This edition is no longer available. Joe Smith finds himself suddenly jobless in January. Yesterday he was the manager of Burger Excellence, today he is out of work. He needs to make plans for the future. He needs to do something about his boring, sensible life. He just isn't sure what. A walk on the beach leads him to take shelter in a beach café when a storm blows in. Dave, co-owner of the café is low on staff, his regular waitress being out with a broken arm. He offers Joe the job. Joe is actually more interested in Dave than the job until he hears the dreaded p-word—partner, the one Dave owns the café with. Will Joe be able to change his life, or is he a day late and a dollar short?

Johnny has spent thirty-two years trying to do what’s expected of him. When he finds himself divorced, overweight, living with his parents again, and losing the job he’s had since leaving school, it’s the wake-up call he needs to start taking charge of his life. It's time to do what he wants—if only he can figure out just what that is. Choosing to go looking for his brother Joey, who he hasn't seen or spoken to for eight years, he follows a postmark on a Christmas card to the seaside town of Anwell-by-Sea. Joey isn't that difficult to find and comes complete with boyfriend Dave, Dave's Uncle Ed, and a rather large and very bad tempered arsehole called Charlie. Johnny is happy to find Joey and enjoys meeting Dave and Uncle Ed; but he's pretty glad to see the back of Charlie. Despite Charlie being an unpleasant git, Johnny can't wait to get back to Anwell-by-Sea with his kids for an Easter break, and maybe he can make some progress on his to-do list by then, too.

Johnny and Charlie, from "Jobless in January: Johnny Smith", have enjoyed a casual relationship for nearly a year, meeting up once or twice a month. The trip to Dorset should have been a fun reunion after six weeks apart and it shouldn't have had Charlie walking out on the first morning. Johnny is left at a guest house with more questions than answers and no Charlie to answer them. Johnny has to decide if he wants to fight for their casual relationship, and the hope that it might lead to something more, or just crawl away and lick his wounds. Is Charlie worth fighting for even if Johnny knew where to find him?