The Sweetheart Deal by Polly Dugan

What They Say.....Leo has long joked that, in the event of his death, he wants his best friend Garrett, a lifelong bachelor, to marry his wife, Audrey. One drunken night, he goes so far as to make Garrett promise to do so. Then, twelve years later, Leo, a veteran firefighter, dies in a skiing accident. 

As Audrey navigates her new role as widow and single parent, Garrett quits his job in Boston and buys a one-way ticket out west. Before long, Audrey's feelings for Garrett become more than platonic, and Garrett finds himself falling for Audrey, her boys, and their life together in Portland. When Audrey finds out about the drunken pact from years ago, though, the harmless promise that brought Garrett into her world becomes the obstacle to his remaining in it.

What I Say....So this was my last book from my June box from Booksparks and it was a nice way to wrap up the first month of summer.

It definitely starts out on a somber note, Audrey loses her husband and the father of her three boys in a skiing accident during a routine family day. 

Leo's best friend Garrett comes out to help, and stays to finish the addition that Leo had begun adding to the house.   He's feeling a whole lot of responsibility for Audrey due to an agreement that Leo made him sign years ago, agreeing to marry Audrey if anything ever happened to him.

As they all begin sleepwalking their daily life again, Garrett is there to support them all, including the boys.

One night after a couple of bottles of wine, Audrey climbs into Garrett's bed, and suddenly the relationship is at a weird new level, somewhere between shared grief and new love.

But now Garrett  has to deal with Audrey's son finding out about their physical relationship and how to share the news of the contract that he signed.

This was a moving but ultimately melancholy book.  Not the lightweight read that I expected.