Summary

Krissy Kringle's dream of owning her own business and settling into a community with her ten-year-old daughter, Merry, came alive when she moved to the Christmas village of Dickens. The dream comes with hard work, sacrifice, and a bucket-load of luck-but Kringle's Diner now exists, and business is booming, even if she is beyond weary doing the work of three people.So, she hires a man who frequents the diner for coffee and bagels. He needs the work, or so it seems. Thing is, he comes with a huge Bernese Mountain dog named Prince, who takes up residence in the corner booth every day with Merry. Krissy tells herself she can deal with it-help in the kitchen trumps a few dog germs. Right?Contrary to popular belief around Dickens, Max Alexander (aka Alex Maxwell) is not homeless, but royalty. Alexander Henrik Vincent Maxwell III, Prince of Beldova, heir apparent to the throne, is searching for something. Incognito, of course. That "something" is Krissy.Twenty years earlier, when they were awkward pre-teens, the two shared a magical summer lake vacation in upstate Wisconsin. The next year, both their lives had changed forever. Krissy went into foster care, and has since been yearning for the security of home. Alex lost his American grandparents who lived at the lake, and along with them, the magic of summer vacations away from the monarchy.While they never saw each other again, both never forgot the other. Finding Krissy, Alex thinks, may help him ground him before he takes a permanent step toward becoming King.They happily work together for several weeks, and their attraction for each other grows, but Alex doesn't tell Krissy he is the boy from the lake. He understands her need to be grounded in a community, with the security of home. He knows his future is uncertain. A rapid unraveling of withheld truths and semi-white lies entangle Krissy's and Alex's shared reality. Can they untangle those withheld truths by Christmas, and regain the magic of summer?