A story from Cayucos, that idyllic beach town on California’s central coast, offers a lesson in May-December romance, slipping mental health, and wealth.

As reported by Sue Mitchell for BBC News, Carolyn Holland was an 80-year-old widow worth several million dollars when she met David Foute. He was a homeless handyman man 23 years her junior and an admitted former crack addict with a conviction for making pipe bombs.

They declared their undying love for one another. But alarm bells rang loudly for Holland’s daughters.

“The daughters didn’t believe for a moment that what they were witnessing was love,” writes Mitchell. “What they saw was a lonely old woman in need of a companion, and a cunning outsider on the make.”

Foute soon was driving around in a $40,000 van and convincing Holland to put two houses for sale — including one rented to her grandson and his family.

No spoiler alerts here. Click on this link to learn how the relationship played out.

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