chapter 4

Stephen Sulkey

Fourteen-year-old Bernie McGee lives an ordinary life in the historic coastal town of New Bern, North Carolina. She worries about school, dreams about the future, and spends every day with her two lifelong friends, Katie and Lyle. Like most teenagers, she believes her biggest decisions still lie years ahead. Then, one afternoon beneath an ancient live oak tree, she meets a mysterious woman. Beautiful, compassionate, and unlike anyone Bernie has ever known, the stranger seems to understand her fears, hopes, and dreams before Bernie speaks a word. Drawn by an inexplicable bond, Bernie returns day after day, forming a friendship that transforms the way she sees herself, her town, and the world around her. But not everyone believes Bernie's extraordinary story. Her parents grow increasingly concerned. Her friends begin to question whether the mysterious woman even exists. A local priest experiences strange events of his own that challenge everything he has believed, while whispers of miracles and unexplained encounters begin spreading quietly through the community. As the woman's purpose slowly unfolds, Bernie is entrusted with a message whose significance reaches far beyond a small North Carolina town. Accepting it will require courage, faith, and a willingness to stand firm when almost no one believes her. **The Lady & Bernie McGee** is a moving novel of friendship, hope, and the quiet ways Heaven sometimes touches ordinary lives. Set against the charm of coastal North Carolina, it explores faith not through spectacle, but through kindness, compassion, and the enduring power of love.