The Fake Girlfriend Clause

Wedding planner Lottie Vance has built her career on being the reliable, neutral professional every bride can trust. Venue owner Graham Calder has built his entire personality around being difficult enough that nobody questions why he's still single three years after his fiancée left him at the altar - in his own backyard, in front of two hundred guests. When a magazine journalist catches Graham off guard and he panics his way into claiming he's found love again, he needs a girlfriend fast - believable, available, and willing to fake it for exactly as long as the article requires.
Lottie's the obvious choice. She already knows the venue, she already knows how to perform calm under pressure, and she desperately needs the exclusive events contract he's offering in exchange. Eight days of pretend should be simple. Instead, a journalist's early arrival, his ex-fiancée's unexpected lunch invitation, and one too many real moments disguised as performance start blurring a line neither of them wrote into the rules.
By the time the magazine piece goes viral, neither Lottie nor Graham is entirely sure anymore where the act ends and the actual relationship begins. A witty, heartwarming clean romance about fake dating, grumpy/sunshine chemistry, and falling for someone while you're both still pretending you haven't - perfect for fans of banter-heavy rom-coms, forced proximity, and love stories that sneak up on you.