by Sabrina Stephens (Author)
Leah Gibson, a veteran community banker in Virginia Beach, has her life turned upside down when she is laid off from her decade-long position at the bank. Every aspect of her life begins to crumble as she searches futilely for a new career opportunity in the midst of a catastrophic recession, an economically-declining market, and a drastically shrinking profession. For a while, she is supported by her diverse and devoted circle of friends, but even those relationships begin to erode with the desperation of her situation. Despite a newfound thriftiness and growing self-reliance, Leah still finds herself virtually penniless and on the verge of homelessness. Out of options, she retreats deep into the mountains of North Carolina to live with her only surviving relative, her 92-year-old Aunt Fiona. As she begins a new life in the High Country, her future emerges from the childhood she left behind long ago. But when the promise of love and the specter of danger collide, Leah's only hope for survival rests on her ability to summon the strength preserved inside her to fight for everything she holds dear.