Hallie Bancroft's forty-two-year-old life is in shambles. The universe has been dishing out lemons to her at Mach speed: laid off from her job as a theater-set designer, abandoned by her boyfriend, and saddled with an apartment she can no longer afford.

When her best friend intervenes, Hallie finds herself with five others in a Cape Cod mansion so gigantic it could have its own ZIP code. There, she meets Quinn O'Neill, a dashing widowed professor in his early fifties who, much to Hallie's surprise, loves wordplay and literature as passionately as she does. Sparks fly, and Hallie and Quinn are caught up in an unexpected, sizzling love affair.

A beautiful future seems to await them. But when surprising new job opportunities crop up and Hallie's ex-lover reappears, all bets are off. A happily-ever-after ending for Hallie and Quinn seems as elusive as a desert mirage. Can either of them find the right words to make it a reality, or are they stuck mute on the express train to JustFriendsville?

"The prose is bright and fresh, featuring cheeky jokes and colorful similes that are hilarious and engaging." —Jenna Lefkowitz for Foreword Clarion Reviews