He is her uncle's best friend. Fifteen years older than her. The man who has known since she was eighteen. The man who walks into a room and somehow makes everyone notice. Jon is older, confident, protective, and completely woven into her family's life. He's the kind of man she should see as untouchable. A family friend. A trusted man. A line she should never cross. And yet... There's something about him that makes every rule feel a little harder to remember. The age gap was already a problem. The fact that he's her uncle's best friend? That's where the real trouble begins. Because wanting the one man you're absolutely not supposed to want has a way of turning every innocent moment into something dangerous. Fifteen years older. Completely off-limits. And unfortunately, exactly her type. 🖤

Honora, known as Nora, is twenty-three years old when she leaves Seattle after a painful breakup with Isaac. Worn down by the pressure of college life and the relentless chaos of the city, she returns to her father's home in the small town of Riverfront, Oregon, planning to stay from September until Christmas. She hopes to find peace, distance, and enough quiet to piece herself back together. But Riverfront isn't nearly as frozen in time as she remembers. As the past refuses to let go, old family ties begin to take on new meaning, and unexpected faces reappear, Nora quickly realizes that nothing will be as simple as she'd imagined. Especially when Tommy (Jon Bernthal) enters the picture. Her father's best friend, her neighbor, and a police officer just like him, he's sarcastic, self-assured, infuriatingly composed, and far too present. Ever since her return, he hasn't stopped teasing her, as though he'd never forgotten who she was. And in a town where everyone knows everyone, some secrets are impossible to keep. Some lingering glances are even harder to hide.

dirty little secret. the rules were simple, don't get attached, don't get caught, and never let your dad find out. you break the first rule almost immediately. the second doesn't stay intact for long. the third? that's the one that'll destroy everything.

Rule number one: Don't look at her. Rule number two: Don't cross the line. Staying in her father's guest house was supposed to be simple, but Frank is finding it impossible to keep his eyes off Nora. He watches the way she hides behind her clothes and tolerates a guy who doesn't deserve her. Frank knows he's out of line. He knows he's too old to fall into this trap. He just doesn't care anymore.