Lindsey was perfectly comfortable with her life--living on her parents' property in a quaint cottage and tending to her beloved niece, Dawn. But then, Gabe Banner moves back into town and with him come all the memories of her schoolgirl crush on him and the bitter disappointment she suffered that senior year of high school. For them, the timing has never been right, but now she realizes why no man has ever interested her since then and why she could never forgive the friend who deceived her.

Suddenly, Lindsey's sister comes up with a crazy ultimatum for her to get legal custody of Dawn: she must find a husband by the night of her literacy program's big fundraising gala. Gabe ends up helping her, but along the way, she wonders whether it is out of convenience, pity, or real feelings. Now that Fate has brought them to this point again in their lives--without excuses or misunderstandings to hinder them--can they realize their love in time?