Book excerpt: Frankie Carter can build anything--a house, a family, and a life without the alcoholic mother who abandoned her when she was eight. When her mother, Doralee, reappears after forty-seven years, Frankie finds herself yearning for her mother’s love and admiration. Even though Doralee breaks Frankie’s heart at every turn, indomitable Frankie fights for the love she grew up without. Frankie is elbow-deep in establishing an LGTBQ+ youth shelter in a house that holds painful memories of her childhood with Doralee. Real estate developer, Cam Simpson, demolishes her dream when he snatches the house away. Charming Cam wants to develop a relationship with Frankie, but the house will always be a barrier between them. With all her plans collapsing, Frankie is devastated to learn she will soon lose Doralee forever. Frankie’s best friends in the Marriage Survivors Club remind her all mothers—herself included, are imperfect. If Frankie can find the courage to forgive, she might be able to accept what love her mother can give before time runs out