In the Space Left Behind — Joan Ackermann

When Colm Drucker's mother heads out to Las Vegas for her third honeymoon, Colm has plans of his own -- organizing his baseball cards, playing guitar, and remodeling the family house as a surprise wedding present. But from the start of his week home alone, Colm, practical and adept, is faced with a series of unforeseen and bewildering events: His dog, Chester, meets an untimely death. His long-absent father calls out of the blue with a bizarre proposition. The beautiful Melanie Phelps kisses him suddenly and inexplicably outside the supermarket. When Colm learns that his mother plans to put the family home he dearly loves up for sale, he resolves to do everything in his power to save it, even if it means traveling across the country with the one person Colm never wanted to depend on for anything.