Elinor Lipman

'I love Elinor Lipman's wit and lightness of touch' – Marian Keyes
'The perennially mood-lifting Lipman is equally revered for her lovable characters, spitfire wit and happily-ever-after romantic escapades' – Booklist
Running her parents' estate-sale business in a small Massachusetts town is not the high-flying career that 32-year-old Emma Lewis imagined for herself. But her parents make an offer she can't refuse when they move to the coast and invite her to take over their home as well as the family firm.
Their only condition is that she take a lodger, in the shape of her former maths teacher Frank, a widower in his early sixties whose unfaithful wife was recently struck by lightning. Reluctant at first, Emma discovers in him the ideal housemate: considerate, helpful and a romantic ally as they each start dating different generations of the same family.
Frank also helps her out with the business, but they realise they may be out of their depth when Emma wins the contract to empty a noted local mansion, only to discover it operated for years as a high-end bordello. Will her sale of the contents reveal the secrets of half the town?
This charming, laugh-out-loud tale of love and licentiousness behind a respectable façade is another pitch-perfect romantic comedy from the author of Ms. Demeanor.