Return to Love

Bud and Jessie met in high school and have seen each other a total of three times in the last 35 years. Despite their intense mutual attraction, obligations keep them apart until they find themselves widowed and living in the same Florida condominium complex. Love is not any easier the second time around. He wants her to give up her job as society columnist for a community newspaper, his stuffy daughter objects to the relationship, and since Bud is not only good-looking but wealthy, he expends a lot of energy dodging other widows. But if love is frustrating, it's also catching. By the time these two finally marry, it's a double wedding with their best friends, and even their children take a romantic liking to each other. Strangely, the two main characters are less interesting than the minor ones, particularly their buddies, five-time divorces who engage in almost constant repartee. Bud and Jessie also seem unduly worried about gossip, given that one of the pleasures of mature love ought to be not concerning oneself with what others think. Gross is society page editor at the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. (Feb.)