Lean on Me

Simmons (Taye’s Gift) charts an emotional course from horrible first impressions to budding romance in this poignant love story. Tabitha Knicely and her sisters agree to take turns caring for their elderly great-aunt Tweet, who suffers from Alzheimer’s. Tabitha, a Pasadena Hill, Mo., pharmaceutical sales rep, has just started her six-month rotation of housing Aunt Tweet when Tweet wanders off and ends up on neighbor Marcus Whittington’s porch. Marcus initially accuses Tabitha of elder neglect and threatens to call 911, but as they continue to run into each other, he comes to understand the depth of Tabitha’s love for her aunt and the difficulty of caring for a woman with Alzheimer’s. Marcus develops a friendship with the Knicely women, joining them for meals and church outings, and romance simmers between Tabitha and Marcus as he becomes the person she leans on when juggling her career and her role as a caregiver becomes overwhelming. Simmons balances the sadness of Alzheimer’s with the heartwarming bonds of family and friendship, and the combination is sure to tug at readers’ heartstrings. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency. (Jan.)