They meet by chance. Age doesn’t matter.
Roxie is sequestered alone in her woodsy retreat, having survived a lifetime of romance and fervent outreach to underprivileged women. A misfit herself as wife and mother, she’s content now with her garden, yoga, and art.
Fred in his prime, children launched, has left his uninspired wife and work to paint fulltime without the support of his mate for the first time in his life, shackled only with his demons of doubt.
And then one day in a life-drawing class. . .
Theirs is a love story that shatters orthodoxy as they discover themselves anew.
His daughter and son both launched, and having recently left his lackluster marriage, suburban home and career, Fred feels stuck in a midlife rut. Despite an abyss of uncertainty about his inherent talent and depth of conviction for becoming a serious painter, he forges ahead without the support of a woman for the first time in his life. And then, out of the blue, he meets vibrant and beautiful Roxie, blissfully unaware of how very much older she is than meets the eye.
It begins as friendship—weekly get-togethers, alternating between his place and hers, to sketch, paint, discuss art and grapple with the illusive, often confounding creative quest. Eventually they’re sharing meals, walks in the woods, frolicking in her pond. Their growing affection for each other naturally glides into sexual play and lovemaking, astonishing and delighting them both.
Their love is put to the ultimate test when Fred’s steady hand is the only way Roxie can face the most difficult challenge of her life.
As the human race leads longer and healthier lives than ever before, Roxie and Fred’s love story serves as testament to fully embracing the mind, body and spirit, sexual pleasure included, without succumbing to the fears of older age.
Berkeley, California