“In Lunch Tales: Teagan , Guarino dazzles—unveiling a tale of love and friendship that proves the courage to move forward springs from those who have your back.” —Cam Torrens, author of the Tyler Zahn suspense novels Can losing your future give the past a second chance? Pushing her son’s stroller on a summer day, thirty-six-year-old Teagan Quinn has no reason to think a big change is looming—the kind that happens in a mind-blowing instant. Nothing could prepare her for a shocking heartbreak. Gripped by the trauma and grief of suddenly becoming a single parent, Teagan leans heavily on her lunch friends and lively Irish family for support. But when something ends, something usually begins—and Officer Luke Pisani walks back into Teagan’s life. Not just any old friend, he was her idealistic first. The man who got away. As the grieving months go by, Luke is there at every turn, and gradually, old attraction reignites. But as ambivalent feelings challenge Teagan’s new beginning, a series of hurtful anonymous notes arrive, each angrier than the one before it. With grit and urgency, Teagan must summon her inner sleuth before the letters poison one of the best things that could happen to her—learning to love again. "The tone of the LUNCH TALES world is warm friendships, everyday struggles, and characters who feel real with a deep emotional pull. This book left me with a gentle hope that is not perfect, not magical, but honest." -booksta.girl_ "The series keeps getting better!" — Sarah Lauer Nakawatase, author of Southern Souls ""Once in a blue moon there's a book like this!" — Marilee Dahlman, author of The Night Nurse and the Jewel Thief ""Women's fiction the way it should be!" — Kate Laack, author of While the Coin is in the Air "To say that I enjoyed this book would be an understatement." —Y vonne deSousa, author of Shelter of the Monument ""This tender yet steamy love story delivers in more ways than one." — Christopher Amato, author of Peace River Village ""A second chance with a first love... a heart-warming story of friendship, hope and rekindled romance for a grieving widow." — Gail Ward Olmsted, author of the Miranda Quinn Legal Twist ""A heart-tugging novel about love, loss, single-parenting, and second chances." — Cam Torrens, author of the Tyler Zahn series ""A great second chance story with some really memorable characters. I can't wait to read the next in the series." — Diane Nagatomo, author of Finding Naomi ""Satisfying for those who believe in sisterhood and second chances." — Kirkus Reviews ""Quietly poetic, but mostly it's grounded, warm and intimate. The emotions feel earned. I laughed. I cried. I caught my breath in parts. There were scenes I had to reread just to sit with the weight of them." — Literary Titan ""The scenes of Teagan's large family get-togethers, raising her son while working full time, recovering from loss, confronting small-town mores, and physical intimacy all add up to everything a reader could want." — Readers' Favorite ""This book was a breath of fresh air! Romance, tragedy, families - beautifully packaged by excellent storytelling!" — Reedsy Discovery ""An emotionally rich and well-written blend of women's fiction, romance, and mystery that will captivate any reader." — Sublime Book Review Among American historical fiction, I am also a contemporary fiction writer whose work explores the beauty in life's small moments and the depth hidden within everyday interactions. With a keen eye for character nuance and emotional rhythm, I craft narratives that reflect real human experiences from laughter to heartbreak, from hope to introspection. My philosophy centers on the belief that the most profound transformations often occur not during life's dramatic peaks, but in the quiet spaces over coffee, during lunch breaks, in chance conversations that linger long after they end.  With my stories, I invite my readers to see their own lives with fresh eyes for we are never as alone as we think. "In Lunch Tales: Teagan , Guarino dazzles—unveiling a tale of love and friendship that proves the courage to move forward springs from those who have your back." —Cam Torrens, author of the Tyler Zahn suspense novels Can losing your future give the past a second chance? Pushing her son's stroller on a summer day, thirty-six-year-old Teagan Quinn has no reason to think a big change is looming—the kind that happens in a mind-blowing instant. Nothing could prepare her for a shocking heartbreak. Gripped by the trauma and grief of suddenly becoming a single parent, Teagan leans heavily on her lunch friends and lively Irish family for support. But when something ends, something usually begins—and Officer Luke Pisani walks back into Teagan's life. Not just any old friend, he was her idealistic first. The man who got away. As the grieving months go by, Luke is there at every turn, and gradually, old attraction reignites. But as ambivalent feelings challenge Te