Getting her boutique—Live, Love, Lake—up and running was a dream come true for Evie Rose. At least most days. There were other days, like when the scheduled deliveries were three days late and when they finally came in and the inventory needed to be done and the part-time employee you’d hired to help you out during the busy summer months called in sick when you knew she was only sleeping in after a late night and you were alone in the middle of what could only be described as a chaotic dress mess, that weren’t so great. Those days were more like nightmares than dreams.

But even though there were most definitely crazy days, the awesome ones far outnumbered them. It was a fact Evie tried to remind herself of as she sifted through yet another box of dresses that needed to be inventoried, tagged, and put on the racks before Friday when the weekend shopping rush would start.

“This too shall pass,” she reminded herself for the dozenth time.

The truth was, she loved her shop. And she worked hard to get it up and running. Damn hard. Nothing seemed to be easy for a young single mom, especially one who was starting a small business. But she’d done it. Evie had saved and scrimped, and even worked two jobs at times while her son Jonah was babysat by friends and family members. She’d always dreamed about having her own business, and when her little town of Cedar Springs started to boom after the new fancy resort, and then the ski hill, opened up and brought in loads of tourists, she saw her chance.

She had enough for a small down payment and the bank fortunately agreed that she was worth taking a chance on. She was able to lease the space on Main Street before the rents got too high. After sourcing the inventory, and enlisting even more help to get the shop ready, Live, Love, Lake was open just in time for the summer season. And now, after only a few months, the store already had a loyal clientele and business was expanding every day.

But with an expanding business came some growing pains. Especially when her employee didn’t show up on time.

Not that Evie was complaining; far from it. She would take the chaos any day over all the menial jobs she’d been working for the last few years since her son Jonah was born.

But a mother had to do what a mother had to do in order to live the best life for her and her son. And that’s exactly what Evie had done. And what she continued to do. Besides, he might not be able to reach the top shelf yet, but Jonah was proving to be a valuable employee in his own right.

“Jonah,” Evie called to him across the stack of boxes. “Can you pass me that price gun? I need to get these dresses tagged so you can put them on the rack.”

At eight, Jonah was still young enough to want to help his mom, but just old enough to start giving her a hard time about it. “Why can’t you get anything cool? Like water guns and surfboards or something? Why does it have to be all girly dresses and things?” Jonah picked his way through the pile of boxes in the middle of the store and handed his mom the pricing gun.

“These things are cool,” Evie tried to explain with a straight face. “If you’re a woman.”

“Well, I certainly don’t think they’re very cool.” Jonah shook his head and reached into the box, pulling out a lace dress. “I mean, why can’t this be camo or something? Now that would be cool!”

Evie laughed. “I really don’t think the ladies of Cedar Springs will think that lace camo was cool.”

“I bet Jules would think it’s cool.”

Evie couldn’t completely disagree with that. But Jules was a teenager, not a woman. And not really her clientele. But there was no point trying to explain that to Jonah. She pulled another dress out of the box and slipped it onto a hanger. It would still need to be steamed before it could go on the rack, but that was a job that would have to wait for later. She adjusted the pricing on the price gun and tagged the garment before turning to the next one. Jonah sifted to the contents of the boxes while she worked, no doubt in search of something he deemed cool enough to comment on. After a few moments, Evie had enough dresses for him to start moving them to an empty rack. It wasn’t ideal for her to display wrinkly garments, but it was better than not having them for sale in case somebody came in. She was only one woman; she could only do what she could.

Jonah did as much as he could around the shop, and despite his grumbling, Evie knew he would do more if she asked. But she didn’t want to ask. He was only a kid and she felt bad enough that he wasn’t having the summer he should be because she had to work so much. Whenever possible, she would try to make arrangements for him to go to the lake with schoolmates, or have sleepovers or just play at the park with his friends. That also opened up a whole other can of guilt. Because she was just too busy to return the favor for the parents. Evie had never been one to rely on strangers; she always tried to be as self-sufficient as possible. And when she did need help, she did her best to repay the favor as soon as she possibly could.

But it had been eight years of favors. She hadn’t planned on getting pregnant and having a baby at nineteen. But it happened, and as hard as it was, she wouldn’t change anything. Because Jonah was her world. She’d do anything for him. Anything.

