Our Second Act At The Rialto by Franz Lusike Voetmann

Tessa Bell knows how to fix a crisis. She just never expected the next one to involve Theo Rangi—the former best friend she left behind five years ago.

When a publicity campaign throws them back together at Christchurch's beloved Rialto cinema, Tessa and Theo are forced to share more than a workplace. The Rialto is fighting for survival, Theo's eleven-year-old daughter calls the apartment above it home, and every decision seems to reopen something Tessa and Theo never properly finished.

Saving the cinema means learning to work together again: sharing keys, money, responsibility—and truths they have both spent years keeping to themselves.

But Tessa has an opportunity waiting in Auckland, Theo has built his life around never depending on anyone, and a national cinema chain is ready to take control of the Rialto if they fail.

As old attraction becomes impossible to ignore, Tessa and Theo must decide whether a second chance is something they can build together—or just another thing they are afraid to lose.

Our Second Act at the Rialto is a warm, emotionally grounded contemporary romance about former best friends, forced proximity, a single father, community, and the courage it takes to choose where you belong.