Shrinking Me

Jaksyn Jordan likes her life predictable.Same classroom. Same routines. Same best friend.Back from summer break and teaching English at one of suburban Chicago's top high schools, Jaksyn is determined to keep things steady, especially as her thirtieth birthday creeps closer, her mother's memory begins to falter, and a persistent anxiety hums beneath the surface. Between lesson plans and faculty meetings with her coworkers, Amanda, the spicy and outspoken one, and Kevin, the level-headed voice of reason, Jaksyn leans on what feels familiar.And nothing feels safer than Randall Gipson.Randall, her college best friend, the man whose third-floor apartment has seen her through sleepless nights and quiet unravelings. After years of personal healing, Randall knows exactly what he wants...and it's Jaksyn. What he doesn't know is whether telling Jaksyn the truth will finally move them forward or fracture the friendship they've carefully protected.As Jaksyn reluctantly begins therapy with Gary Kelley, she learns how to face her anxiety instead of letting it quietly run her life. Just when she starts to feel grounded, a global pandemic slows the world to a halt, making the question she's avoided for years impossible to ignore: Is the safety of friendship enough, or is she finally ready to risk her heart for a love that's been standing beside her all along?A slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance about healing, chosen family, and realizing that sometimes love isn't new.It's familiar.