She spent her life chasing stars. Now she's back where it all began—with a broken heart, a shattered dream, and the one man she never planned to see again.

Michelin-starred chef Athena Reynolds has always known who she is and where she's going. Until it all falls apart. Betrayed by her boyfriend and sous chef, ousted from her own kitchen, and out of options, she returns to Eden's Ridge to lick her wounds—just until she figures out what's next.

The last thing she expects is Logan Maxwell.

Once, they shared a wedding weekend fling she never forgot. Now, he's the man who bought her childhood home—and the quiet presence who offers comfort without strings. Logan doesn't ask for anything. He just shows up. Steady. Kind. Unshakably patient.

But when Athena gets a second shot at her culinary dream, it comes with a choice: the life she thought she wanted, or the man who might finally feel like home.

Poignant, sexy, and full of heart, Stay a Little Longer is a reverse grumpy-sunshine romance about ambition, belonging, and discovering that sometimes love doesn't ask you to give up your dreams—it asks you to imagine new ones.