Lobster for Breakfast

College freshman Carrie Matthews expects to do something significant with her life. But when a family crisis forces her to drop out of school she puts her dreams on hold and takes a clerical position in the advertising department of a Cincinnati corporation. Her boss, Brad Collins—married and ten years her senior—nurtures Carrie’s talent for the advertising business, winning her gratitude and devotion. The longer Carrie works with her handsome mentor the more enamored she becomes. Only when Brad is about to leave town for a new job in Minnesota does she discover the feeling has been mutual. Seizing the opportunity to resurrect an aunt’s neglected house in a Twin Cities suburb, Carrie follows Brad and sets to work creating a rendezvous where she and her lover can share stolen moments. Over the months of tearing out carpet, painting walls and stripping floors, Carrie uncovers the bones of a house worth saving. Can she say the same about her relationship with Brad? The electricity that crackles between them is undeniable. Yet the emotional burden of carrying on an illicit relationship takes its toll. In the end, Carrie must make a choice that will determine not only her own fate but the fate of her lover and his family.

Charlene Burck grew up on the west side of Cincinnati and now lives near Minneapolis. She has two grown sons and a husband she’s still raising. Lobster for Breakfast is her first book.