[close] The author of Loose Ends returns with a novel of a woman who can almost convince herself that love doesn't matter.

Mercedes needs men for one thing only-and it has nothing to do with her heart. Growing up with her mother has made her sure of that. Now Mercedes has to travel home to South Georgia, where her mama, Miss Betty, is recovering from surgery. Back to the rickety old house that holds a lot of memories for her. If she could only learn to deal with the bad ones.

Because a man has come into her life, a fine, bald-headed, church-going black man-the kind of man Mercedes never dared believe in. And she's going to have to get herself together to deal with what Darius is doing to her life-and with what he's hiding about his own.

Author Biography: Electa Rome Parks lives with her husband, Nelson, and two children. With a B.A. in marketing, she is currently working on her next novel and fulfilling her passion as a writer. [close]