Title:
To Fall in Love Again
Author:
David Burnett
Release
date: February, 2015
Genre:
Contemporary Romance
Book
Description:
Drew Nelson did not plan
to talk with anyone that morning. He did not plan to make a new friend. He
certainly did not plan to fall in love.He resisted all of Amy’s attempts to
draw him out− at the hotel, at the airport, on the airplane− giving hurried
responses and burying his face in a pile of papers. It was only when the flight
attendant offered coffee, and a muscle in Amy’s back twitched as she reached
for it, and the cup tipped, and the hot liquid puddled in Drew’s lap that they
began to talk. Earlier in the year, each had lost a spouse of over thirty
years. Drew’s wife had died of a brain tumor, Amy’s husband when his small
airplane nose-dived to earth, the engine at full throttle − an accident, it was
ruled.They live in the same city. Both have grandchildren. They are about the
same age. Consciously, or not, they both are looking to love again.
But relationships do not exist in vacuums. Drew is wealthy, and Amy is middle class. Amy is “new” in town – she and her husband moved to Charleston twenty-five years ago – while Drew’s family has lived there for three centuries. Drew lives below Broad, a code word for high society, old families, power, and money. Amy’s home is across the river.
Class warfare may be less violent than it was in the past, but when Drew invites Amy to the St Cecelia Ball, battle lines are drawn. In a city in which ancestry is important, the ball’s membership is passed from father to son, and only those from the oldest families attend.
Family, friends, co-workers all weigh in on their relationship and choose sides. Allies are found in unexpected places. Opposition comes from among those who were thought to be friends. Though they are gone, even their spouses − through things they have done and things they have said − wield influence in the conflict that follows.
Amy begins to suspect that Drew is one of them, the rich snobs who despise her, while Drew concludes that Amy neither trusts him nor cares for him. As each questions the other’s motives, their feelings for each other are tested, and Drew and Amy are challenged to consider if they truly want to fall in love again.
But relationships do not exist in vacuums. Drew is wealthy, and Amy is middle class. Amy is “new” in town – she and her husband moved to Charleston twenty-five years ago – while Drew’s family has lived there for three centuries. Drew lives below Broad, a code word for high society, old families, power, and money. Amy’s home is across the river.
Class warfare may be less violent than it was in the past, but when Drew invites Amy to the St Cecelia Ball, battle lines are drawn. In a city in which ancestry is important, the ball’s membership is passed from father to son, and only those from the oldest families attend.
Family, friends, co-workers all weigh in on their relationship and choose sides. Allies are found in unexpected places. Opposition comes from among those who were thought to be friends. Though they are gone, even their spouses − through things they have done and things they have said − wield influence in the conflict that follows.
Amy begins to suspect that Drew is one of them, the rich snobs who despise her, while Drew concludes that Amy neither trusts him nor cares for him. As each questions the other’s motives, their feelings for each other are tested, and Drew and Amy are challenged to consider if they truly want to fall in love again.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23654873-to-fall-in-love-again
Book Excerpt:
Amy had been on vacation for the past
week, visiting her sister, Lucy, a family counselor who lived in Aspen. They
had hiked in the mountains, shopped in the cute boutiques, lunched in the
tearooms in town, and they had talked into the night after Lucy’s husband had
fallen asleep.
Amy had always been able to talk with
her sister. That was not unusual. Everyone—family, friends, acquaintances,
complete strangers—would tell Lucy anything. She was good at her job.
She and her sister were enjoying one
last quiet evening talking.
Lucy placed a hand on Amy’s arm. “So,
how are you holding up?”
“Pretty well.” Amy looked out over
the mountain that loomed behind the house. “We had, you know, drifted part, as
they say. That phrase has always sounded so dumb to me, but it’s accurate.” She
sighed.
“What now? Dating yet?”
“Dating? Please.”
“You’re not planning to spend the
next forty years alone, are you?”
“Forty years? That’s a bit
optimistic.”
“Forty, thirty, twenty, whatever. Alone?”
“I’m not alone. I have Cathy, and
Elaine, and—”
“They are wonderful children, but you
know what I mean.”
Amy swirled the wine around her
glass. “I haven’t thought about it.”
“Maybe it’s time.”
“But I feel stupid when I talk to men
I don’t know. What could I say that would interest some random guy?”
“You start with something trivial and
non-threatening then you build on it. Let’s practice.”
Amy expelled a loud breath, knowing
that she would have to play along.
“I’ll be you,” Lucy said. “Okay. We
are in the terminal waiting for our flight to be called. It’s tomorrow. Ready?”
“Go ahead.” Amy’s voice was flat.
“Waiting for your
flight to Chicago?”
Amy did not respond.
“If you ask a question,” Lucy said,
“most likely the other person will respond.”
“Oh, all right. Yes, I’m going to
Chicago. That’s why I’m here at gate fifty-two.”
Lucy sighed. “I’m trying to help. At
least you could cooperate.”
“But that’s what I would want to
say.”
“But you wouldn’t. Neither would any
other non-jerk. He would say, ‘Yes, I’m going to Chicago.’ Then you could say,
‘What’s the weather like in Chicago today?’ or ‘Going on business?’ or ‘Are you
from Chicago?’”
Amy cocked her head to one side. “Or
I could cut to the chase and say, ‘You’re a guy. I want to have your baby.’”
Lucy threw one hand in the air.
“You’re simply impossible.”
“I know what you mean, Lucy.” Amy
sighed. “I’ll do it. Promise.”
Lucy smiled. “Good. Your assignment,
tomorrow, is to talk to a man, one you do not know, for ten minutes. Talk about
something other than the weather.” She laughed at the expression on Amy’s face.
“You’re not trying to pick him up, not looking for a date, just being
friendly.” She gave Amy a playful pop on the shoulder. “You’ll never see the
guy again, so it’s all right if he thinks you’re crazy.”
About
the Author:
David Burnett lives in Columbia South
Carolina, with his wife and their blue-eyed cat, Bonnie. The Reunion, his first
novel, is set in nearby Charleston.
David enjoys traveling, photography, baking bread, and the Carolina beaches.
David enjoys traveling, photography, baking bread, and the Carolina beaches.
He has
photographed subjects as varied as prehistoric ruins on the islands of
Scotland, star trails, sea gulls, and a Native American powwow. David and his
wife have travelled widely in the United States and the United Kingdom. During
one trip to Scotland, they visited Crathes Castle, the ancestral home of the
Burnett family near Aberdeen. In The Reunion, Michael's journey through England
and Scotland allows him to sketch many places they have visited.
David has graduate
degrees in psychology and education and previously was Director of Research for
the South Carolina Department of Education. He and his wife have two daughters.
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