We were supposed to be playing house for the summer—not forever. Breaking the news to Zach Fenwick that I was never really dating our friend Simon? Awkward doesn’t begin to cover it. For years, I pretended to be Simon’s girlfriend to protect his military career and keep my family’s struggling boat business afloat. Now the lie is over, and I’m cleaning up the fallout. I ’m moving into my late cousin’s house for the summer to care for his kids. With Zach to help me. It’s temporary. Strictly practical. Until bedtime stories, ice cream dinners, and lingering looks start to blur every line we swore we wouldn’t cross. Then a string of break-ins points to a chilling truth someone’s desperate to keep buried. And the more we uncover, the closer danger creeps. Zach and I are just playing house—it’s not real. But the way he protects the kids and me makes me want far more than make-believe… Deep Waters is book 2 in the Evergreen Rescue Series, but can be read as a stand-alone. Forced Proximity Protective Hero Playing House / Playing Happy Families It’s Always Been You First Responder Hero & Heroine Banter and Spice Found Family Shenanigans Small Town Romance Dual POV