Katie Golightly

Walker Hartrick was the epitome of a free bird with a devil-may-care attitude until tragedy struck his family and he was thrown into guardianship over his nieces and nephews. To make matters worse, the daughter of the man who destroyed everything he ever cared about moved back to Archwood, Oregon. She’s a reminder of what he lost and the ever-growing list of his failures. The one person he should never pursue. Talia Cohen, one half of a failed engagement and new grocery store owner, upended her entire life to move back to her childhood town with its fair share of dark memories. A change of pace was what she wanted—a new life away from the one she’d built in New York City that had come crumbling to the ground. Answering for the sins of her father and continually running into the one person who was adamant about wanting nothing to do with her wasn’t high on her list. Falling for him was never the plan.

Piper Hartrick has only ever openly despised one person. For every smile she conjures up, he balances the energy with a frown. With every careful step she makes into ownership of her family’s design business, he makes his own moves by bulldozing his way into a room. When an unexpected turn of events has him practically begging for her help, she finds that she might enjoy the way he looks on his knees a little too much to not consider his offer. Leo Diaz is confident. He doesn’t bother with wasted niceties when his dreams of becoming a movie director have never called for a meek and docile type. His studies have given him the unique ability to judge someone’s acting, so he can’t help but notice the biggest faker of them all. She smiles at the drop of a hat and expects the world to shine a spotlight on her. Unfortunately, when his shot at directing Fletcher University’s musical hinges on finding the perfect good girl character, he knows exactly who fits the part.

Colin Hartrick is back. Even after five years away from his hometown, nothing could ever make him forget his family or the girl he left behind. The ghost of his eighteen-year-old, grief-stricken self never fails to remind him of how much he lost. Despite every memory and all the lingering feelings that sparked from their intimacy experiment, the girl of his dreams now wants nothing to do with him. Scarlett Wallace made a mistake. At the time, agreeing to a sexperiment with her charmingly direct lab partner and tutor seemed like the best way to find out what she liked in bed. Nothing could have prepared her for the whirlwind romance and subsequent fallout that would leave her with a shattered heart. Just as she feels she has moved on, the return of the only boy she ever loved makes her question whether she will ever be able to separate her heart from his.