Not How I Saw That Going

Lyndi: Eating carbs and forgetting to fold the laundry aren’t my only talents. I’m also proficient at speaking without thinking. Which is how I ended up confessing my love to a stranger at the grocery store. The same stranger who also happens to be a firefighter—a very grumpy one—for the exact fire station I owe a debt to. I didn’t mean to embarrass the man, and I certainly didn’t mean to make him famous. That was a happy coincidence. He could use some humor in his life. But when I decided to be my own queen and take back my...

Lyndi: Eating carbs and forgetting to fold the laundry aren’t my only talents. I’m also proficient at speaking without thinking. Which is how I ended up confessing my love to a stranger at the grocery store. The same stranger who also happens to be a firefighter—a very grumpy one—for the exact fire station I owe a debt to. I didn’t mean to embarrass the man, and I certainly didn’t mean to make him famous. That was a happy coincidence. He could use some humor in his life. But when I decided to be my own queen and take back my life, I didn’t expect fake dating the grump to be a part of it. Fake boyfriends aren’t supposed to come with real feelings. Moving on is harder than I thought.

Ward: Rescuing a little boy at the grocery store was just a normal day for me. Except usually I’m in gear and getting paid to do so. Noticing his mom was not part of the norm. I saw stuff in the war no one wants to see. The kind of stuff you don’t bring up on a first date. Which is why I haven’t. Dated, I mean. I’ve made it clear that I want to be left alone, but it doesn’t stop my mom from setting me up with women I have no interest in. I’m certainly not interested in Lyndi. She’s a single mom, whose carelessness made me famous. Okay, so I can’t blame that all on her—as much as I’d like to. But she’s there when I need her, and apparently, I need a fake girlfriend. My best friend insists my heart died in the war, then why does it beat so fast when Lyndi is around?