Sweethearts, A Collection of Valentine's Day Standalones

February 14th, 1990. The Chicago Bulls traveled south to face off against the Orlando Magic. Prior to the game, Michael Jordan's jersey was stolen. The cause is up for speculation. Some say it was a custodian. Some say it was rival players. Nothing has been confirmed. Even though the Bulls lost, MJ poured in 47 points.This is how Sara made that happen.And it was all for Tate.This short story originally appeared in Recipes for Romance: A Sweet Valentine's Day Anthology published by And You Press, an imprint of Nicole Frail Books, released in February 2025.

A quick, original read complete with Elrick's trademark humor and wit and an ending that will tug at your heart.Tori's trying to survive her first year as a teacher. She really is. But third graders can be untamed and ruthless. Then add Valentine's Day and her boyfriend, Steve's, suspicious behavior into the mix. Nevertheless, Tori turns to her love of baking to try to make this Valentine's Day special for her students. When things go awry, her favorite Star Wars-obsessed student, Lewis, steps up and makes the day . . . memorable. In more ways than one.

Olivia and Heath's stores sell the two things in high demand on Valentine's Day: chocolate and flowers. After the rush and overwhelm of the day, they meet in Olivia's chocolate shop.Olivia and Heath have been best friends since high school, but recently, Olivia's been wishing they were more.Heath, on the other hand, has had feelings for Olivia since the moment they met as freshmen. He's desperate for his time in the friend zone to come to an end.They decide to play Truffle and Truth, a game Heath made up years ago. The game is easy: When you eat a truffle, the other person gets to ask you a personal question and you cannot lie when you respond.Will one of them work up the courage to ask whether there could be something more between them than just friendship? Or will they mimic the games of years past and keep the questions surface level?This short story originally appeared inRecipes for Romance: A Sweet Valentine's Day Anthologypublished by And You Press, an imprint of Nicole Frail Books, released in February 2025. This ebook contains supplemental material from the author.

Aurora, a young witch curious about the world outside of Whimsica, sneaks off to the mortal realm where she meets an unsuspecting human named James. After spending the day together, James asks her on a date for that weekend, which is coincidentally Valentine's Day. Aurora hesitantly agrees and rushes back to Whimsica to share all the details with her best friend, Penny the ghost.Despite her excitement, Aurora can't let her guard down. If any of the mortals discover she's a witch, she could surely be burned at the stake.And even worse, if the high priestess discovers she traveled to the forbidden mortal realm, she will be put on magical probation and endlessly haunted by Whimsica's self-appointed, intolerable busy-body Rufus.When her trip through the portal causes her to get sick right before the date, she struggles to keep her magic in check. What kind of chaos can be caused by a sick witch in an overbooked restaurant on the most romantic night of the year? And will Aurora be able to stop it from ruining her date?This short story originally appeared in Recipes for Romance: A Sweet Valentine's Day Anthology published by And You Press, an imprint of Nicole Frail Books, released in February 2025. This ebook contains supplemental material from the author.

Noah has clear goals, hoping to make enough money so she can one day create a cookbook from her mother's recipes.Henry doesn't know what he wants, having spent all his time rebelling against his father just to still be stuck under his influence.When Noah and Henry are thrown together because of a job on Valentine's Day, even though they are different, they realize how much they need the comfort of a stranger.This short story originally appeared inRecipes for Romance: A Sweet Valentine's Day Anthologypublished by And You Press, an imprint of Nicole Frail Books, released in February 2025. This ebook contains supplemental material from the author.

Seven years ago, Danielle divorced Joshua without any real explanation.Since then, she has made strides to move forward and take care of herself in all the ways that matter to her. She's developed a healthy attitude toward food, changed her hair and nickname, earned a master's degree, and began work as a hospice social worker.Joshua, however, has remained in his role as P.E. teacher at the same school and visits the same businesses he did when they were married, hoping that maybe she'll someday look for him.They meet again on a blind date and discover that the spark between them is still there. Reconciliation is on both their minds, but first, they need to resolve not only their past, as Danielle shares her reason for leaving, but also their potential future, as Joshua shares that some parts of his life have actually changed.Can they see beyond the pain of the past and into a new future together?This short story originally appeared in Recipes for Romance: A Sweet Valentine's Day Anthology published by And You Press, an imprint of Nicole Frail Books, released in February 2025. This ebook contains small edits and supplemental material from the author.