Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune

A New York Times Bestseller from the author who captured hearts with Every Summer After

What happens when a promise made in the glow of a perfect day becomes a decade-long ghost? Fern Brookbanks knows. She spent twenty-four extraordinary hours with Will Baxter—an idealistic artist who felt like the answer to every question she’d been asking. They wandered the city, shared every secret, every dream. They made a pact to meet again in one year.

Fern showed up. Will didn’t.

Now, at thirty-two, Fern finds herself running her mother’s struggling lakeside resort in Ontario—the very place she swore she’d never return to. Her ex-boyfriend manages the property. The floorboards creak with memories she’d rather forget. She’s drowning, and she knows it.

Then Will walks back into her life. Nine years late, carrying a suitcase and wearing an expensive suit that doesn’t quite fit the man she remembers. He offers to help save the resort, but Fern can’t shake the feeling that this polished stranger is hiding something.

Carley Fortune weaves a breathtaking story about second chances, the weight of family obligation, and the magnetic pull of a connection that refuses to fade. Set against the backdrop of a beautiful lakeside summer, Meet Me at the Lake asks: Can you rescue someone who once rescued you? And more importantly—should you?

Perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Taylor Jenkins Reid.

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