Goodreads

Release date: April 27, 2021

Publisher: Harlequin Special Edition

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

A long, hot summer with her secret crush…

What could possibly go wrong?

Nissa Lang knows Desmond Stilling is out of her league. He’s a CEO, she’s a teacher. He’s gorgeous, she’s…not. So when her house-sitting gig falls through and Desmond offers her a place to stay for the summer, she vows not to reveal how she’s felt about him since their first—and only—kiss.

Desmond should’ve known better than to bring temptation into his house. He decided long ago that his best friend’s sister was too sweet, too good, for him. She deserves a guy who can give his heart. For her sake, he’s stayed away. But as her laughter breathes life into his lonely mansion, he’s not sure how long he’ll be able to resist.

I’m so excited to be participating in an excerpt tour for Susan Mallery’s latest today! If you want to follow along, here’s the schedule.

Excerpt:

Shane glanced around at the bare side tables and nearly empty floating shelves.

“You were robbed.”

She sipped her coffee before smiling at him. “You know how I am. I have stuff everywhere. No one wants to live with that. So I put it all away. It’s very clean looking, don’t you think?”

“I don’t know. It makes me feel as if you’ve been taken over by aliens.” He nodded at the small hutch in the dining alcove. “We’re just wrapping up the china?”

She nodded. “It’s a full set for twelve. I don’t want anything to get broken. I made space in my storage unit, so we can take the boxes down there.”

“Sounds like a plan. You’re moving in with Desmond after that?”

“This afternoon.” She wanted to protest that she wasn’t moving in with him—not in the traditional sense. But saying that would cause her brother to start asking questions and there was no way she wanted to explain about her crush-slash-fluttery stomach.

“So what’s with the new girlfriend?” she asked, hoping to distract him. “Who is she and what makes her ‘the one’?” She made air quotes with her free hand.

“Her name is Coreen and she’s an ER pediatrician.”

“A doctor,” she teased. “Mom and Dad will be so proud.”

He grinned. “I know. I’m the favorite for a reason, kid.”

“Oh, please. They so love me more.”

The joking was familiar. Shane might be more brilliant but she was no less adored by her parents. They hadn’t had a lot of money for fancy things when she’d been growing up but there had been plenty of attention and affection.

“You didn’t answer my question,” she pointed out as she picked up her breakfast sandwich. “Why is she special?”

“I don’t know. She’s smart and pretty and I like her a lot.” He took a bite of his sandwich. “There’s something about her. We’ll see how it goes. I’m optimistic and I don’t want to mess up anything.”