Irene Vartanoff

When AJ arrives at the theater in charming New Avalon, Ohio, she’s ready to enjoy the best summer of her life as a super in crowd scenes. Her immediate prickly encounter with scowling Vince is so annoying it takes real acting to do her smiling bits with him in rehearsal. He’s just as grumpy offstage, too. Then her luck gets worse, when the matchmaking theater director throws them together repeatedly outside the theater, including insisting that Vince must show AJ around the small town. The stage is set for conflict.

Tax accountant AJ Werner is upbeat about her life despite the men she has found lacking in the past. Her optimistic attitude is a major contrast with that of local pizza joint owner Vince Vitello, who is all about negativity after the disenchantment of his divorce. When a barbed conversation with Vince ends in a surprisingly hot kiss, AJ’s feelings are turned upside down. From then on, Vince takes advantage of every opportunity for forced proximity. Is Vince seriously pursuing AJ, or merely distracting himself from troubles with his teenage children? Can AJ and Vince forge more than a run-of-the-play relationship? A sweet and funny fresh start romance that’s first in a series!

If you like sweet, closed-door romances about romantic chances with new loves a little bit later in life, then you’ll like this heartwarming and funny story.