"Dee Decker, a 40+ fundraiser in Los Angeles, does not plan to start her whole life anew as she goes for a weight loss surgery, she only wants to get in shape. Yet, changes come flooding in as she turns from overweight to size-10-gorgeous. Dee is heartbroken when she learns that Lyle, her husband of 20 years, is cheating on her. Unable to forgive him, Dee moves out and files for divorce.
Suddenly, she finds herself all alone, without help and support from anyone. Her grownup children, Kent and Kelsey, who still live comfortably at home, are displeased with mom breaking the family up and thus interrupting their carefree lives; they think she must reconcile with dad and come home. Lyle seems to think that way, too; he refuses to sign the divorce papers. Dee's colleagues at LeGrande Enterprises where she has worked for 15 years, are not sure what to think of the new Dee. She is not getting much support from them, either – and support is what she needs more than anything, since, despite her transformed appearance, inside she is still struggling with insecurities.
That's what occupies Dee's thoughts at the Diamond Ball, a big fundraising event with many celebrities invited – that and food, which used to be her comfort, but now, after the gastric bypass surgery, she needs to be much more careful about what and how she eats. The ball turns out to bring another new start in Dee's life, his time in her career. Dee meets Lily Peyton, a wealthy lady from Las Vegas who wants to build an art museum and gallery. She needs a fundraiser, and she hires Dee to implement a huge campaign she has in mind.
Dee enjoys her new job. She is good at what she does, and the loves the cause of the art museum. She divides her time between Los Angeles and Vegas, where she meets Lily's nephew Carter, a handsome bachelor who becomes interested in her. As all the other coworkers in Vegas, he thinks Dee is divorced. As Dee feels that she is falling in love with Carter as well, she wants her divorce finalized, but her husband still refuses to sign the papers. To make matters worse, he comes to Vegas as well, although his trip is business-related: the construction company he works for bids on the building project. Add to it a plotting assistant who wants Dee's job, problems with the building committee, and a fast-approaching deadline for the project to be started, the heroine has gotten her plate quite full. Will she be able to handle it all?? You'll have to read the book to find out!
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Laura Southcombe, Resident Scholar
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