The Cottage - Paula Hillman - Bog

A scandalous accusation sends a woman fleeing to the countryside, where she meets an enigmatic man who also has something to hide . . . After a teenage boy makes allegations of inappropriate behaviour, Evie Cooper goes back to her hometown. There, her old friend Alex, now a solicitor, can help her navigate the situation, as well as offer her a job to tide her over. Evie rents a cottage while she waits for the crisis to blow over; it's isolated and rundown, but it's cheap, and she finds the rural quiet soothing. After a local man, Jay, helps her out of a tight spot, she starts a friendship with him that quickly becomes romantic. But she senses a strange tension between Jay and Alex. Why does Jay seem to avoid Alex? Is there something Alex isn't telling her--and why would he keep it secret? Then Evie stumbles on a surprising revelation about Jay--and as the truth begins to emerge, she must decide who she can really trust . . .