When romance author Lila Harper lands in Hawaii for a weeklong writers’ conference, all she wants is sunshine, quiet, and maybe a few umbrella drinks. What she doesn’t want? Evan Cross — bestselling thriller author, professional ego in board shorts, and the man she once swore she’d never share a stage (or time zone) with again.
But fate, or perhaps the universe’s twisted sense of humor, keeps throwing them together — at the café, the bonfire, even a sandcastle contest that turns suspiciously competitive. Between sharp banter and stolen glances, the line between rivalry and something much hotter starts to blur.
Under the Hawaiian sun, grudges melt, sparks fly, and two writers discover that sometimes the best stories are the ones you never meant to write.
This Story took Third Place in the Steamy Romance Award Contest at the 2025 OCW (Ozarks Creative Writers) Conference.
Lynn Combs 
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