First published 2024
Frederick Fife stands at eighty-two with nowhere left to turn. Broke and facing homelessness, he possesses only his generous heart and a lifetime habit of borrowing things he always returns in better condition. When a mix-up lands him in place of the cantankerous Bernard Greer at a local care facility, Fred seizes his chance. He slides into Bernard's bed, claims Bernard's meals, and hopes his poker face holds better than his aging body. Denise Simms works as a caregiver at the same facility while her own world crumbles around her. Her marriage falls apart, her daughter battles health problems, and her husband's deceptions have left her determined never to trust again. But Fred's trail of small kindnesses awakens her suspicions about this suddenly transformed resident. As Fred continues his masquerade, both he and Denise discover that borrowed time can become the foundation for genuine connection and second chances.
Genres: literary-fiction, domestic-fiction, contemporary, adult, adult-fiction, 21st-century
Vibes: heartwarming, intimate, redemptive, tender, thought-provoking
Tropes: fake-dating, forced-proximity, found-family, second-chance-romance
Setting: care facility
Period: 21st-century
352 pages · Paperback · William Morrow Paperbacks
Content warnings: death, mental-illness