Filed Under Love

by Cassie Meadows · Steamy Romantic Comedy

Everyone in my family got a business. I got a laminated badge I made myself: Chief Vibes Officer. So when a consultant in a joyless gray suit rolls into Windlass Beach to decide whether our boardwalk is "economically viable," I do the only sensible thing. I tell him we're dating. Local perspective, you understand. Purely strategic. Owen Pruett runs on spreadsheets and disapproval. He color-codes his feelings. He thinks fun is a line item. And he agrees to the fake relationship for exactly one reason: it gets him closer to his data. The plan is simple. Show him the town through a local's eyes, save the boards, walk away. The plan did not account for Owen falling first. Or me letting him. Or the moment on showcase night when the whole thing detonates in front of the entire town, and I have to choose between the boardwalk that raised me and the man who finally, finally sees me. I told him to walk away. I really wish he hadn't listened. A steamy, banter-forward small-town beach romcom: a fake-dating disaster, a grumpy hero who falls first, a big loud found-family, and a guaranteed happily ever after.