Samuel Cooke knows most women wouldnтАЩt give him a second glance even if he were the last man on earth. HeтАЩs the cripple with crutches, the nerdy computer genius every female past puberty feels compelled to mother. So when he leaves his lucrative career to teach programming to high schoolers, romance definitely isnтАЩt on his radar.
Perhaps thatтАЩs why Greta Cassamajor catches him off guard. The sarcastic gym coach with zero sense of humor is no beautyтАФnot even on the inside. But an inexplicably kind act toward Samuel makes him realize she is interesting.
Samuel is certain she wonтАЩt accept his invitation to dinnerтАФso when she does, heтАЩs out of his depth. All he knows is that heтАЩll do whatever it takes to keep her as long as he can. Pretending heтАЩs got his class under control? Easy. Being vulnerable enough to admit why he ditched his programming career for teaching? Um, no. That would require honesty. And if thereтАЩs one thing Samuel canтАЩt exist without, itтАЩs the lies he tells himself.
In this poignant, witty debut, Ramsey Hootman upends traditional romance tropes to weave a charming tale of perseverance, trust, and slightly conditional love.