Zach sighed.

He was tired. If he’d thought he worked hard while he was in the Navy, it felt like nothing compared to this. He’d always dreamed of owning his own restaurant. His idols were Gordon Ramsay, Anthony Bourdain, David Chang, and Julia Child.

But buying a shack in his hometown and serving lobster—how cliché—wasn’t ever on his radar.

He was thirty years old, in the prime of his life, and his days consisted of getting up at the ass crack of dawn—which came really early in the summers in Maine—heading to his new restaurant, the Lobster Buoy; doing inventory; coming up with the special of the day; and starting prep.

Of course, the cooking part wasn’t very different from when he was in the Navy, except now he wasn’t cooking for thousands of people at one time.

He’d been vehemently opposed to opening a lobster shack.

They were a dime a dozen on the Maine coast, and many lasted no longer than a few summers.

It was hard work with not a ton of payoff.

But when his dad died and his older brother had brought up the idea of all of them moving home to help out around the family property and be around more for Mom, the idea truly appealed.

Zach had always loved Maine. And ... since getting out of the Navy, he’d been floundering a little. Trying to decide what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go. Coming home had taken the huge decision of what to do with his life out of his hands.

He’d actually had dreams of opening a restaurant like the Lost Kitchen, a place where people would clamor for reservations, making him a million dollars in the first year. Operating a hole-in-the-wall lobster shack like the Lobster Buoy wasn’t anything close to what he’d envisioned.

It had taken him a while to switch gears in his head from the rural five-star restaurant he’d envisioned, but despite the hard work and bone-deep exhaustion ... the Lobster Buoy was growing on him.

It was actually fun to come up with new and innovative recipes using lobster.

Things that other restaurants weren’t doing.

Under no circumstances was he ever going to have a “boring” menu that included things like plain ol’ lobster rolls.

He wanted to wow his customers. Wanted to be able to sell enough to stay open through the slower winter months, and not just cater to tourists coming through the coastal town on their way to Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor.

With every day that went by, he felt he was getting closer to that goal.

Of course, it would take longer than one summer to figure out if he could make it or not.

But the reputation of his little lobster shack was growing faster than even he’d thought possible.

He’d actually been interviewed by Bon Appétit , and he’d seen an uptick in business ever since.

He’d also just hired a social media content creator, which seemed ridiculous, but he knew if he wanted to make a success of the Lobster Buoy, he needed all the advertising he could get, and the things she was posting were amazing.

Videos, still shots, interviews with satisfied customers.

If he didn’t own the business, he’d want to come and check it out.

Things were going well, but he was crazy busy. Opening the shack in the morning, visiting his mom whenever he had a spare moment, meeting with the fishermen in the afternoons to check out their fresh catches and to buy the lobster and other seafood he needed to make his custom meals.

The situation with the Youngs’ longtime friend, Otis Calvert, and his son had put a pall on what had otherwise been a very good homecoming.

To know Otis had been stealing from his mom and dad for years was infuriating.

And then Camden actually kidnapping his mother and Britt last week?

It was as shocking as it was eye opening.

Zach had always felt extremely safe here in Rockville. He’d forever seen it as kind of a backwoods town where nothing interesting ever happened. And no, the town’s annual summer Lobster Fest didn’t count.

That was part of the reason why Zach and his brothers had all joined the military. To get out, see the world, experience more than just their little corner of Maine. And yes, find some excitement. Now that they were all back, he’d looked forward to the slower pace.

But then they’d learned about Otis’s embezzlement.

And his mom had gotten fucking kidnapped .

It put a very different perspective on Rockville for Zach.

He wasn’t an idiot, he knew bad stuff happened all over the world—he’d seen more than his fair share of it—but he’d always felt as if there was a protective bubble over Lobster Cove, the property where he’d grown up.

Until Camden Calvert had driven right up to the front door and taken his mother in broad daylight.

But Otis and his son were in jail, and Lobster Cove would hopefully bounce back. His mom and Britt would have to appear in court at some point, but for now, things were back to normal.

