The Assignment

The narrator works at a care facility, and her boss hands her an assignment she does not want: spend time with the grandson of one of the residents. The grandson is Troy Serrano, the boy she fought with in high school more than ten years ago. He is also her friend's ex-boyfriend, and she once keyed his car (she says he deserved it).

Troy has grown into a successful and very good-looking man, and he is as irritating as she remembers. The job means four hours a week in his company, with plenty of arguments and a steady supply of advice she never asked for. She tells herself the only upside is the view.

Slowly, the sparring softens. The outings turn into something she looks forward to, and she starts picturing him when she is alone at night, annoyed at herself for wanting someone so wrong for her. A run-in at a bar then releases years of pent-up frustration, and she insists it means nothing.

This is a contemporary romance in the enemies-to-lovers mold, told in the first person with a wry, teasing voice. The tone is playful and full of banter, and the attraction builds gradually before it breaks open. It is a standalone, so no earlier books are needed.