½ teaspoon ground cumin
Scoop flesh out of the avocados and place it in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Mash the avocado well. Add lime juice to the avocado and mix well. Place cilantro, jalapeño pepper, onion, cottage cheese, cumin, and minced garlic into the mixing bowl; stir until the ingredients are combined. Sprinkle with Hawaiian pink sea salt to taste. Chill for at least one hour before serving.
Fish Tacos
1 pound cod fillets, cut into strips 2–3 inches in length by 1 inch in width
1 quart oil for frying
1 (12 ounce) package small flour tortillas
½ medium head cabbage, shredded
BEER BATTER
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 ¼ cup light beer (such as Mexican lager)
WHITE SAUCE
½ cup sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise
1 lime, juiced
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
1 teaspoon minced capers
1 teaspoon fresh cilantro, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried dill weed
To make white sauce: Mix together sour cream and mayonnaise. Stir in lime juice until consistency is slightly runny. Season with jalapeño, capers, cilantro, cumin, and dill weed.
To make beer batter: In a large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Blend egg and beer, and then quickly stir into the flour mixture.
Dip fish pieces into beer batter, and fry until crisp and golden brown. Place fish on paper towels to drain excess oil. Heat tortillas by placing 6 at a time between two wet paper towels and heat in the microwave until soft, about 30 seconds. To serve, place fried fish in a tortilla, and top with shredded cabbage, and white sauce.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my brilliant agent and editor, Melissa Flashman and Lauren Jablonski, for their inspiration and dedication. Thank you to the whole team at St. Martin’s Press: Brittani Hilles, Karen Masnica, Brant Janeway, Jennifer Enderlin, and Jennifer Weis.
Thank you to the friends who are always there for me—Andrea Katz, Traci Whitney, Sara Sullivan, Patricia Hull, Gary Fong, and Jessica Parr—and the biggest thanks to my children for everything they give me: Alex, Andrew, Heather, Madeleine, and Thomas.
Also by Anita Hughes
Christmas in London
Emerald Coast
White Sand, Blue Sea
Christmas in Paris
Santorini Sunsets
Island in the Sea
Rome in Love
French Coast
Lake Como
Market Street
Monarch Beach
About the Author
ANITA HUGHES is the author of Monarch Beach; Market Street; Lake Como; French Coast; Rome in Love; Island in the Sea; Santorini Sunsets; Christmas in Paris; White Sand, Blue Sea; Emerald Coast; and Christmas in London. She attended UC Berkeley’s Masters in Creative Writing Program and lives in Dana Point, California, where she is at work on her next novel. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Epilogue
Also by Anita Hughes
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
CALIFORNIA SUMMER. Copyright © 2018 by Anita Hughes. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Lesley Worrell
Cover photographs: woman © Mosuno/Stocksy; sunset © hdbox/Shutterstock.com
Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Hughes, Anita, 1963– author.
Title: California summer / Anita Hughes.
Description: First edition. | New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2018.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017060312 | ISBN 978-1-250-16665-4 (trade pbk.) | ISBN 978-1-250-16666-1 (ebook)
Subjects: | GSAFD: Love stories.
Classification: LCC PS3608.U356755 C35 2018 | DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017060312
eISBN 9781250166661
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First Edition: June 2018