A Lesson for the Grump (Maple Lane Falls)

Maple Lane Falls has always been my home- but it hasn’t been gentle to me. All my life, I had been bullied and ridiculed for being myself. For wearing second-hand clothes and walking through the halls of my high school covered in paint. For never breaking even when I was pushed too far.

But I found peace in the halls of the school I once dreaded to step foot in. My art has become an outlet and a profession. My apartment is cozy in all the best ways. The fall season is upon us, and the town is lit up with carved pumpkins with the smell of cinnamon in the air.

It’s perfect. I can almost ignore the cruel words of my tormentors. Almost.

Then my car breaks down, and I have to call the one who broke my heart to help me. The one who left me crying and sided with those who made my life a living hell.

Miles Cole.

The town’s best mechanic, my ex-best friend, and the man I’ve been in love with my entire life. Except...he doesn’t love me back. He made that painfully clear seven years ago, and I haven’t spoken to him since.

Seeing him doesn’t hurt as I expected it to. It feels safe and familiar in ways I couldn’t have predicted. And Miles doesn’t act like a man who wants nothing to do with me.

I tell myself to keep my distance. I tell myself to stay focused on the life I’ve built. But it’s hard to ignore what once was - what could have been - and Miles tells me to stop running.

It feels like a second chance.

Could I block out the negativity and give this a try? Or will the past catch up to me once again and have Miles leave me for good?

A Lesson for the Grump is a small-town, second-chance romance with mild angst.
Content is intended for individuals 18+.