She took another deep breath, shivered, and walked over to the fire. Suddenly, she wanted to throw up. She heard him knock snow off the tree, then stand it up against the porch. He’d come in at any minute. There, in front of the mantle, she sipped her wine and tried to collect herself. She’d do anything to prevent him from seeing her this way.  She willed herself not to cry...and then she saw it.

The One is a poignant story of first love, set in the mountains of North Carolina. Seventeen-year-old Chelsea Davenport, the youngest child of a loving and solid family, is a talented and aspiring ballet dancer with little promise of realizing her potential. Chelsea’s family lives in their century-old family farmhouse, where the family takes care of Miss Kitty, Chelsea’s grandmother, in a wheelchair as the result of stroke. At her older sister’s engagement party, Chelsea is amazed to reconnect with her childhood friend, Kyle Davis, who has resurfaced in Snowy Ridge after attending a prestigious prep school.

After the tragic death of his sister, then his father’s suicide, Kyle is adrift in a sea of anger and depression. Family finances force him to leave prep school and return to public school. Kyle should be the golden boy, a wealthy, intelligent, attractive football star who has it all going for him, but life circumstances have left him stoic and alone. No one seems to know how to unlock Kyle’s soul, but he finds his touchstone in Chelsea, who opens his buried spirit with her unique blend of serenity and humor, which inspires him to discover himself before he ends up like his father.

High school is difficult enough at best, but Kyle and Chelsea face more tragedy and riveting social drama as they pull each other through their senior year. In the midst of all of this, they attempt to hold their heads up and do the right things, each finding first love in the process. From Chelsea’s family, Kyle learns what he wants in life, and rethinks his ideas about what love is and what it can be. After a pivotal spring break trip to North Carolina’s Outer Banks with his family, Kyle discovers the reasons for secrets kept from him, which threaten to destroy his relationship with Chelsea.

The One is a story of family, of hope and commitment, and of responsibility and perseverance. Young women readers and their families will experience a range of emotions, as all women will relate to Chelsea, Kyle, and their families as they push through the challenges of coming of age and discovering first love.