Lauren Campbell’s life changed in the blink of an eye when her husband left her, trading her in for a “new model.” But that was ten years ago. Now Lauren’s son, Gordy, has left for college, and Lauren has an empty nest. Unfortunately, Lauren’s ex-husband, Roger, is making Lauren put the house up for sale. Lauren loves the house, but she really has no choice because the sale of the house was part of the divorce settlement. Plus, it has been ten years since the divorce, and it is time for Lauren to start supporting herself.

Knowing and accepting that she needs to get her act together financially now that Roger will no longer support her, Lauren looks for a job. Having been a stay-at-home mother all of her life, as well as a college dropout, Lauren has neither skills nor experience in the working world. Fortunately, Lauren finds a temp agency that agrees to take her on. After a few humiliating “marketing” jobs, Lauren settles into a job that she loves – window dressing in her favorite department store. Lauren has a knack for decorating, and the job suits her.

Meanwhile, Roger is making Lauren remodel the kitchen to make the house sell more quickly on the market. Lauren hires a good looking, younger handyman to do the job, and the two strike up an interesting friendship, with Lauren’s zany friend next door and Lauren’s mother egging her on to have a fling with him. Lauren has not had a date since the divorce, and she is not sure of her feelings – or men, in general, after being burned by Roger.

Window Dressing is a novel about life taking an unexpected turn and the journey that follows. Lauren takes some chances, accepts her new fate, and comes to realize that her “new life” is more appealing than the life that she left behind. This NEXT release has a nice blend of humor and poignancy as well as an interesting cast of characters.