I threw myself at the firefighter I'm the boss of. He turned me down.I know. I KNOW. Say it slower, and it gets worse.I came home with one rule: don't get involved with anyone who works for me.Especially not the cocky firefighter grinning at me like my whole life didn't just detonate.He's too much-and he refuses to let me hide behind my clipboard.A bird sends me flying off a ladder-he catches me.The town whispers behind my back-he shuts them up.My walls go up-he stays.And that's the problem.Because I wasn't supposed to feel anything ever again.Not after I caught my husband with his assistant.Not after I swore off men and came home to the town I couldn't wait to escape.But this boy I knew a lifetime ago grew up.And right when I fall for him, my ex shows up, begging me to come home.Swearing the firefighter will get sick of me-just like he did. ---- After catching her husband cheating, Emily leaves Boston and returns to her small hometown of Oak Haven, taking a job managing Hayes Workout Corner and swearing she'll never depend on a man again. There she reconnects with Jeremiah Vance - a charming, flirty firefighter with a growing TikTok following, who works part-time at the gym and has quietly loved her since high school. He's everything she's trying to avoid: off-limits, irresistible, and technically her employee. As their slow-burn romance heats up, Emily has to decide whether to risk her guarded heart on a real second chance at love. ----TropesSmall-town romanceFriends to loversBoss/employee (forbidden, off-limits)Grumpy heroine ? sunshine heroHe fell first (long-time secret crush)Second chance / starting over after divorceFound family
