The man currently in Lucy’s life is Ethan Mirabelli. Their relationship is casual, one best described as “friends with benefits.” While Lucy has known Ethan for years, they only began their relationship after her husband Jimmy’s death in a car accident. Ethan was always by her side, helping her through the grieving process and getting herlife together.
Believing the relationship to be a relaxed one, Lucy tells Ethan she’d like them to go back to being “just friends”
because she plans to get married again. However, guilt over her husband’s death, career confusion, bad dates and fear of loving – and losing – again wreak havoc on Lucy’s life.
Although Ethan doesn’t walk away from her, he becomes distant. Lucy becomes jealous when he starts spending most of his time with the other women in his life: his ex-girlfriend, Parker, who is also the mother of his son, and his friend, Doral-Anne, who is Lucy’s childhood nemesis.
Matters are further complicated by the advice and opinions of her in-laws, and Lucy must overcome her fears of what others might think, her fear of losing Ethan and her guilt over her husband’s death.
Although “The Next Best Thing” deals with a somber subject matter, it is a lighthearted and enjoyable novel about a widow’s journey to overcome grief and her search for happiness.
Author Link: http://www.kristanhiggins.com/