Shep Walsh has been through hell. Loneliness is his constant companion, and though his friends mean well, getting back into the dating game is the furthest thing from his mind, and too scary a prospect to consider. The debacle that was something new.

Enter Emil Tucker, a friend of a friend who is foisted upon Shep as a coffee date. The dread he feels at putting himself out there again slowly fades away with gentle conversation and no-strings encounters; and for the first time in years, Shep thinks that, maybe this time, he'll get it right. That is, if his ex doesn't spoil everything first. Can he trust himself to try again?