Portland, Maine 1979 Susan Moore is a blond twenty-eight year old freelance writer. After following assignments across the United States, she decided to settle in Portland. A year ago, she met her best friend Diana at a fundraiser for Maine Medical Center, and they quickly develop a sisterly bond. On Susan's morning jog on the Eastern Prom, she finds herself being appraised by a pair of cornflower blue eyes and a charming smile that belong to a man named Aaron. Thinking this is a onetime occurrence, Susan flirts before dismissing him as she continues her run. When she reports to her volunteer position at a local youth center the next day, she is introduced to social worker Mike Larkin, who both antagonizes and intrigues her. A second chance meeting brings Aaron and his dog Bear into her life. Susan is quickly drawn to both men for different reasons: Aaron is laidback, patient, and witty, and his boyish charm fascinates her. Mike is possessive and controlling, and he is constantly trying to lure her into his bed, but she is also attracted to his softer side. As life throws her one curveball after another, she struggles to deal with the changes wrought within her life and soothe her emotional turbulence. With which man will Susan choose to entrust her heart?