Lean On Me (Family is Forever, Book One)

PAT SIMMONS

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Sourcebooks Casablanca, 2020.

How acquired: Via Fresh Fiction Box Not to Miss, the best subscription box around.

First line: Marcus Whittington wasn't expecting to see a woman on his surveillance camera, trespassing on his domain.

(For the Goodreads synopsis, scroll to the bottom of this post.)

My thoughts: A new to me author. Tabitha and her sisters are taking turns caring for their elderly Aunt Tweet, who has dementia/Alzheimer's. Aunt Tweet is living with Tabitha for six months, and Tabitha is realizing being a caregiver is harder than it sounds. When Aunt Tweet manages to slip out of the house and wander the neighborhood, she sits on a neighbor's porch. He thinks Tabitha is not caring for her aunt properly and that her safety is at stake, and keeps threatening to call the police. So right off the bat, from their first meeting, we have two characters at odds with each other, which is one of my favorite ways for a book to start! Though I do like a little more bickering than what goes on here, but Tabitha also holds her tongue because she wants to appear to be doing well with Aunt Tweet, no matter how stressed she is, and doesn't want Marcus to carry out his threats.

I've never been a caregiver, and I hope I don't ever have to be. It sounds like hard work and stress inducing, no matter how much you love the person you're caring for. Tabitha took a lower paying job in order to not have to travel, and has rearranged her life for Aunt Tweet, but Tweet has been one of the most important people in her and her sisters' lives and they all adore her, so it's a sacrifice they are all willing to make.

And who can blame her? Aunt Tweet is delightful. And I very much liked Tabitha as well. She's strong and determined to do the best she can for her aunt. And when Marcus decided to appoint himself as Tabitha's caregiver, aw man, I was a goner. I only have a dog and a cat to care for, but I still need a Marcus!

This is a Christian book, so the romance is very clean, which was fine with me. I like the build up, and the relationship between Tabitha and Marcus moved along at a believable pace as they got to know each other better. There is also a subplot about two of the employees of the janitorial service Marcus runs with his brother, which gave a lot of insight into Marcus's character. And when Aunt Tweet suddenly decides she needs to go to church every week, Tabitha of course has to go with her, and then eventually Marcus joins them, and the sections with them at church were some of my favorites.

All around, this is a heartwarming story, and I'll never look at a caregiver the same way. Tabitha's younger sister, Rachel, gets to have Aunt Tweet with her for the next six months, and her story comes next, so there's that to look forward to!

Goodreads synopsis: Tabitha Knicely loves her career as a pharmaceutical rep, but even her health care knowledge isn't much help with the daily challenges she now faces caring for her aunt with Alzheimer's. Her once organized lifestyle is in disarray and her patience is tested. On Sunday mornings, when Aunt Tweet drags her to church, though Tabitha isn't a believer, the peaceful presence of faith is a welcome relief.
Marcus Whittington believes in second chances, so he hires former inmates to staff the industrial cleaning service he owns with his brother. When a mystery woman who keeps showing up on his porch turns out to be an elderly neighbor, Marcus is outraged at what he perceives as neglect on the part of her caregiver.
Marcus soon learns that being a caregiver is a demanding, compassionate act of kindness that he has never experienced before. After several encounters with Aunt Tweet and Tabitha, his heart is drawn to the family's distress. Marcus is determined to help Tabitha, and a friendship that started out with a grave misunderstanding soon begins to blossom into a relationship filled with love, faith, and partnership. Life is easier, when you have someone to lean on.