Samuel Cooke knows most women wouldnt give him a second glance even if he were the last man on earth. Hes the cripple with crutches, the nerdy computer genius every female past puberty feels compelled to mother. So when he leaves his lucrative career to teach programming to high schoolers, romance definitely isnt on his radar. Perhaps thats why Greta Cassamajor catches him off guard. The sarcastic gym coach with zero sense of humor is no beautynot even on the inside. But an inexplicably kind act toward Samuel makes him realize she is interesting. Samuel is certain she wont accept his invitation to dinnerso when she does, hes out of his depth. All he knows is that hell do whatever it takes to keep her as long as he can. Pretending hes got his class under control? Easy. Being vulnerable enough to admit why he ditched his programming career for teaching? Um, no. That would require honesty. And if theres one thing Samuel cant exist without, its the lies he tells himself. In this poignant, witty debut, Ramsey Hootman upends traditional romance tropes to weave a charming tale of perseverance, trust, and slightly conditional love.