a heartfelt collection of fiction and poetry

Eighteen-year-old Danae Gray flees Alabama and her abusive father the day she graduates high school with only her backpack, a handful of dollars, and no clear destination. She never expects to wind up in a small North Florida town with a mental institution on its main drag. Her aging motorcycle has other ideas. When she spots a woman who looks like an older version of Mouse, the sister who ran away from home when Danae was eight, Danae decides to stay, taking a mechanic job at the local auto shop.

The moment Mevlyn Jenson sees the young woman in the Wash-Away Laundromat, something about the big-boned, beaten-down gal tugs at her and she moves to uncover the person hiding behind the sadness. But Mevlyn needs help as much as Danae does, and the two quickly form an alliance. In exchange for room, board, and Mevlyn’s freely bestowed advice, Danae begins to help Mevlyn care for her terminally ill husband.

As Danae unravels the tragic secret surrounding her older sister’s disappearance, and Mevlyn comes to terms with the losses in her own life, Danae and Mevlyn create a new heart-family, filled with love and renewed hope.

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