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| Mary Manners |
Under
Construction
By Mary
Manners
My husband and I recently decided to turn our back yard to
an oasis with the addition of an in-ground pool. As the backhoes moved in to
break ground, scooping the earth into mounds of sun baked dirt that rival Mount
Everest, I realized that the pool-building process has a lot in common with the
road I’m walking…life.
My life’s journey has been an adventure. As I approach the
close of my fifty-first year I realize how precious each moment has become. My daughter
entered college two years ago and we’re in a period of countless transitions.
The child I once drove to basketball practice and choir rehearsal now
chauffeurs me. I have learned, depending on the day (sometimes even the hour),
that I know nothing…and everything.
My husband has retired (well…partially) and that has
tremendously altered our daily routine. He’s become the chief cook and bottle
washer while I trek off to my day job as an assistant principal at our local
intermediate school. I hope to join him in partial retirement (I will always be
a writer) within the next few years.
Recently, a college friend of mine sent a photo that was
snapped our sophomore year (1982). Looking at the photo, I thought my daughter
was staring back at me. Was I ever that young, thin and…unwrinkled? My daughter
took one glance at the picture and gasped, “Mama, is that really you?” as if I could have
never—possibly—been that smiling young woman in the snapshot. And, after a good
laugh, I thought about the passage of time and how happy and truly blessed I am
to continue down the path that remains…under construction.
~~~~~
Wyatt
Cutler manages to break away from family-owned Cutler Nursery--and Clover
Cove—until his father perishes in a tragic accident. With no choice but to
abandon his prestigious position at world-renowned Messer Dynamics and return
to Clover Cove, Wyatt's only goal is to help his mother and brother, Reese,
keep Cutler Nursery in business.
The
laughter that surrounds Kami Moretto at her family's pizzeria has faded. Her
mom is gone and, for her dad, depression has set in. With Pappy’s Pizzeria
hanging on by a thread, Kami longs for days of the past and a time when her
faith carried her through every storm. Across the street, she watches Wyatt
scowl as he works and wonders how he can take his family—and his business—for
granted when hers is in such shambles.
When
tragedy strikes, Wyatt realizes he must let go of the past and cling to hope
for the future; he’s in danger of losing his family, his business, and the only
woman he’s truly loved.
~~~~~
Mary Manners is an award-winning
romance writer who lives in the beautiful foothills of East Tennessee
with her husband Tim and the cherished cats they've rescued from
local animal shelters...Lucky and Gus. She writes romances of all lengths, from
short stories to novels—something for everyone.
Learn more about Mary Manners at
her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com.
