The Summer We Almost Had

At thirty-four, Claire Bennett has become very good at living a life that looks perfect from the outside. She has a steady career, a beautiful apartment in Nashville, and a long-term boyfriend who makes sense on paper.

But when her beloved grandmother dies, Claire returns to Willow Creek, Tennessee, the little lakeside town she swore she'd never call home again.

Her grandmother leaves her an old white cottage overlooking the lake, along with one unusual instruction: Claire must spend thirty days in the house before she can sell it.

Claire expects dust, painful memories, and a quick sale.

What she doesn't expect is Ethan Walker.

Ethan was her first love, her best friend, and the man who broke her heart twelve years ago. He now runs the boat repair shop across the lake and seems determined to keep his distance from her.

When Claire discovers a bundle of letters hidden beneath a loose floorboard, she begins to question the story she's told herself for more than a decade: that Ethan abandoned her without explanation.

Someone lied to them both.

As old feelings return and the truth begins to surface, Claire must decide whether the life she's carefully built is the life she actually wants. But the biggest secret isn't just about why Ethan left.