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That Bottom Step
When her future is disrupted by the Vietnam War, a young woman’s life is redirected down a path full of loss, second chances, and unexpected love.
High school senior Aggie Croom has a special fondness for the bottom step of her parents’ front porch. It’s where she steals kisses from—and falls in love with—handsome football player Gus Johnson, Jr. But the couple’s bright future is soon overshadowed by the Vietnam War raging half a world away. Not long after Gus enlists in the Navy and ships out from his small North Carolina town, the unthinkable happens.
When her young husband is killed in Vietnam, Aggie’s world is turned upside down. She must figure out how to raise the son Gus never got to meet while navigating her own life and career. Aggie is up to the challenge, and with the help of family and friends, shapes Gus Johnson III, or Gus 3, into an accomplished young man whose dream is to follow in his late father’s footsteps. A natural leader, Gus 3 chooses to attend West Point where his commanders soon take notice of his potential. Everyone—Aggie included—assumes he is destined for a storied military career.
But in his third year at West Point, Gus 3 is faced with an impossible Should he accept a risky mission that only he can accomplish—but that will mean causing his mother to suffer the heartbreak of once again losing someone she loves? He has the opportunity to serve his country and potentially save hundreds of lives—but only if the world thinks he is dead.
Meanwhile, Aggie works to honor her late husband’s legacy by spearheading the effort to build a state-of-the-art USO retreat for American servicemembers. Her work brings her into the orbit of businessmen, dignitaries, and even the president of the United States—and also leads to a new romance that prompts her to redefine her life’s goals and purpose.
In That Bottom Step , Everett Durham interweaves the warmth and humor of everyday small-town life with suspenseful glimpses of war and spycraft, making for a debut novel that will leave readers asking, “What’s next?”
About the Author
Everett Durham grew up in a small town in southeastern NC, where he still resides today. After serving in the U.S. Army, he discovered a love for sales and eventually started his own brokerage company. He enjoys traveling and fishing, and has been lucky enough to fish in various spots around the globe. Everett and his wife have two grown sons, six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. That Bottom Step is his first novel.
High school senior Aggie Croom has a special fondness for the bottom step of her parents’ front porch. It’s where she steals kisses from—and falls in love with—handsome football player Gus Johnson, Jr. But the couple’s bright future is soon overshadowed by the Vietnam War raging half a world away. Not long after Gus enlists in the Navy and ships out from his small North Carolina town, the unthinkable happens.
When her young husband is killed in Vietnam, Aggie’s world is turned upside down. She must figure out how to raise the son Gus never got to meet while navigating her own life and career. Aggie is up to the challenge, and with the help of family and friends, shapes Gus Johnson III, or Gus 3, into an accomplished young man whose dream is to follow in his late father’s footsteps. A natural leader, Gus 3 chooses to attend West Point where his commanders soon take notice of his potential. Everyone—Aggie included—assumes he is destined for a storied military career.
But in his third year at West Point, Gus 3 is faced with an impossible Should he accept a risky mission that only he can accomplish—but that will mean causing his mother to suffer the heartbreak of once again losing someone she loves? He has the opportunity to serve his country and potentially save hundreds of lives—but only if the world thinks he is dead.
Meanwhile, Aggie works to honor her late husband’s legacy by spearheading the effort to build a state-of-the-art USO retreat for American servicemembers. Her work brings her into the orbit of businessmen, dignitaries, and even the president of the United States—and also leads to a new romance that prompts her to redefine her life’s goals and purpose.
In That Bottom Step , Everett Durham interweaves the warmth and humor of everyday small-town life with suspenseful glimpses of war and spycraft, making for a debut novel that will leave readers asking, “What’s next?”
About the Author
Everett Durham grew up in a small town in southeastern NC, where he still resides today. After serving in the U.S. Army, he discovered a love for sales and eventually started his own brokerage company. He enjoys traveling and fishing, and has been lucky enough to fish in various spots around the globe. Everett and his wife have two grown sons, six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. That Bottom Step is his first novel.
256 pages, Paperback
Published October 17, 2022
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