2023
Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction
Tropes: Later in Life, Workplace Romance
Content Warnings: Spousal death, COVID, domestic violence
Jesse is a fifty-something widowed nurse navigating the quiet heartache of an empty nest. Life is a routine of care and duty, as she tends to the needs of Lorraine, the great-something granddaughter of the Galtero family, whose estate borders a serene resort. Jesse has found a comfortable rhythm in her work, but the loneliness of her personal life lingers.
Clive, the estate's gardener, is a man of few words but deep feelings. His heart aches with a love he's too afraid to express. He lost his wife to COVID two years ago, a loss that still shadows his every thought. Yet, every time he sees Jesse, hope stirs in him. Their daily interactions are filled with unspoken emotions, but Jesse sees Clive as nothing more than a friend.
As the seasons change, so do their lives. A series of tender, unexpected moments bring them closer together. Clive must find the courage to share his past and his feelings, while Jesse must open her heart to the possibility of love after loss. Can they find a way to heal together and discover that love, in all its forms, can bloom again?