Well…That Was Awkward by Megan Montgomery

Emerson and John meet on the boardwalk as the moonlight dances off the Chesapeake Bay. She thinks he’s gorgeous and comes down with a case of instalove. He thinks she’s a panhandler and gives her five dollars. The embarrassment is enough to send tattoo-sleeved and turpentine-stained antiques restorer Em running for a life makeover. The only problem is, she’s spent the last decade looking after everyone else in her little town and now she’s totally forgotten how to self-care. Adding to that garbage heap of a situation is tonight’s blind date. Of course, it turns out to be with the man who mistook her for homeless. And, of course, he’s a clean-cut Navy test pilot stationed a stone’s throw from her antiques shop. All the whiskey and chocolate in the café can’t help the awkwardness between Em and this cold, stoic, modern Mr. Darcy. Fortunately, their tiny, tight-knit community won’t let one (or two) bad nights come between a couple everyone knows is uncannily perfect for each other. John is the Golden Boy; the prodigal son finally returned home to the beloved island, but she’s been there all along, holding everyone together. Em and John’s chemistry creates more sparks than a jet’s afterburners, but they’re just too different. If she tries—and fails—at this relationship, she might not just lose the guy; she might lose her whole found family. Unless she decides to trust John to help her navigate, Em might be stuck circling the runway in a loveless holding pattern.