Tinsel Evergreen didn’t get a say in her future. As the Grand Elf’s daughter, she was signed, sealed, and delivered to the next Santa before she hit kindergarten…destined for sugar cookies, sleigh rides, and a picture-perfect happily-ever-after she never asked for. But two weeks before the holiday that defines her family, Tinsel steals a little magic and runs. She lands in Winter Key, Florida—a fishing village trying to reinvent itself with twinkle lights and tacky holiday contests—and discovers freedom for the first time. No expectations. No fiancé. Just sunshine, salt air, and the terrifying possibility of figuring out what she actually wants.

Mason Kraus isn’t looking for complications. His family’s bait shop is shuttered, his father’s legacy weighs heavy on his shoulders, and he’s barely holding his sister’s bar afloat. Letting a runaway stranger crash in his spare room is the last thing he needs, but when a booking mishap leaves Tinsel with nowhere to stay, she ends up in his spare bedroom. Living under the same roof is supposed to be temporary. Instead, it feels inevitable. One look across the kitchen counter, one brush of his hand, one late-night conversation on the dock—and suddenly, the line between roommates and something more is impossible to hold. But Tinsel can’t hide forever. Her future is waiting at the North Pole. And Mason knows better than to believe in miracles. Still… when the one person you weren’t supposed to fall for becomes the only one you can’t walk away from, rules—and even Christmas—start to feel negotiable.