Cherry Waites fled her broken marriage and landed on remote Whispering Pines Island hoping for a fresh start. But her new life is nothing like she imagined. The dating pool is shallow, her therapeutic letters to her ex remind her of her pain, and her only friend is a sharp-tongued, foul-mouthed islander who seems determined to drive her crazy... though his ridiculously cute dogs are almost enough to make up for it.

Matteo Capen keeps people at a distance-and he doesn't bother sugarcoating it. Blunt to the point of rudeness, fiercely independent, and shaped by his agoraphobia and anxiety, he has no interest in romance... or anyone interfering in his carefully controlled life. Yet Cherry's optimism, persistence, and uncanny ability to push every one of his buttons make him reconsider what he's willing to risk-and reveal a side of himself he rarely shows anyone.

As the weather on Whispering Pines turns colder, Cherry and Matteo's uneasy friendship starts to shift into something neither can name. She's learning how to stand on her own again; he's realizing solitude isn't the same as peace. But when letting someone in feels riskier than being alone, who's brave enough to take the first step?

Funny, heartfelt, and impossible to resist, this is a story about stubborn hearts, fresh starts, and the unexpected connections that can change everything.

Read the entire Whispering Pines Island Collection:That Last Summer
Say the Words: A Short Story Sequel to That Last Summer
No Longer Yours
Cherry Christmas, Baby! A Short Story Sequel to No Longer Yours
If This Were a Love Story