No Longer in the Friend Zone
(2026)(The first book in the Redwood Point series)
A novel by Echo James
I know three things about Lachlin Hale.He runs toward danger.
He believes coffee can fix almost anything.
And when it comes to his feelings, the man would rather jump into the Pacific without a life jacket than use the word relationship.
I stitch the stubborn Coast Guard rescue swimmer back together, send him home with instructions he probably won’t follow, and assume that’s the end of it.
Then he returns with my exact coffee order and apologizes for being a grouch.
Four months later, he’s my best friend and I’m his date to a class reunion at an isolated lodge in the redwoods.
We have separate rooms. Clear boundaries. Absolutely no plans to complicate things.
Then a storm closes the highway, an electrical problem takes out his room, and we’re left with one bed and months of attraction neither of us can ignore.
We make rules.
The rules don’t survive the night.
Afterward, we agree on something casual.
No promises. No expectations. No damage to our friendship
It’s a beautiful plan.
It’s also complete nonsense.
Because I don’t want to be the woman Lachlin touches in private and calls his friend in public.
And a man who wants girlfriend privileges should be prepared to use the actual word.
If he can’t choose me in the daylight, he doesn’t get to keep me after dark.
Genre: Romance
He believes coffee can fix almost anything.
And when it comes to his feelings, the man would rather jump into the Pacific without a life jacket than use the word relationship.
I stitch the stubborn Coast Guard rescue swimmer back together, send him home with instructions he probably won’t follow, and assume that’s the end of it.
Then he returns with my exact coffee order and apologizes for being a grouch.
Four months later, he’s my best friend and I’m his date to a class reunion at an isolated lodge in the redwoods.
We have separate rooms. Clear boundaries. Absolutely no plans to complicate things.
Then a storm closes the highway, an electrical problem takes out his room, and we’re left with one bed and months of attraction neither of us can ignore.
We make rules.
The rules don’t survive the night.
Afterward, we agree on something casual.
No promises. No expectations. No damage to our friendship
It’s a beautiful plan.
It’s also complete nonsense.
Because I don’t want to be the woman Lachlin touches in private and calls his friend in public.
And a man who wants girlfriend privileges should be prepared to use the actual word.
If he can’t choose me in the daylight, he doesn’t get to keep me after dark.
Genre: Romance
Used availability for Echo James's No Longer in the Friend Zone