A Brighter Future

After his beloved wife, Emma, died of breast cancer, Hudson Murray knew, without a single question in his heart, that his life was over. The fun part, the part he would remember as his real life, had run its course. What remained would be a post-Emma existence that was barely worth living, much less enjoying. Three years after her passing, Hudson needed to break away from the overwhelming grief, to get away from the home he had shared with Emma, at least for a little while.
His sorrow in that house was becoming unbearable. He knew he didn't want to sell the home. Just needed some time away. A long road trip was just what he needed, a little Driving Therapy. He would let the combination of miles and time work their magic on his soul. Maybe. just maybe. he could see the glimmers of a post-Emma life when he was done. The sadness would never leave him, he knew that, but he also hoped it was possible to look to a brighter future if he could only get his old life to calm into memory. Along the way, as life would have it, he picked up a hitchhiker, a young woman named Riley.
Now Riley. she has a different take on life than Hudson's grieving widower. Her zest for life, and for love, caught him by surprise. He soon discovers that Riley is just as broken as he is, that her love-less life, filled with searches for ever more pleasure, is not the dreamscape of happiness and fun she portrayed at the start. As they travel across the US, they are both wondering if a relationship is possible, for either of them, ever again. This is a story of a growing May/December romance, and the halting attempts of a person to find peace after losing someone very dear.
They are both looking for a brighter future. Can they discover new possibilities for recovery together?