With her dive bar bathroom hook-ups and her aversion to any relationship that lasts longer than the three sentences she shares with the pizza delivery guy, Lottie Wilde is a hot-mess-express in every aspect of her life except one. Her journey to buy and revamp the old diner that practically raised her is the light at the end of the bad side gig tunnel. Finally working a job where she doesn’t have to pretend her boss doesn’t smell like old bowling shoes, she only needs three more months and one bonus check to see her dreams to reality.

That is, until a night out to forget her stress ends with an explosive disaster and threatens to ruin the shot she has at impressing the new to town CFO, Noah Graves. To her surprise, her too hot for his own good boss takes a chance on her tattooed and sharp tongued self—even going as far as to invite her on a business trip to save face with one of their suppliers who might be getting cold feet.

After their chaotic beginning (and despite her clear attraction) Lottie is determined to earn the bonus she deserves and vows to keep things strictly professional. But when their host’s misunderstanding pushes Noah and Lottie into faking their way through a relationship, the lines are blurred and Lottie finds there might be something real under all the pretend—and worse, she might like it.