Open Roads

by Joyce Hicks, Michael Pancini (Illustrator)

Detours Ahead on the Good A charming camper companion, a saint or unhinged? Celebrity chef ambition, a new gig or marriage breaker? Aspiration vs. responsibility abound in this witty third book about family, ambition, and love. Widow Betty’s hit the jackpot for a senior woman. Reacquainted with a high-school crush, she's traveling Indiana in his vintage Airstream. Considerate, with an infectious laugh and impressive white beard, Louie seemed like a dream. Especially for a woman of a certain age. But it has been six decades since high school. Betty admits she doesn’t know him well. Is the surprise she found under the bed, harmless or sinister? And what has led him to being a rent-a-Santa? Perhaps his attentiveness to Betty is just wanting her to play Mrs. Claus! Though friend Eleanor arrives at the camper to stage a rescue, as well as a spa trip, Betty resolves to stick with Louie, at least for a time. But devotion to his plans means less focus on daughter Sharon and her new gig as TV chef. Should a mother sacrifice family to travel about? But little time is left ahead for her own ambitions. Where should her allegiance lie?
Book 3, a stand-alone tale in the Betty Escape from Assisted Living and One More Foxtrot

210 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 23, 2025