A Royal Menace

Royal Manning is a menace. The bane of my existence. The fun-loving teacher next door whose juvenile antics disrupt my class on a daily basis. God, I hate him. So much.

Why can't he be more like Emmett? The sweet, charming mystery man who texted me on the anniversary of his fiancée's tragic accident, not realizing her old number had been reassigned to me. We strike up a friendship, agreeing to refrain from divulging any personal information. Emmett isn't his real name, nor is mine Elle. Being anonymous works for both of us, and soon we're texting almost daily.

Meanwhile, Royal remains his usual obnoxious self...until he doesn't. A mix-up at the hotel during a teachers' convention leaves me stranded without a room, and Royal steps in, offering to share his room with me.

Calm down, and get your mind out of the gutter. There are two beds. Royal and I are not happening. Ever. Not even if hell froze over.

The weekend flows with surprising smoothness despite a couple of drunken escapades by yours truly, and I'm seeing Royal in a whole new light. I even ask for his help with making my class more fun for my students.

Hate turns to grudging respect turns to friendship turns to Oh, my God, I think I like Royal Manning panic. With the help of my friends, I decide to shoot my shot, and I'm not disappointed. We don't teach chemistry to our fourth grade students, but if we did...

But then, Royal starts acting very weird, making me think he's lying about something. Something big.

And if he is, this thing between us might be over before it even really gets started.

*Content Advisory: This book, while a romantic comedy that's mostly lighthearted, does mention the loss of a loved one and the grief associated with the loss.