Well ... mostly. Chad, the second-oldest Young brother, had fallen in love and would likely be getting married in the not-too-distant future.

He and Britt would take over one of the rental cabins .

.. well, it wouldn’t be a rental any longer.

His mom had decided to stop renting to guests after this season.

Changes were happening all around him, and Zach wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He was happy for Chad and Britt ... but change made him nervous.

“Zach, if you’re going to get to the docks to meet the lobster boats, you need to move your ass!” Jack yelled.

He was the first person Zach hired after moving home, and he’d hit pay dirt with the guy. He was older, around fifty-five, but could outwork any younger kid, any day of the week. He was a veteran who had an aversion to talking about his time in the Marines. He also wasn’t great with customers.

But he was a maestro with a spatula and in the kitchen. Zach needed people who could recreate the dishes he concocted without a lot of supervision. And Jack was able to follow his recipes to a T, and even come up with his own ideas about how to improve the occasional dish.

Zach had a handful of other employees who took orders and schmoozed with customers, but Jack was definitely in charge when Zach couldn’t be there.

“I’m going,” he told Jack. “I’m thinking lobster and asparagus risotto as the special tomorrow. What do you think?”

“I’m thinking you’re the boss and that’s going to be fucking fantastic,” Jack said with a grin.

He was missing one of his lower front teeth and one of his upper canines, and with his longish graying black hair pulled back in a hairnet, he looked a little maniacal, but Zach didn’t care what he looked like.

As long as he kept the shack clean and continued to cook as well as he had so far, all was good.

Zach waved at the high schooler running the front of the shack and headed for his Explorer.

He had to walk through town to get to the parking lot behind the studio apartment he was renting.

It wasn’t the ideal living situation, but it would do for now.

It was close to the Lobster Buoy—only around five blocks down and one block back; about a five-minute walk—and he was a man who was used to living in small spaces, as he’d done while deployed on ships with the Navy.

From the restaurant, he could also walk to the dock where the fishermen came in every afternoon to off-load their catch. But since he planned to purchase a large quantity of lobster, he needed a way to transport it.

There was nothing in the world like fresh lobster.

And he could get it at a much better price buying it straight from the boats than from a store or distributor.

He also liked to take a look at everything else they’d caught.

Many days he was inspired simply by taking a walk down the dock and checking out all the fresh seafood.

Zach parked and pocketed his keys as he headed for the row of lobster boats unloading their catches of the day.

He went straight for his favorite lobsterman.

Eliot Sullivan was nearing fifty and had been working a lobster boat since he was around twelve years old.

His son, Jonah, was closer to Zach’s age.

He’d always worked right alongside his father.

Lobstering was hard work. They usually started their day around the same time Zach did—very early.

Most days they didn’t return until late afternoon, so it was hours and hours of hauling traps, sorting lobsters, making sure they threw back small or egg-bearing ones, keeping records of how many they’d caught, and tracking the movements of the creatures for future trapping opportunities.

“Hey,” Zach said as he approached the boat.

“Zach!” Jonah called out in greeting when he saw him.

“How was the day?” Zach asked.

“Great. We found an awesome honey hole. Got some beauts today. Wanna see?”

“No, I’m just out for a pleasure walk on the dock because I can’t go a day without the smell of dead fish and seeing the seagulls fight over fish guts.”

Jonah laughed uproariously, as if Zach was the funniest man alive. One of the reasons why Zach liked Jonah so much was because of how upbeat and positive he was. If they’d had a tough day, he was always pragmatic, saying tomorrow would be better. He made Zach smile, and he appreciated that.

“Hey, Zachary. How are you?” Eliot asked. He’d been bent over a bunch of papers, probably tallying the take for the day, and Zach hadn’t wanted to interrupt. The last thing he needed was to report his numbers wrong to the Maine Department of Marine Resources.

“Good.”

“Your mom okay?”

“She’s great. Thanks for asking.”

“Heard your brother’s getting married soon.”

