Book excerpt: Welcome to Fireweed Island, a place where friendships flourish, love whispers from the island breeze, and the road to healing is paved with unexpected surprises...like a super sizzling contractor with a heart of gold. When Tori walks in on her fiancé in bed with another woman, she decides she’s had enough. Fueled by a burning desire to get out of town before she does something that will make headlines, she flies across the country to Fireweed Island with hopes of teaching summer school while fixing up her old childhood home. What she doesn’t expect is to be welcomed with such open arms and a deep connection to the town she grew up in that makes her wonder if she should stay long after summer is over. But family secrets linger just under the crashing waves, and they promise to reveal themselves in unexpected ways. Mason is suddenly thrust into the role of Tori’s contractor, a shoulder to cry on, and a man who pretends he isn’t falling for his client. But the truth is that he’s vowed to stay away from any emotional entanglements, and that is especially true when it involves complicated women. The problem is that he can’t get Tori out of his mind, and her fiery spirit only makes the need for her more intense, so he decides he’ll just lend a helping hand while keeping a distance. But as Tori confronts her deepest fears, Mason can’t help but fall in love with the woman he knows he should stay away from. He’s just not sure she feels the same. All books in the Island County Series can be read as standalone stories.