Almost Maybes

TaliaI swore I'd never go back to Emerson, Massachusetts, that I'd stay away from my hometown and the boy who'd lived in the house behind mine.But then my mom died, leaving me her boutique, and I couldn't bring myself to sell her legacy.So here I was, back in town, trying like hell to avoid the one person I'd sworn off, the person who'd broken my heart: Cole Emerson.All I had to do was get the business in order so I could leave it to be managed by my mother's business partner. Then it would be back to Boston for me.But shortly after moving back, I started receiving strange messages, and the more secrets that surfaced, the more I realized things aren't always what they seem.It's just too bad I didn't see the dangers that lay ahead.ColeI hated being a member of this town's founding family. All I wanted to do was focus on my art and hone my craft. But my father had other plans for me.There was only one thing I liked less than preparing to take over the family business, and that was Talia Pierce.We had been friends once. My father was partially to blame for our separation, but I thought Talia would have at least said goodbye before abandoning me for Boston.Now she was back in town, set to take over her own family business, and I couldn't tell if I was more mad at her or the traitorous part of me that still longed for the beautiful raven-haired girl from my past.All I had to do was stay away from her.That should have been easy enough, right?Author's note: Almost Maybes is a steamy friends-to-enemies-to-lovers standalone romance with a hint of mystery and suspense.