Publisher's Synopsis
Selling her beloved possessions at a flea market in Lambertville, New Jersey, isn't something Hester Randal ever imagined she'd have to do; but here she is, down on her luck and in an awful way. When the young manager, Jimmy Raymer, invites her out for a drink and his domineering ex-fiancé shows up, Hester finds herself in the middle of a nasty triangle. Bad things happen at the market, and the current of Hester's life rushes toward its turning point as swiftly as the ever-present Delaware does to the sea. Will Hester find a solution to her heart-rending dilemma, or will she really lose her head this time? In An Awful Way is the second in The Dangerous Things Trilogy and traces anti-heroine Hester Randal's life after her divorce from her obnoxious and narcissistic husband, Al Murphy. Alone, unemployable, and broke, thanks to Al's dishonest machinations, middle-aged Hester has to resort to selling off things with which she never thought she'd have to part. Still in the shadow of her past sins and struggling to woman-up to her new, harsh reality, Hester is befriended by the Silver Nugget Flea Market manager, who's half her age. Jimmy Raymer is drawn to Hester because she reminds him of his dead mother. Hester, lonely and trying to make a go of it as a flea market dealer, succumbs to Jimmy's charming personality and generosity. He seems to be a regular guy, but he harbors a dreadful secret that both Hester and his ex-fiancé, the stunning and hard-headed Cecilia Kurts, the love of his life, don't know. Cecilia broke Jimmy's heart a few years ago by moving in with an older, influential woman and becoming her lover, but now Cecilia's biological clock is ticking and she needs Jimmy in order to get pregnant. The lives of these three characters become enmeshed when tragedy strikes. Two shocking events occur. Is it the devil himself at work? Or the hand of God? Hester Randal, once again, finds herself dangerously close to the edge of sanity as she faces an impossible choice. Can she transcend her own fears and sorrows in order to do what's best for everyone?
