
It was either crash out in front of my ex, or pretend I’m dating my old high school friend Nick.
But when Nick kisses me?
It sure doesn’t feel like he’s pretending.
June
At eighteen, I left my hometown in pursuit of big Broadway dreams. But with thirty looming, it’s either kiss my dignity goodbye and start booking children’s birthday parties, or head back home to teach at a summer Conservatory program.
Can’t get any worse, can it?
Apparently it can.
Because my jerk of an ex is on the faculty too. And when he introduces me to his new fiancee, it turns out I do have a smidge of dignity left. So I grab Nick, high school friend and fellow faculty member, and declare that we’ve been dating for months.
To my surprise, Nick goes along with it.
What’s more surprising is that he’s not the quiet nerd I remember from high school. Okay, he’s still nerdy, but as an incredible pianist, he’s also very, very good with his hands.
When I accidentally overhear the love song he’s been writing—about me—he confesses the real reason he was so quiet back in school.
But my now very real feelings don’t matter, because my agent calls with an audition for a touring show at the end of the summer. And despite being an actress, I’ll never play the role of the big city girl who moves back home for a boy.
Right?
Sign up for my newsletter!
Copyright © 2026 Iris Eden - All Rights Reserved.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.