"Better with You" by Rachel John

Shaun Randall, six feet four and with bright red hair, is a young man with no interest in settling down. He keeps relationships with girls superficial, but he can find a way to talk to just about any girl. Just don’t get too close. He’s at dinner by himself, when he sees a couple obviously having a bad date. They guy is watching sports games on television, while the girl is saying nothing and only fiddling with the straw in her drink.

He rides to the rescue, posing as the girl’s cousin, and then waits with her outside while her sister comes to pick her up. The girl is Paige Parker, talked into a bad date by her mother. Paige is one self-sufficient young woman, staging homes for sale, flipping houses herself, and determined to be a success. She’s also lonely, but she keeps shoving her feelings to the back of her emotional closet. She has work to do and worlds to conquer.

Rachel John

While they wait for her ride to show up, they get along so well that Paige impulsively kisses him before dashing to her sister’s car. It looks like this relationship has ended before it began, but Shaun and Paige keep running into each other, and then find themselves competing for the same house. Shaun helps her move furniture from a house she sold. At some point, the lives of Shaun and Paige will converge – but will it be a clash or, perhaps, something else?

Better with You by Rachel John is the second novel in the “A Change of Plans” series by writer Rachel John. It’s also one of 12 romance novels written by the author, along with two quiz books, a children’s book of bedtime stories, and an audio romance book. John lives with her family in Arizona. 

The story keeps the reader guessing, although we know it won’t end badly. But we don’t know how it will end, and whether Shaun will overcome the baggage from his childhood and whether Paige will understand that life isn’t all about work. But there's always hope.