RAIN ON YOUR WEDDING DAY / Synopsis Will Morse is a recluse, living in a mountain cabin a couple hours north of Atlanta. Five years ago he was married, with three grown daughters, and worked as an executive at Coca-Cola. Then his oldest daughter Francesca died, followed five months later by his youngest daughter Trixie. Trixie’s death destroyed his marriage, and the resulting scandal wrecked his relationship with his daughter Alicia. Will wants to reconnect with Alicia, but believes that she wants nothing more to do with him. He is burdened with guilt over his infidelity and his role in Trixie’s death. As the novel opens, Will is waiting for Alicia to call him on Christmas Day, as she usually does. Alicia has other plans. She makes a surprise visit to Will’s cabin with two pieces of news. First, she tells Will that she’s getting married to Toby, a mopey ethnomusicologist, who reluctantly tags along on the visit. Second, she tells Will that he’s invited to the wedding, to be held in New Jersey in April. Third, she tells Will that she’s pregnant. Will makes the difficult decision to attend the wedding, even though going will put him in conflict with his domineering ex-wife, who still holds him responsible for Trixie’s death. He is worried about losing his self-control at the wedding as well. But the wedding is the one opportunity he has to reconnect with Alicia and to establish a relationship with his unborn grandson. However, there is one thing holding him back—finding a date. Will reaches out to the women in his life, without success. The local librarian, who has been the closest thing he has had to a friend, is in a new relationship and rebuffs his advances. The young, pretty waitress at his favorite café expresses interest but turns him down as well. Will can’t even get an appointment at his local massage parlor. All hope for Will to find a date seems lost when Dorothy Crawford, a college professor, shows up at his door seeking directions. Will points her in the direction of the cabin she is looking for, and she invites him to come with her. Will is reluctant to do so but Dorothy’s charm convinces him to try. He finds himself enjoying her company, and the two develop a romantic friendship. As Will is preparing for a visit from Dorothy, Alicia calls him and informs him that she has had a miscarriage. Will makes an emergency flight up to New Jersey to comfort her. His ex-wife Danielle shows up and confronts Alicia regarding the miscarriage. Under pressure from her mother, Alicia reveals that she lied about the miscarriage and had an abortion, then flees the room. Toby explains that their unborn child had a congenital genetic defect that is common in Danielle’s family, and that likely caused the death of Will and Danielle’s son Junior in 1979. Will does his best to comfort Alicia after Danielle leaves, but is shaken by the experience. On the flight home, Will experiences a dream involving Trixie and her death. Dorothy rescues Will from airport security and makes sure he gets home safely. Dorothy then begins to ask probing questions about Trixie, prompting Will to explain the circumstances around her death. In flashback, Will describes Trixie’s emotional breakdown after winning an NCAA tennis title and performing poorly at the U.S. Open. Will describes the death of his daughter Francesca, who was killed in a car accident, and its impact on Trixie. However, Will stops short of explaining how Trixie died. Will then learns that Dorothy is not who she seems. At the time of Trixie’s death, she was a TV reporter in Atlanta, and reported on Will’s arrest and indictment. She became a true-crime writer, and is considering a book on Trixie’s death. Will and Dorothy have an angry fight and Dorothy leaves the cabin. Will makes the trip to New Jersey for Alicia’s wedding, alone. At the rehearsal dinner, Alicia tells Will that she has been talking to Dorothy, and that she expects to see her at the reception. Will is unable to tell her that they’ve broken up. After the rehearsal, Danielle drives Will to his hotel and confronts him about Trixie’s death. Will tells the story of Trixie’s depression, and his attempt to help her focus by providing her with access to a knife. Trixie had a long history of self-abuse, and had been asking Will for help in cutting herself. However, when Will brings her the knife, Trixie knocks him down and uses it to stab herself. Will has an emotional breakdown while telling the story. Dorothy arrives on the scene, and helps Will pull himself together in time for the wedding. They attend together, and Will dances with her daughter on her wedding day. Will and Danielle confront each other again, with neither being able to forgive Will for Trixie’s death. Dorothy informs Will that she’s given up the idea of writing a book about Trixie. Will decides that forgiveness is more important than solitude, and as the book ends, Will and Dorothy are walking back to their hotel, hand in hand, in the rain.