Zach couldn’t help but smile at that. The gossip network in Rockville was alive and well. “It’s not official, but yeah, I’m guessing it won’t be long before Chad and Britt tie the knot.”

“That’s great. Oh, did you hear? We’ve got a new employee. Here she comes now.”

Zach turned in the direction the older man was indicating and saw a woman walking toward them. His eyes widened in surprise. She looked nothing like he imagined a crew member of a lobster boat could ever look like. He knew he was stereotyping, but Zach couldn’t help it.

The woman walking toward them was tiny, especially compared to his own six foot six inches. He doubted her head would reach his shoulders. She had pale-blond hair that was almost white. There were small wrinkles around her eyes, which told Zach that she probably smiled and laughed a lot.

She waddled a little as she walked, but he didn’t think it was because of her weight. It was because of all the gear she was wearing—oilskins to protect herself from ocean spray, sturdy rubber boots, a pair of insulated waterproof gloves tucked into the thick tool belt around her waist.

For some reason, watching her walk toward them made Zach’s heart speed up, and he couldn’t stop staring. She paused at the side of the Wave Rider , which was Eliot’s lobster boat.

“Hi!” she said cheerily.

“Marit, this is Zach Young. He’s a local boy who recently moved back home after doing a stint in the Navy. He owns the Lobster Buoy.”

“Oh my gosh, really? I love that place,” Marit gushed. “I had the lobster-stuffed avocado the other day, and it was soooooo amazing.”

The feeling of accomplishment and pride he felt when people told him how much they enjoyed his food never failed to make Zach smile. “Thanks.”

“Marit’s only been working with us for a week, but I already don’t know what we ever did without her,” Eliot said with a wink.

“Whatever,” she said with a small laugh.

“No, seriously. She’s from Portland, and she’s been working on lobster boats all her life. Right, Mar?” Jonah added, smiling. It was easy to see that Eliot’s son had a crush on the newest crew member.

“I’m not sure about all my life,” she said easily, holding out a hand to Zach. “Marit Phillips. It’s nice to meet you,” she said.

The second Zach’s hand closed around Marit’s, something sparked within him. He didn’t believe in love at first sight. Or Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, or conspiracy theories in general. He was too levelheaded for any of that nonsense.

And yet, at the first touch of his hand to hers, Zach was suddenly envisioning sitting on the back deck of Lobster Cove with this woman, watching their kids play in the water down at the beach.

The smile on her face faded a little as he gaped at her like an idiot, feeling shell shocked. She gently pulled her hand out of his grip and took a minuscule step back, which sliced at Zach as if he’d dropped one of his filleting knives onto his foot.

“So ... what do you want today? Lobsters?” Eliot asked, oblivious to the undercurrents between his newest deckhand and his best customer.

Clearing his throat, Zach tried to concentrate. Thankfully, he’d already done the mental calculations on how much lobster he’d need to make the risotto. “Yeah, lobsters. I’m trying out some simple recipes for meals easy to eat on the go, for the Lobster Festival next week.”

“Good idea. Heard the weather’s supposed to be awesome. Sunny but not too hot. They’re talking record crowds this year,” Eliot commented, as Jonah and Marit got busy packing up Zach’s order.

“Great,” he replied absently, forcing himself to take his gaze off Marit.

He wasn’t sure what was happening here, but he wasn’t going to read too much into his reaction when he’d touched the woman.

Chad and Britt’s overwhelming happiness was probably rubbing off on him.

That was all. He was too young to settle down.

Didn’t want to. Didn’t even want a girlfriend.

He was too busy, had too much going on in his life right now.

A tiny voice inside him warned that he was protesting too much. He quickly tried to push it away.

But when Marit turned to him and hefted a large, heavy crate with a smile and seemingly little effort, saying, “I’ll help you load up. Lead the way,” Zach had the feeling that his life had just changed in a huge way.

This tiny dynamo of a woman was going to upend everything . Of that, he had no doubt. But would it be in a good way? Or bad? Only time would tell.