A single dad and his new employee find distraction in each other. This steamy prequel features a charming bar owner and his adorable 7-year-old, a waitress slash artist and her sweet grandmother, and an unexpected connection that asks the question: is there more to life than just going it alone?

Call me cold, but I don’t have time for charity events. I’d rather just send a check and be done with it, but my assistant has strong opinions on public relations and delights in tormenting me. My plan was to sneak out the side door, but that was before I saw Chelsea Crawford. 

New plan: Do whatever it takes to get her on a date. Even if it means bending the rules, I have to find a way in, because after seeing her face, I know there’s no one else. She is my endgame. I just need her to believe it. 

When I first met her at the bar, she was already taken. 

She was my younger sister’s friend from college who was moving to our small town after graduation. Smart and beautiful, with a smile that made me feel things I’d never felt before, I was hooked instantly. My pulse would race and I found myself eager to make her laugh, to have her brush against me, even if it was only friendly flirtation. Before I knew it, I turned into some schoolboy with puppy love just at the sight of her.
I thought: this feeling won’t last. I shouldn’t be thinking about settling down. She’s just a passing fascination.
Until one night, I kissed her …