Samuel Cooke knows most women wouldnāt give him a second glance even if he were the last man on earth. Heās the cripple with crutches, the nerdy computer genius every female past puberty feels compelled to mother. So when he leaves his lucrative career to teach programming to high schoolers, romance definitely isnāt on his radar.
Perhaps thatās why Greta Cassamajor catches him off guard. The sarcastic gym coach with zero sense of humor is no beautyānot even on the inside. But an inexplicably kind act toward Samuel makes him realize she is interesting.
Samuel is certain she wonāt accept his invitation to dinnerāso when she does, heās out of his depth. All he knows is that heāll do whatever it takes to keep her as long as he can. Pretending heās got his class under control? Easy. Being vulnerable enough to admit why he ditched his programming career for teaching? Um, no. That would require honesty. And if thereās one thing Samuel canāt exist without, itās the lies he tells himself.
In this poignant, witty debut, Ramsey Hootman upends traditional romance tropes to weave a charming tale of perseverance, trust, and slightly conditional love.