a sitting position."Damn," she said aloud, her voice barely audible. Her throat was dry and scratchy. With a decisive push of her thumb, she hit the button that turned off the offensive instrument.The instant it was quieted, the raucous early morning sounds of Chelsea replaced it. It wasn't even daylight yet, but delivery trucks rumbled loudly on the streets, shaking the windows in their frames. A workman was yelling at the top of his lungs. In the distance, the sound of an ambulance siren wailed frenetically.Carolina smiled slightly at the reassuring cacophony and pushed her bangs away from her face. She eyed the clock as if it were an enemy: five a.m. Yawning loudly, she stretched her arms and legs, trying to fully awaken her leaden body. She fell back against the pillows again, but only momentarily."Oh," she groaned as she finally slid her feet off the side of the bed, "this is torture. Why did I stay up watching that DVD with Richie last night?"But she knew why. She had been working long, hard hours, and Lyon was out of town for a couple of weeks, and she didn't feel as if either of them had been paying enough attention to their sixteen-year-old son. That is, when he could free himself from his friends to pay attention to her.She stood up, careful to avoid the broken glass, and padded into the bathroom on bare feet. My mouth!she thought, grimacing with distaste. Why on earth-?Then she remembered. Last night she and Richie had eaten a mountain of popcorn, which they'd buttered and salted lavishly. Ugh! Never again!she told herself, knowing full well that she couldn't wait until next time with her son.She quickly performed her morning ablutions in the shiny marble and glass bathroom, and then dashed to the loft's big open-plan kitchen. She smiled wryly, remembering how the cost of renovating this one room had given her such a shock. Sub-Zero refrigerator, Garland stove and ovens, all the stainless steel and black granite surfaces. Lyon had insisted on the best, and she hadn't argued with him. Now it was practically as new as the day it had been finished, it was so unused. The coffeemaker was a different matter, however, and she headed straight for it. All she had to do was push the button. She'd filled it with water and ground the beans last night before turning in.She rushed back to the bathroom and quickly brushed her wildly tinted red hair, not a difficult job, considering her severe Louise Brooks do with its razor-straight bangs and razor-straight cut all the way around her head, the length just to the bottom of her earlobes. She quickly and expertly applied eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, and blusher, and then looked at her reflection in the mirror.Not half bad, she thought, knowing that she looked quite snazzy for a sleep-deprived thirty-five-year-old. She tried a bright smile. A face to meet faces, she told herself. Much better. Smoky eyes. Bright crimson lips.Most of Carolina's friends chuckled at her careful grooming, no matter the hour of day or night or the occasion. But Carolina had always reasoned that you never knew who might be around the next corner, and she always wanted to look her best-in case. Even she had to admit that the likelihood of running into anyone she'd want to impress at the wholesale flower market in the early morning hours was highly unlikely, but she'd long ago discovered that the vendors working in the marke