“Jonah?”

He peeked around behind the rack of clothes he’d been hanging.

“I was just thinking, you’ve been working so hard for me lately. And I know that’s not exactly how you want to spend the summer.”

“It’s okay, Mom. I know you need help. I don’t mind.”

His giving nature and how eager he was to please her almost broke her heart. Evie swallowed hard. “I know you don’t mind, kiddo. But nonetheless, I want you to know I’ve really noticed how hard you been working for me. And I was thinking, maybe you deserve a little treat.”

Jonah’s eyes grew wide at the mention of the word treat. No doubt he was envisioning ice cream sundaes with extra whipped cream and cherries, or maybe a cinnamon bun from Dream Puffs and a big cup of hot chocolate, again with whipped cream and cherries on top. But Evie had something better in mind. Her new friend, Mitch McCormick, had given her the idea after one of his tutoring sessions with Jonah. Mitch’s older brother ran the new Dockside marina, with rented canoes, kayaks, boats, and jet skis. Mitch had held Jonah’s tutoring sessions at the Dockside earlier in the summer, and she’d noticed the way Jonah’s eyes had lit up when he saw the jet skis.

Evie herself hadn’t been on a jet ski since she was young, but she remembered how fun it was. And if she asked, there was no doubt Mitch would help her out.

Or maybe his younger brother Declan.

Declan McCormick.

There was something about that man. Sure, he was incredibly handsome. All the McCormick brothers were. Some would definitely argue that the youngest brother, Cal, was the most good-looking. He was also a television star and a former model. But for Evie, it was an easy choice. Declan was definitely the most gorgeous. He was different. It wasn’t just his vibrant green eyes that were always full of kindness and laughter. Or his tall, lean build that made Evie’s stomach flip a little. No, it was Declan himself. The genuine kindness that radiated from him. Just being around him made Evie feel good in a way she couldn’t even begin to explain.

She hadn’t dated since Jonah was born. Not really. There’d been no shortage of men who had asked, and she’d even agreed to go out with a few of them. But nothing had gone beyond a drink, or maybe a dinner. They were nice enough guys, but none of them sparked in her the feelings that she knew she was going to have to have if she was going to go to the effort of dating. After all, a single mom didn’t have the luxury of dating just anyone. He’d have to be special and none of the men she’d met were. Beyond that, she’d never given it a lot of thought.

But as Jonah got older, something had shifted. It was starting to become clear that he needed a male role model. Someone beyond his grandfather or Evie’s brothers who occasionally visited. He needed a man around.

And he wasn’t the only one.

More and more, Evie felt the yearning for some male companionship. It would be nice to have someone to share dinner with. To talk about their days, to be a family with.

But it was a lot to ask for with a man her age. At only twenty-seven, most of the men she knew were either happy to have no responsibilities and obligations or were more interested in starting their own families than taking on someone else’s.

Earlier that summer, Mitch McCormick had asked her out on a date, but they both knew there was never going to be a connection between them. Which was a good thing, because Mitch was madly in love with Jade Johnson, even though he hadn’t acknowledged it at that point.

No, nothing was ever going to happen with Mitch McCormick. He was a great guy, but definitely not her type.

But his younger brother Declan…Declan was different. Maybe if Declan would ask her out…

Evie shook her head. She’d actually thought for most of the summer that Declan might be interested in her. He’d sure acted as if he were. But he hadn’t asked her out or made a move at all. Sure, she could—

“Mom?” Jonah waved a hand in front of her face. “Hello…”

She hadn’t realized she’d been daydreaming. She shook her head to snap out of it and focus on her son.

“What were you saying about a treat?”

Evie tried not to laugh. Her son definitely had a one-track mind. No doubt Jonah already had visions of whipped cream in his head at the mere mention of the word treat.

“Was I saying something about a treat?”

“Mom!”

“Okay, okay.” Evie laughed. “Yes, I was thinking you definitely deserve a treat. And it doesn’t involve whipped cream.”

Jonah’s face fell, so she quickly added, “But it does involve a jet ski.”

“A jet ski?” Jonah bounced up. “No way?”

Evie nodded.

“No. Way.”

Evie tried to keep a straight face. “Yes. Way.”

