In Book One of the Bryte Cloud Series - A Summer Alone - Claire spends the summer at Holden Beach and befriends the Como Family - owners of Como's Kitchen which is just blocks from her cottage. The summer turns out to be fun and Claire sails through without missing her two brothers too much. At the end of the summer when she turns in her key at the realty agency, Clancey Como surprises her by asking for a ride back to Boston. Claire is baffled by this and decides to take a detour and go to Cherokee first to see her orphanage Momma, Maxine McKee. She knows Maxine will help her figure out how to get rid of Clancey. Clancey flirts with every female between Holden Beach and Cherokee and Claire becomes more and more annoyed at his behavior. Finally she asks Henry Wolfe - her orphanage grandfather - if he will try to help Clancey get over all his anger. Clancey stays in Cherokee with Henry and Claire continues on to Boston. She hopes for a continued friendship with Clay and Chris Como who will be staying in the other side of her rental house in Boston. Once classes start, she rarely sees either of them and is hurt that Chris has no interest in her. Clancey's behavior deteriorates and Henry Wolfe calls his Father Leo to come and get him. Claire still feels for Clancey and tries to help him. One morning after a particularly disturbing dream she drives to the Como house and is sitting on the front porch very early in the morning waiting for someone to wake up. This is how Claire meets Leo - the father of the Como family. Leo and Claire warm to each other immediately and Leo takes her under his wing. Claire feels for the first time that she is getting something like a father's love. They continue to spend time together as Clancey's problem is finally diagnosed as a medical one. Claire does make one trip to New York to celebrate her birthday with her brothers and there she meets Simon Jacobs who is a mentor to her brother Carter. Simon is sophisticated and charming and Claire is attracted to him but feels intimidated by his worldliness. Simon pursues Claire and arranges to come to Claire's home in Boston for Thanksgiving with her two brothers. A monster wind and snow storm changes many plans and Claire finds herself spending the night before Thanksgiving and the day of Thanksgiving with Leo Como. They cook a monstrous Thanksgiving meal together just to have something to do and in the course of cooking and feeding the neighbors, Leo shocks Claire by something he tells her. The book ends with Claire counting the days until she can leave the Como Family behind and return to her beloved Cherokee. The last two days before her graduation are two of the most difficult days Claire has faced in her young life. It is eventually the kindness of her two neighbors that helps Claire manage to hang on.