She’s my sister’s best friend, my daughter’s new nanny, and the one woman I can’t have.

My life runs on responsibility and routine. Running my restaurant. Showing up for my sisters. Raising my six-year-old daughter.

I don’t make reckless decisions, which is exactly why hiring Poppy Golightly is a terrible idea.

She needs a job. I need help. Simple.

At least, it should be.

But the Poppy in my kitchen is nothing like the girl I thought I knew. She’s all bright smiles, a clever mouth, and a laugh my daughter instantly loves. She’s sunshine wrapped around old hurts, and the more she brings warmth back into my home, the harder she is to resist.

My sister made one thing clear. Poppy is off-limits.

I can’t risk my daughter getting attached. I can’t risk my own heart. But somewhere between bedtime stories, stolen glances, and dancing in the kitchen, Poppy becomes more than a complication.

She becomes everything.

And when the life she’s trying to rebuild collides with the one we’ve started to make, I have to choose between playing it safe...

Or fighting for the woman who already feels like home.