Catharine Gimbel

The Last One to Leave Catharine Gimbel

Kathleen Morgan is used to people leaving her. Her mother moved out when she was a toddler. Her father later disappeared into the Sea of Cortez. Her brother joined the Army and never came back, and Katie's husband left her for his pregnant secretary. And that was all before she turned forty! So Katie has filled her inherited San Francisco Victorian with people she hopes won't desert her any time soon. They include two feisty senior citizens-CeeCee DuBois and Helen Goodwin-and Alex Greene-a nurse practitioner-whom Katie calls her guardian angel. As the novel opens, Katie has an unsettling dream that proves to be startlingly predictive. Over the next year, her world is once again turned upside down. Her best friend Nicky takes up residence in her attic after the death of his long-time partner. CeeCee faces an unexpected and unwelcome life challenge. And Helen decides to step into the twenty-first century with or without her hearing aids. To complicate matters further, Alex brings a new man into the family circle. Andrew Stern is a kind doctor who's endured his own losses and who knows how to help others through theirs. His dogged belief in the possibility of happiness will be put to the test, however, as Katie refuses to acknowledge that change is inevitable and that life moves forward no matter how hard we try to slow it down. Katie will have to learn in her own time that losing someone dear to you-with all its concomitant pain and sorrow-makes no sense whatsoever unless it forces you open your heart to another chance at love. For more information, go to the author's website, www.catgimbel.com