Apple Valley Love Stories

Our arrangement was supposed to be for just one month... Single-dad Mac needs a temporary nanny for his daughter, Daisy. I need a second job until my promotion kicks in. Since our arrangement is only for one month, I am positive I won't get attached. Medium positive. Okay, I'm negative. This is a terrible idea. Because I can't give Mac and Daisy what they need, and I won't risk breaking their hearts. But his green eyes and her crooked pigtails have me dreaming about forever. And who can resist a dad buying pink ballerina tights after a day spent in a hard hat? The thing is Mac is a fixer, and I need to repair my own life. Better yet, I don't want to feel broken. So it's a good thing the worst has already happened to me. Nothing will hurt more now. Water can't get wetter, Brooke. That's what I keep telling myself. Too bad I'm all wrong...

This isn't a wedding. This is war ... I get it. We were in elementary school. Just a couple of kids on the playground. But after Nash Hendrix called me Enemy instead of Emily, his stupid nickname ruined my life. Now our best friends are getting married, and they expect me to stand across the aisle from Nash the Ruiner without killing him? Whatever. I can survive that. It's only for one weekend. Until it's not. When I get roped into wedding planning at all the same places Nash is fundraising, I'm ready to blow up our truce. But the more time we spend together, the more I feel like ... not murdering him. Is it possible Nash and I don't hate each other? No way. He's still my enemy. My big, dumb enemy. My big, dumb, gorgeous, sweet-smelling, smooth-talking - Emi, you're doomed.

The first rule of being a winner? Never lose your heart ... People think it's easy being Felix Dodd III. And sure the fortune, legacy, and inheritance aren't exactly terrible. But the name comes with so many strings, my hands feel permanently tied. Like I'm stuck following in my father's footsteps. Like I can't trust people's intentions. Like my grandmother wants me settled down before my thirtieth birthday. I've got less than zero interest in marriage, ever since my one attempt at love crashed and burned. But Grams won't let me access my trust until I'm engaged. Which means I need a fiancée. Someone who's looking for quick cash and a quicker getaway. Someone like Lucy Devlin. She's got less than zero interest in me. But if I can get her to play along-just long enough to fool my grandmother-Lucy will be a whole lot richer, Grams will be none the wiser, and I'll stay heartbreak free. Just as long as I remember the new rule: Don't love Lucy for real.

Spencer Crane thinks I'm a human tornado. I think he's a calendar app come to life. While he schedules? I spin-out. When I spontaneously combust? He overcompensates. And this is why convincing my new boss to hire him is a completely brilliant idea. You see, workplace romance is forbidden, but attraction between total opposites like Spencer and me is a non-issue. I repeat: Non. Issue. I only wish I hadn't discovered Mr. Clark Kent Glasses is (secretly) scorchingly hot. Even worse, he's funny and chivalrous, and shoving me straight out of my Tess the Mess comfort zone. But we both need this job. Like, a lot. And if our boss catches wind of any fraternization, we'll be fired. Not to mention my heart's already at risk of being axed. So when Spencer starts treating me like I'm a magnet and he's a fistful of iron, I've got a tornado-sized problem on my hands. Starting now, I'm doubling down. I absolutely cannot fall for Spencer Crane. Even if my total opposite might be everything I need ...

They say you should quit while you're ahead. I just quit because I'm in love ... with my boss. My name is Jill, and I'm a professional restaurant server. I'm also the secret admirer of the head manager at The Clumsy Goat. In my defense, Owen O'Dell wasn't in charge when I got hired. He just happened to be the sweetest, handsomest, funniest, most est son of the owner. But after the job took its toll on his dad's heart-both literally and figuratively-Owen stepped up to the plate and took over. Now he won't risk putting a wife and kids through the stress his mom and brothers felt. That's right. Owen just committed to bachelorhood now that I'm ready to confess my love. I can't stick around Apple Valley pining for a man who's permanently off-limits, but Owen can't let his dad think he's failing because The Goat's best server up and quit. (That's me. I'm the best server.) Solution? We pretend to be a couple so the no-dating policy is the reason I'm leaving. Being Owen's fake girlfriend probably won't kill me. Just don't tell that to my heart.