LUNCH WITH THE DO NOTHINGS AT THE TAMMY DINETTE

Marcus Sumpter doesn't expect to find love or family in the tiny town of Marathon, Georgia, with a group of old Southern women known as the Do Nothings. But sometimes life delivers everything you've ever needed at just the right time.

Marcus grew up in diners as the son of an itinerant waitress who bailed on jobs and boyfriends when heartbreak or her own restless spirit overtook her. Eventually, she abandoned Marcus at the side of the road after she sent him to fetch a pack of cigarettes for her, and he made a life for himself behind the grill until he met a wealthy, older man named Robert who controlled his life, going so far as to hide the registered letter from his grandmother's lawyer about her estate. After an argument in which Robert struck him, Marcus found the letter and ran away, winding up in Marathon. After his car is hit by an old lady, his grandmother's friends take him in as an honorary member of the Do Nothing Club. Quickly, he finds a job (slinging hash at the titular Tammy Dinette), a car, and an unexpectedly warm and inclusive community. When he meets a gorgeous mechanic named Hank, the chemistry between them sizzles. But when Robert staggers into town to find Marcus, he throws a wrench into their third date. It's up to Marcus to resolve things with Robert before he can have a future with Hank. Little does he know that the Do Nothings will do anything to bring their favorite mechanic and short order cook back together. The romance is there and it's a great (if slightly chaste) one, but the most successful love story here is the one between Marcus and the Do Nothings.

Readers will be unexpectedly charmed by the quirky characters and clever dialogue in this heartwarming book.