Deja Johnson is the queen of bold opinions, killer campaigns, and fabulous one-liners. As the creative mastermind of her friend group, she keeps every part of her life under control, including her emotions. That control slips when she becomes the last single woman in her book club and the final keeper of the magical journal that has already worked its charms on everyone else. With bridesmaid duties looming, a wedding full of glowing couples, and her mother’s critical voice echoing in her mind, Deja refuses to be anyone’s object of pity. Her solution is simple: fake a date.
 
Rashaad Clairfield seems perfect for the job. He is composed, focused, and entirely uninterested in love, until Langston tells him he needs a wedding date for the sake of the company. Suddenly, he and Deja have the same problem and the same solution. The arrangement is supposed to be easy and temporary, but the chemistry between them refuses to stay in its lane. What begins as a harmless plan turns electric as real feelings slip through the cracks and old insecurities rise to the surface. Soon they must decide if they are willing to risk their pride and their carefully built walls for a chance at the kind of love they never believed in, yet secretly always hoped for.
 
Written by Lauren W. Roach
Cover by Jared Roach for DRMR Creative
Edited by Tylee Hardmaan