The One With The Secret Crushes

Book 1 of the Lost Creek series

How do you get two crazy, stubborn, (wildly in love and in denial) kids (adults) together?

Have the meddling small town book club set them up on a surprise blind date!

When Mackenzie Howard moved home after a decade away, she hoped her former high school best friend (and secret crush), Scott Shaw, would finally see her as much more than friends. Instead, he didn't recognize her at all and she's spent the last six months avoiding another mortifying run-in, which is hard to do in a small town like Lost Creek.

Grouchy bar owner Scott Shaw is tired of waiting for the right time and place to confess he's head over heels in love with Mackenzie. But ever since returning to Lost Creek, she's avoided him at all costs and he doesn't know why.

The book club is ready to meddle. While Mackenzie mistakenly believes no one knows about her feelings for Scott, and Scott thinks he's kept his crush mostly under wraps, the entire town of Lost Creek is well aware that they are destined to be together and helps the book club trap them on a surprise blind date.

Now with Mackenzie's full attention (finally), Scott sets out to romance the pants off her (literally, hopefully) and prove that not only does he remember everything about their friendship, about her, but the only relationship he wants going forward, is forever.

*The One With The Secret Crushes is a 30k word novella based on the 10k word short story Still Standing that appeared in the Loving Carolina Anthology. It has been heavily edited, updated, and expanded into this new first book of the Lost Creek series.

Content Warnings:

Parental death (off page)

Dysfunctional family (off page)

Also, the Lost Creek series follows Shitt’s Creek rules.