The Last October

At forty-eight, Reese Gallagher has seen enough of love to know it's a lie. Her ex-wife made sure of that. Now she runs her struggling inn with grim determination, pouring everything into keeping her late parents' legacy alive. When a film production descends on her small town, wanting to use her inn as their primary location for an entire month, Reese wants to say no. She doesn't need Hollywood chaos disrupting her quiet life. But the money they're offering? It's the only thing standing between her and losing everything. Delaney Pierce is America's sweetheart, the thirty-year-old actress who can do no wrong. She's spent her entire career being exactly who everyone expects her to be: perfect, poised, and decidedly straight. The truth? Delaney has always known she's gay. She's just never met anyone worth risking her carefully constructed life for. A few secret flings with other closeted actresses, sure. But real love? That's something she's accepted might never be hers. Not if she wants to keep her career. Then she meets Reese. Reese doesn't do charm or pretense. She's out, unapologetic, and wholly unimpressed by fame. She doesn't care that Delaney Pierce is a household name, and she certainly doesn't believe in the happily-ever-afters Delaney is paid to portray. She's bitter, guarded, and wants nothing to do with Hollywood's idea of romance. But as October deepens and filming continues, something neither of them expected begins to grow. For the first time in her life, Delaney wants something more than her next role. She wants lazy mornings in Reese's kitchen. She wants to know what made Reese so cynical about love. She wants to be the one who makes her believe again. Reese feels it too. The way Delaney looks at her when she thinks no one is watching. The careful distance Delaney keeps in public that disappears when they're alone. The longing that hangs between them like the autumn mist. And God, Delaney wants to kiss her without looking over her shoulder first. But Reese won't be someone's secret. She won't hide who she is for anyone. Not even for a woman who's making her feel things she promised herself she'd never feel again. The production will wrap. The town will empty of cameras and crew. And Delaney will have to return to Los Angeles and the life she's built on carefully constructed lies. Unless she's finally brave enough to choose the love she never thought she deserved. Steamy age gap lesbian romance View Less