The Rookie Next Door

A Sweet Sports RomCom

By: Sloane Everly

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

One fake date. One real heart. One town that won’t let either of them hide.

Lucy Freedman has a five-year plan, a cozy routine, and absolutely zero interest in complications. As Hampton Springs’s most reliable elementary school teacher, she keeps her world orderly, her heart protected, and her weekends free from anything resembling risk.

Then Brad Whittaker moves in next door.

He’s a minor league pitcher for the Hampton Springs Mavericks—shy, sweet, and completely unprepared for the way Lucy rattles him. When he wins his first two games with her in the stands, the team decides she’s his good luck charm, and suddenly the whole town is watching.

Brad’s solution: fake dating. Just long enough to keep the gossip manageable and Lucy’s name out of the papers. Simple, temporary, totally controlled.

Except staged kisses have a way of feeling real. Texts about nothing become the best part of both their days. And somewhere between baseball games and back-porch evenings, the carefully drawn line between pretend and honest-to-goodness love disappears entirely.

Lucy has spent her whole life choosing safety. Brad has spent his wondering if he deserves to stay.

In a small town where everyone’s rooting for them—and Lila Navarro is quietly keeping score—the only play left is the one neither of them practiced: telling the truth.

A sweet, dual-POV romance with slow-burn heat, small-town charm, and a cinnamon-roll hero who absolutely does not know he’s irresistible. Perfect for readers who love Emily Henry, Christina Lauren, and Mariana Zapata.