One spilled coffee. Two weeks of blackmail. A love story neither of them saw coming.
Mia Chen's morning goes from bad to catastrophic when she accidentally dumps a scalding latte all over her most intimidating customer. Ethan Monroe-gorgeous, grumpy, and apparently very wealthy-is not amused. Instead of accepting her apology, he makes her an offer she can't refuse: two weeks of free coffee, or he'll post a scathing one-star review that could ruin her struggling café.
Ethan Monroe has enough problems. His father just died, leaving him a failing company and impossible expectations. The last thing he needs is a sunny, chatty barista who won't stop trying to make him smile. But there's something about Mia's relentless optimism that makes his carefully controlled world feel a little less suffocating.
What starts as blackmail becomes routine. Routine becomes friendship. And friendship becomes something neither of them planned for-something real, terrifying, and absolutely worth fighting for.
But when Mia's café faces foreclosure and Ethan is forced to make devastating layoffs, they'll both have to decide: do they face their crises alone, or trust each other enough to weather the storm together?
Perfect for fans of:
- Grumpy/sunshine romance
- Forced proximity that leads to love
- Coffee shop meets corporate world
- Fast-burn romance with emotional depth
- Characters who heal each other
A standalone contemporary romance novella with guaranteed HEA and no cliffhangers.