Her son threw himself at her with remarkable strength and wrapped his little arms around her waist, squeezing her tight. “Mom, you are the coolest. Thank you.”

“I don’t know about the coolest.” She grinned. “But I’m pretty—”

“When can we go?” Jonah wiggled away from her. “Can we go now? Today?”

Evie’s heart sank. She’d like nothing more than to steal away in the middle of the day to take him jet skiing and spend some real quality time with her son, but the reality was she had way too much work to do, and not enough time to do it in. She shook her head.

“Sorry, buddy. Not today.”

He dropped his head and looked at his feet.

“But soon, okay? Really soon.”

He nodded, but didn’t look convinced. “It’s okay, Mom. I know you have a lot to do.” Jonah went back to his rack of clothing that he was straightening for her and Evie’s breath caught in her throat.

He worked so hard for her and rarely complained. He deserved to have more fun. She just wished she could give it to him.

She looked back to the boxes that still needed to be unpacked and sighed. Maybe later she could take some time.

Definitely later.

---

“And what was the situation down there like?” Declan McCormick tucked his phone under his chin and grabbed a notebook while he spoke. “Your last email update said things were improving. Slowly.”

He scribbled some notes as Wes Morris, his right-hand man on the ground with his not-for-profit foundation DAR, updated him on the happenings in Haiti.

He’d sent another team down south to help with the increasing demands of the region. He himself had just returned to North America after being there for over six months. There were times when he felt he should get back on a plane and go down there to make sure things were going well, but Declan had spent a lot of time building up his foundation and putting the right people in place. Wes had it well under control and he’d probably only get in the way at this point.

“It’s looking better,” Wes said. “We’ve established reliable fresh water sources in four of the seven villages we’re working with and the next three should be coming online within a few weeks.”

“That’s great news.”

“There are some medical concerns, of course,” Wes continued. “A few more doctors or nurses would definitely be an asset.”

Declan made a note. “I’ll see what I can do about getting some medical volunteers down there for a bit.”

“That’s perfect. Other than that, we have things under control, Dec. I’ll send you an update as soon as I know more about the water situation.”

Declan made a few more notes and finished the conversation with Wes. When he hung up the phone, he took a minute to stare out at the lake and the vast amount of fresh water he had right in front of him. At times it hardly seemed fair that there were so many people in the world who didn’t have the access to reliable and safe drinking water and here he was, sitting in front of a lake full of it.

He shook his head and pushed away from the kitchen table that he was using as a makeshift office while he stayed at his brother Ian’s house, his childhood cabin.

If he planned on staying in Cedar Springs much longer, he should probably consider getting an office space to work from. And maybe a place to live. He couldn’t crash at Ian and Gwen’s house indefinitely. Not that it was really their house.

The cabin had been in the family for what felt like forever, despite the fact that up until recently it had stood empty. When they were kids, their mother would bring them out to Cedar Springs to spend the summer at the lake and their dad would come up from the city on weekends and maybe a week here and there.

Declan, his two older brothers, Ian and Mitch, along with his youngest brother, Cal, would spend their days swimming, hiking, boating, and getting into trouble in the woods. When they got a bit older, they’d gotten to know some of the local girls and their summer nights were spent at parties and sitting around bonfires with their arms around their summer girlfriends. It had been the perfect way to grow up.

Until it all came to an end the summer he was sixteen. That was the summer his dad had arrived early and announced to his mother that he’d been having an affair for years and had another family. Two girls. Not only had he made the announcement that crushed their mother, he also declared that he was leaving them to live with his new family. It was like something out of a soap opera.

Only it was their life.

They’d packed up and returned to the city so their mother could get a job and pull together the pieces of their lives. They hadn’t returned to the cabin or Cedar Springs since. That was, until Declan’s oldest brother Ian decided to move out there, open up the old house and start a marina, the Dockside.

Ian’s move had been all it took to get everyone, one at a time, back out at the lake that summer. Including their youngest half-sister, Chelsea, who’d also been spending the summer at the lake with them.

“Good morning! It’s an amazing day,” Chelsea announced as she wandered into the kitchen.

“It’s almost noon.” Dec tried not to roll his eyes.

