Susan Hatler

Gina Hall is done with men who won’t commit. Ten years waiting for her ex to propose wasted her time. Never again. When her friend Kristen starts a game of Truth or Dare, she dares Gina to go on a date with Ethan, who’s amazing and total marriage material.

As Gina plans the going away party for office playboy Chris Bradley, she spontaneously initiates a game of Truth or Dare with him. When his turn comes around, he dares Gina to pose as his girlfriend to help get a flirty colleague off his back. Gina finds playing couple with Chris way too much fun.

Even though Gina and Chris are pretending, their relationship begins to feel painfully real. Fearing she might be falling for another fly-by man, Gina must focus on Ethan so she doesn’t make the same dating mistakes all over again.

Megan Wallace wants three things: to make a living as an artist, to fulfill a promise she made her grandmother to visit the Boboli Gardens in Italy, and—oh yeah— for her best friend Brian Watts to fall in love with her. When the local library hosts an art competition, in which the winner will receive a one-year contract to paint in Florence, Italy, Megan sets out to make all her dreams come true.

Since Brian is a talented woodworker, Megan plans to ask him to make the custom frames for her paintings. She’s crushed to discover he’s already partnered up with Chelsea Chambers, Megan’s rival since art school. Megan is even more devastated when Chelsea sets her sights on Brian romantically.

The stakes are high and there can only be one winner. When the contest judges praise Chelsea’s classic style, Megan wonders if she should forego her own surreal painting style for one that’s more traditional. Brian urges her to be true to her talent. He also gives her reason to believe that maybe he feels more than friendship for her after all.

Will Megan have to give up her vision in order to win the contest? And if she wins, will she have to say goodbye to the love of her life?

When Avery Summers finds out the homeless outreach program where she volunteers is about to lose their building to a big developer, she’s determined to help. Unfortunately, she also has to juggle her job at a bakery, help her friend plan her upcoming wedding, and deal with a sudden flurry of dinner invitations by the bride’s cousin, a man she’d normally jump at the chance to date. It’s too bad he reminds her of the stepfather who abandoned her and her mother, causing Avery to be homeless as a child.

Handsome and charming Jason Morgan doesn’t appear fazed by Avery’s rejections and becomes a regular at the bakery where she works. When he asks her out yet again, Avery responds with a proposal she’s sure he’ll turn down—she’ll go out with him if he volunteers with her at the homeless outreach program. To her surprise, he agrees and part of Avery can’t help but be pleased. Maybe he’s not like her selfish stepfather, after all.

Sure enough, the more time they spend together, the more Avery’s convinced that Jason is more than his luxury sports car and designer suits. He seems to genuinely care about the homeless, and even agrees to help Avery hunt for long-lost tunnels dating back to the gold rush that—if they really exist—could save the outreach program’s building. Before the tunnels can be found, however, Avery’s dealt several devastating blows, including a shocking revelation that Jason works for the very developer that wants to tear the building down. Can Avery convince Jason to put his heart before his career? And will Avery find healing in forgiveness and second chances?