Victoria Adams is a fiercely independent owner of the Morning Brew café by day, renowned artist by night, and full-time protector of her adopted sister. She's worked hard to build a life far from the shadows of the parents who said she'd never amount to anything. But just as she's hitting her stride, her estranged mother walks into her café... and right into a steaming mess of mistaken assumptions.

Enter Joshua Roberts, local gym owner and V's old high school flame. Their banter has always been sharp, their chemistry undeniable, but now, her mother is convinced they're a couple. With a tense family dinner looming, a best friend trying to escape an abusive marriage, and a gallery deadline breathing down her neck, V agrees to fake it. But somewhere between pretending and protecting, V starts to wonder: is it possible that love could be more than just another obligation?