Being a single mom was hard, but celebrating our first Christmas without my girl’s father, in the Christmas-obsessed town of Sugarplum Falls, was even harder. I knew they needed me to be there with them, but I was sinking quickly, barely keeping my head above water. That was, until a handsome man came into the salon I worked at, needing my help.

When my boyfriend asked me to go on a weekend getaway to his family’s cabin, I pictured evenings cuddled on the couch by the fireplace and candlelit dinners. Time for us to reconnect, and if I was picking up on all of his mixed signals, maybe he was going to propose.

It was supposed to be an escape from the stress back home. A Christmas spent by myself, snowed in somewhere in the middle of nowhere. What I got instead was an unexpected roommate and a chance at my dream job. It should have been easy to keep my distance and focus on the task at hand, but when it came to Luke, nothing was easy. His charm and sexy smile had me wanting to unwrap him as my gift under the tree. Which is why I couldn’t say no when he asked for my help with his sister’s last-minute wedding. The catch- I had to pretend to be his girlfriend AND a caterer.

All I needed was a date. One measly date to go with me to my company’s Christmas party to show my ex—and current boss—that I was over him and had moved on. It wasn’t like they had to love me—heck, they didn’t even have to like me. They just had to show up. When I got stood up on ANOTHER blind date, I was starting to panic until a gorgeous stranger swooped in and pretended to be my boyfriend. Luckily for me, my ex and his new girlfriend just happened to be there to see it.

Becca Habar is determined to get her dream job: managing a bookstore in Benning Falls, Vermont. The only things standing in her way? A bumpy train, no place to stay, and a bookish, kind, broad-shouldered stranger who is determined to get the job first.