You have no idea how much I wish I were your weakness, I think. But I don’t say it out loud. I would never. Instead, I chirp, “One vanilla oat-milk latte coming right up.”
Darius gives me a Look and I give him one right back. His says girl. Mine says what do you want me to do about it—tell him?And his replies Yes, yes I do. And I laugh. Because right along with death and taxes, there is one absolute certainty in this world: Price Joseph will never look at me as anything other than the coffee girl who makes a killer vanilla oat-milk latte.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Sitting down to write acknowledgements for the first full novel I’ve published in a 20+ year writing journey is wild, y’all. So the first thanks I’ll give is to you, the reader. Thank you for giving this book your precious time. I hope it brought you as much joy reading it as I had writing it.
Thank you to my husband. Your unwavering support and belief in me has been the foundation I’ve built this dream on. You make all of it possible. Thank you for holding down the fort while I spend countless hours at the laptop and coffee shops. Maybe one day you’ll read my books, and maybe you won’t, but I always know you have my back. You’re my happily ever after. I love you. #TeamVforlife
To my kids: you won’t read my books—ever. But maybe you’ll see this. The light and joy you bring to my life is limitless, as is my love for you. Thank you for your support, even when you didn’t fully grasp the dream I was chasing.
Thank you to my family. From Tennessee to South Carolina, from the Bronx to Florida, you have cheered me on every step of the way. Not every romance writer has the luxury of their family’s support, and having yours means the world to me.
Thank you to the Queenies, most especially my agent, Tracy Crow, who championed my writing way back when we were fellow grad students. Thank you to my early teachers, notably Pinckney Benedict, whose “dreaded letter” exercise probably still terrifies students and changes their lives simultaneously like it did for me, and to Elizabeth Strout, whose gentle guidance and quiet brilliance put this baby writer at ease and made her believe she could do it. Thanks to Fred Leebron, who personally called to admit me to the program way back in 2003. Pretty sure romance writing was the last thing on anyone’s list when I matriculated, but I guess that final class I taught on “How to Write a Sex Scene” should have been a clue. Thank you to Jeff Hess, the first one to put me in print. Thank you to Erin McReynolds, Kevin Jones, Melanie DeCarolis, and so many others. My years with you, both in school and outside of it, have shaped me in countless ways.
There was a moment when I wrote books for kids. They might eventually see the light of day, but until then, I have these amazing humans to thank for all they taught me about writing for children (who are, for the record, the hardest audience on the planet for whom to write): Ashley Martin for plucking me out of the PitchWars submission pile, Claudia Pearson, Randi Pink, Kaitlin Hundscheid, Tay Berryhill, Cathy Hall, Jo Kittinger, Sharon Pegram, and many, many others in SCBWI Southern Breeze. When I told you I was switching to romance, every one of you smiled and said, “That makes sense.”
PitchWars Class of 2017! I came in as a Middle Grade writer and took a left turn into romance, and you’ve cheered me on the whole way.
To Kat Saturday, Alicia Wilder, and Ivy Fairbanks: the best critique partners a writer could ask for. Your insights and friendship are precious to me. All the Doritos for you!
Thank you to Danika Bloom and the Author Ever After community for holding me accountable and cheering me on.
Finally, thank you to this book’s muses: Ashley and her husband. Thank you for letting me take parts of your life and turn them into a story. You got your HEA, and so did Devon and Aaron!
xo,
Valerie
ALSO BY VALERIE PEPPER
Guided to Love Series
The Mechanic’s Guide to Getting the Boss’s Daughter (series starter novella)
The Widow’s Guide to Second Chances (Book 1)
The Barista’s Guide to The Perfect Steam (Book 2)
The Grump’s Guide to Chaos (Book 3)
Sacred River Series
Love Potion No. 69(Series starter novella, Book 1)
Karaoke Chemistry (Book 2)
Fake Dating Fennec O’Fallon (Book 3, Fall 2024)
Novellas
Naughty All The Way (November 2023) - Part of the Twelve Days of Smutmas limited-time collection
To Have and To Scold in the Holidays & Hook-Ups anthology by The New Romance Cafe (June 2023 - limited edition)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Valerie Pepper is an incurable optimist and a firm believer in the girl getting the guy, or the guy getting the girl, or the girl getting the girl, or the guy getting the guy, or basically any way it needs to happen to make a real-life happily ever after, even if it takes more than one try.
When she’s not writing, you can find her reading, walking, listening to whatever music suits her mood, and hanging out with her family. She’s fascinated with the idea of a capsule wardrobe, but loves clothes and shoes and boots far too much to make a real go of it.
She’s currently living out her own happily ever after in Birmingham, Alabama, with her family and maaaaaybe too many shoes. Learn more at www.authorvaleriepepper.com.
