In the picturesque town of Cardwick, two best friends find themselves on a writing journey where they must confront their feelings despite their high school pact to protect their friendship.
Corporate newsletter writer Penny Persad is comfortable. She’s made a name for herself as a reliable newsletter writer, and she can secretly write her beloved novels safe and sound under a pen name—all while still helping her best friend, Harley, at his bookstore. Now she just needs to tell Harley she’s in love with him. There’s just one problem: They made a pact to protect their friendship after an infamous spin-the-bottle kiss in high school.
After his father passes away, Harland Agostini takes over the family bookstore. But it has been a challenge to keep it going. When a leaky roof reveals that the store needs to be re-piped, Harley questions whether he can keep things afloat. Plus, he’s dealing with a mom still mourning the loss of his father and trying to suppress hidden feelings for his best friend.
Penny saves the day by devising a wild plan. She proposes that she and Harley write a romance novel together under her current pen name. Her marketing plan? They create a fake relationship to go along with the romance novel, including dates to act out their scenes and document their relationship for their growing audience. No one ever has to know it’s them. To the public, they become a walking love story. As they write and pretend to be a couple, the quiet truth between them becomes harder to ignore. When things don’t go according to plan, though, Penny and Harley face a new challenge. Is what they’ve been feeling real enough to finally make things official?
