Copper County

There's nothing wrong with admiring a work of art, or so I tell myself…even when the admiring is more like peeping out my bedroom window, and the work of art is the shirtless, sweaty, body of the man who's been mowing my lawn once a week every summer for years.After all, looking is all it'll ever be, given that Theo Ross is theoretically, sort-of my employee, thirteen years younger than me, and a permanent resident of O'Leary, the town right next to Copper County, where the Observatory House–the vacation home my stargazing grandfather built–is located.But when Theo peers in my window and catches me… er, mid-admiration… all bets are off.Because once we start talking, I learn that Theo is so much more than someone pretty to look at. He's smart, funny, and incredibly talented at creating art, not just being it.Suddenly we're trading logic puzzles and drawings as coded messages, I'm inviting him over for dinner and stargazing, and I can't help wondering if what the two of us have found together isn't just a short-term thing…But something that might have been written in the stars for both of us all along. *This story was previously available as part of the Summer Nights 2024 promotion. No new material has been added.

My childhood friend. My biggest rival. The only man I've ever wanted. If there were a prize for the most contented man in Copper County, I'd win it every time. I've got my business. My son. My family. My friends… and no romantic prospects, sure, but only because I don't need any. My life's great as it is. Seriously. Could not be better. I'm practically bleeding serenity over here.At least until Jasper Wrigley shows up in Copper County after twenty years–as my son's temporary hockey coach, no less, though the man could barely lace up his skates back in the day–and throws my carefully ordered life into chaos. Once upon a time, magnetic, confident Jasper was my best friend and greatest rival, and his summer visits to town were the best part of my year. Our competitions were fierce. Our dares were thrilling. We talked about everything under the sun, and he made me believe in the possibility of a bright, hazy future somewhere just out of reach. But then he left, and I grew up. Now the last thing I need is Jasper back in my space, provoking me, challenging me, and making me question… freaking everything. Like whether my life's as perfect as I claim. Like whether I'm as straight as I think.Like whether there might be something better than "contentment" out there for me if I'm brave enough to look for it. And whether the man who was always my greatest rival… might just be the love of my life.