English professor Gavin Dozier hasn’t had much luck when it comes to love. When his last boyfriend cheated on him, he was driven to experiment with women. Sex with Marian, though, had its own dangers, and before he knew it, he was a father. Now estranged, the only thing Gavin and Marian have in common is their daughter Evie, a precocious seven-year-old who stays with Gavin every other weekend. While out with her daddy, Evie meets the heavily-tattooed Brody Phelps, a sketch artist with serious talent who still dresses like a brooding punk rocker, even though he’s in his thirties. Brody is instantly attracted to the sexy college professor, but knows Gavin is out of his league -- the man has a kid, which probably means he isn’t gay, and besides, Brody never even graduated from high school. Guys like Gavin don’t go for guys like him. But when Evie leaves Gavin’s cell phone behind, Brody has the perfect excuse to meet up with them again. To his surprise they hit it off, and when he asks Gavin out, the professor accepts. Even though Evie brought them together, will her demanding personality pull them apart? Is Gavin ready to trust his heart to someone else again? Can Brody overcome his own fears of inadequacy and let Gavin in? And what will Marian have to say when the father of her child starts dating again?

Never Met a Stranger

If anyone ever finds out I drew those damn Angry Birds, there goes my street cred,he thinks, bemused.


He leaves the iPhone where it rests and returns to his soup, which is cold now but still tasty. He savors every last spoonful, trying to ignore the fact that, every few sips, he glances out the window as if he expects to see Evie’s father returning for the phone. When the bowl is empty, he takes his time packing away his sketchbook and pencils, waiting.


Finally Brody has to admit it—the guy isn’t coming back. They were going to the movies, he’d said, and Brody can only imagine how unmanageable Evie would be if she missed the film. The guy probably doesn’t even realize the iPhone was left behind. Most likely he assumes Evie still has it, if he even knew she’d taken it in the first place.


Chapter 14