A divorce lawyer with a romantic spirit. A cynical television executive who thinks commitment is for fools. They can’t fight their attraction, or their affection. Can they find a way to reconcile their vastly different needs, or will each walk away from the best thing they’ve ever had? Jordan might be a divorce lawyer, but he’s a hopeless romantic. He doesn’t see the two as incompatible, either. He’s never had a relationship last long enough to be with someone on Valentine’s Day, but he’s still hopeful he’ll find the one out there somewhere. Sam is an executive vice president at a major television network. He spends his days managing programming, much of it centered around romance, and he knows exactly how fake television romances are. His own background of rejection only cements his views on the fleeting nature of affection. They meet by chance, when Sam’s sister and best friend file for divorce. The divorce is messy, and Sam and Jordan are thrown together often enough to try to make a relationship work. When the winter holidays roll around, the difference in their expectations comes to the fore. Can Sam overcome his fear of commitment ... and rejection? Can Jordan get over his need to define their relationship? Or will they both lose the one thing in their lives that makes them happiest?

Paper Hearts

“So,” Sam continued, brightly. “Thanksgiving is next week, and so starts the annual holiday rush. Not that they haven’t had Christmas crap in the stores since August.”


Jordan grinned and took another bite of his dinner. “Yeah, I know. Sometimes it seems a little cheap—is the holiday really all that special when you’ve had Christmas trees up your nose since the All-Star Break? But I keep hoping that means they’ll put Valentine ‘s Day stuff out early, but they always disappoint.” He exaggerated his sigh and shook his head ruefully.


Sam scoffed. “Lord. If they’d just get rid of Valentine’s Day altogether the whole world would be better off. It’s got to be the single fakest holiday, right? I mean how exactly do we get a holiday for fake romance out of an early Christian bishop who almost certainly had no part in any such thing.”


Chapter 17