Hearts at Play (Merritt Point #2)

A bookstore owner with a plan. A hockey player who refuses to stick to it. And a fake relationship that’s about to get very real.

I’ve built a good life for myself: a romance-only bookstore in Merritt Point that I love, friends who show up for me, and an expansion that’s about to make Salty Romantic something really special.

I’m the girl who holds everything together. And mostly, I’m okay with that.

What I’m not okay with is Jack Murphy. Boston Breakers bad boy. Notorious heartbreaker. And the man my friends won for me at a charity bachelor auction.

He’s got a reputation, a devastating grin, and no concept of personal boundaries. I push back. He keeps showing up anyway.

And when a few photos of us together hit social media, suddenly half of Boston thinks we’re dating.

Then he walks into my shop with a black eye, a split lip, and a proposal: fake date each other until New Year’s. The rumor alone has made my store busier than it’s ever been.

And I blame the glasses—the stupidly attractive glasses he has absolutely no right to pull off—for the rest of my decision-making.

It’s a terrible idea. I make rules. He makes me forget them. And now nothing about this feels fake except the part where I pretend I’m okay. I’ve spent years building a life that feels safe.

I never planned on wanting something that doesn’t.