A Season for Us

Mara Ellison has one simple plan for the holiday season: keep her life calm, avoid unnecessary drama, and stop mistaking kindness for commitment. Then a mysterious dinner reservation lands her at a cozy Harbor Glen bistro-with a handsome stranger named Theo Brandt, a table for two, and a note neither of them remembers writing.What begins as an awkward reservation mix-up soon becomes something neither Mara nor Theo expected. Between clam chowder, stolen moments in a photo booth, holiday traditions, and an undeniable spark, the two find themselves drawn together just as Theo's carefully contained world begins to unravel. A family bistro is on the brink of being sold, a job offer threatens to send him to Portland, and his complicated past-including his determined ex, Lila-refuses to stay where he left it.As secrets surface and Mara finds herself caught in a conflict she never asked for, she must decide how much she is willing to risk for a love that refuses to fit neatly into her rules. Theo, meanwhile, must learn that protecting the people he loves sometimes means trusting them with the truth-and that choosing love cannot be done quietly, privately, or halfway.Warm, tender, and sprinkled with humor, A Season for Us is a story about second chances, found courage, family traditions, and the beautiful uncertainty of choosing someone-not just for a season, but for whatever comes next.