Tessa James came to the lake to disappear.
After her boyfriend leaves her for her best friend, Tessa rents a quiet lakeside cottage with one plan in mind: write, heal, and avoid anything that feels too much like hope. A month alone sounds perfect—until a summer storm brings an unexpected visitor to her door.
Jack Callahan owns the cottage.
He’s gruff, guarded, and very much not part of Tessa’s plan.
Jack only meant to check on the property during a flood warning. One night turns into an uneasy truce, then shared mornings, quiet lunches, and a rhythm neither of them expected. Jack keeps fixing things around the cottage. Tessa keeps finding her way back to the words she thought she’d lost. And somewhere between lake sunsets and long summer days, something soft—and dangerous—starts to grow.
But the past doesn’t stay buried forever.
When Tessa’s ex shows up determined to win her back, she’s forced to confront what she really wants: the life she left behind… or the one she never saw coming.
The Trouble with Summer is a grumpy/sunshine, forced-proximity lake romance about starting over, choosing yourself, and discovering that sometimes the right person shows up when you’re finally ready to stay.
Carrie Costello 