Chelsea poured herself a cup of coffee and hopped up on the counter. “Hey, when you’ve worked the night shift at the Grizzly Paw, this is morning.” She took a sip of the coffee and grimaced. “Why is it always so strong when you make it?”

“Just to toughen you up, little sis.” He ruffled her already mussed hair and took the mug from her hands to add milk and sugar.

At twenty-two, Chelsea was the youngest of all the McCormick kids, and despite the situation that brought her and her sister, Amber, into their lives, the girls had a special place in Declan’s heart.

When they were younger, and their father had first made his announcement, Ian and Mitch instantly sided with their mother and refused to have anything to do with the girls, but Cal and Declan were closer in age to them, and ended up at the same school. A closeness had developed, and despite the fact it took ten years to get his oldest brothers to see it, they now realized the girls weren’t bad at all. And their messed-up family situation had nothing to do with either of them.

Ian had allowed Chelsea to move in with him that summer, and he might be reluctant to admit it, but it was clear he couldn’t imagine life without their little sister.

“What are you up to today, Dec?” Chelsea took the mug back from him and blew him a kiss as a thank-you. “Please don’t tell me you’re working all day again. You have to get out and enjoy the summer.”

“Some of us have to work for a living, Chels,” he teased her, but there was no seriousness behind his words. “Besides. While you were sleeping, I think I’ve done almost everything I need to get done for today. It’s amazing what getting up early can do.”

“Whatever.” She sipped at her coffee and smiled. “Much better. Thank you.”

He raised two fingers in acknowledgment. Dec knew how to take care of his little sister. “What are you up to?”

“I’m getting out of here.” She hopped down from the counter. “Ian said something about your mom wanting to come over and look through some old boxes, so I thought I’d make myself scarce.”

Dec shook his head, but he didn’t really know what to say in response to that. All the boys had tried, and Maureen had gotten a little bit better about it, tolerating Chelsea in the same room in certain family situations, but she still struggled with the fact that Chelsea existed at all.

“It’s not your fault, Chels.”

“I know.” She shrugged. Chelsea did a good job pretending it didn’t bother her, but Dec could see it did. She’d finally been accepted by Ian and Mitch, but Dec knew the way Maureen looked at her hurt.

He crossed the room and gave her a quick hug. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll talk to Mom today. Just to see how she’s feeling about it all and—”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I know.” Declan smiled. “I want to. I want us all to be a family.”

Chelsea shook her head. “You’re such a—”

“Don’t say it.” He held up a hand. “I’m not nearly as good as you all think I am.”

She tossed her head back and laughed. “You know we’ll never believe that, Dec. You’re a good man. So damn good it hurts sometimes to look at you. But we love you for it. I’ve said it for years and I’ll say it again—you’re going to be the best husband one day.”

He shook his head and looked away. He hated it when any of his siblings brought up how he’d be a great husband one day. He’d tell them all to drop it if he thought it would make a difference, but he knew it wouldn’t. They’d only dig in if they knew it was a sensitive spot for him.

Instead, he shrugged it off and tried not to make it a big deal.

“I don’t know about that, Chels,” he said. “I’d have to convince someone to marry me first.”

Chelsea hopped off the counter and wiggled her eyebrows in his direction. “Oh, something tells me it wouldn’t be too terribly hard to convince a certain pretty boutique owner that you might be worth it.”

Evie.

Declan had a million things to say in response, but none of them made it from his brain to his mouth. Instead, he stood there with what was probably a stupid look on his face as Chelsea sauntered past him, blowing him a kiss before she disappeared from the room once again.

The idea of marriage or even a relationship was definitely a sensitive spot with him because it was never something he’d thought seriously about. He’d made his mind up early on that he was never going to be in a serious relationship, and marriage was completely out of the question. It had never bothered him before when his siblings teased him about being alone, or being too busy, or too picky or whatever else they thought was the reason he was still single. Not until recently.

Ever since coming back to Cedar Springs, their teasing had bothered him. But only because for the first time in his life, he might be allowing himself to think that he’d been wrong to hold love at arm’s length for so long. And that was all because of one particular boutique owner, just like Chelsea said.

Evie.

Evie and her perfect sweet smile, her delicate fingers, and those pretty pink lips that were just begging for—no!

There was a reason he didn’t date. A good one.

And not even Evie Rose could make him change his mind.