Katie Walsh Book Excerpt: Follow You Down

Publisher’s Note: Katie Walsh is a Westwood resident who recently published her first book, Follow You Down. The book is a contemporary romance with early 2000s nostalgia, strong female friendships, and plenty of Cape Cod charm. At its heart, it’s about second chances, self-discovery, and the beautiful mess of following your heart. Below is an excerpt:
 
Nikki slowed the car as they turned onto Shore Road, where the beach came into view on the left, and the grand facade of the Chatham Bars Inn emerged to their right. Kate’s breath caught; the inn was even more enchanting than she remembered. The main building, with its stately grey shingles and white balconies, seemed to beckon guests toward a world of New England charm and luxury. A crisp brick walkway led up to the entrance, and a stately wooden sign hinted at the five-star experience inside. Kate could practically hear the clink of champagne glasses and feel the evening ocean breeze on the wide veranda where wicker chairs awaited anyone wanting to soak up the view. She noticed an array of pristine white Adirondack chairs placed perfectly to watch the sunset with a glass of cabernet franc or perhaps have a quiet morning cappuccino.
 
“Wow,” exhaled softly, craning her neck to take it all in as they rounded Seacliff Street. “I’d forgotten how stunning this place is.” Her anxiety about the exorbitant cost of the stay gave way to an eagerness to explore what awaited her here.
 
“I’m already regretting not booking to stay with you, even for the weekend,” Nikki sighed as she eyed the veranda. “I could just see myself in head-to-toe J. Crew, dirty martini in hand, judging people with my new friends Beverly and Chad.”
 
Kate added in a haughty faux accent, “Dear, did you see that horrid woman with the black hair and black nails? Simply scandalous!” Kate winked at her friend, poking holes in the idea that Nikki could simply blend in with upper-crust New England society.
 
“Oh please, the only thing that talks at a place like this is money,” Nikki admonished with an eye roll. “You’d be surprised what you can get away with if people think you have money.”
 
Nikki pulled the car up to the inn’s bustling portico, lined with perfectly trimmed boxwood hedges, wooden benches and hundreds more bright pink hydrangeas. Guests in crisp, designer resort wear milled about, their sunglasses gleaming and hair sun-kissed and meticulously kept. The valets were busy attending to the polished luxury vehicles pulling up with families and couples eagerly unloading their luggage. They stood behind a towering black Rivian SUV with a young, well-dressed family of four arriving for what seemed like the entire summer, based on the sheer number of bags and suitcases.
 
Lingering near the entrance was a mid-fifties statuesque platinum blonde woman whose bright orange Hermès bag gleamed in the sunlight as if it were on display in a museum. Nikki sighed dreamily.
 
“Look at that Birkin,” she swooned. “In iconic amber, too. I think I might be turned on right now.”
 
Kate laughed as she collected her belongings. She felt oddly eager to begin her so-called summer of transformation—despite having no real blueprint. No step-by-step plan for self-discovery, no clue what needed fixing, or even where to start. Was she supposed to just wander around waiting for the universe to drop meaning in her lap? That wasn’t in her comfort zone, but she was willing to try.