Portrait of a Chair

Book excerpt: A lot can happen on Main Street in a small Midwestern town. Harriet, a middle-aged, warm-hearted widow, owns an antique store on Main Street in Elm Grove, Nebraska. Into her life walks a young recently-divorced painter named Rachel. Harriet displays Rachel’s work in the shop and also rents her the apartment above the store. But when a treasured vase disappears from the store, Harriet has reason to suspect her new friend. The friendship survives, however, and the true shoplifter is discovered. Meanwhile, both Harriet and Rachel find romance in the form of suitable men. This is a story about small-town gossip and small-town charity; about love of antiques and love of people; and about what it means to be an independent and strong-minded woman.