Harper St. James is the type of girl who thrives on the idea of life's simple pleasures: a half-melted ice cream cone on a summer's day, a puppy licking sand from a baby's face, and a gentle wave that crests and breaks on the ocean's shore.

For quite some time, Harper's been harboring a secret crush on Nate Gunderson, fellow Coastal U student and MLB-hopeful. In order to spend more time with him this semester, she finds herself spinning a ridiculous web of lies. Her first step: convincing her sports med professor that she's been dating a football player. After all, if she's romantically involved, it simply wouldn't be right for her to keep an internship with their team.

Unfortunately for Harper, this silly, frantic excuse to switch assignments quickly snowballs into an unstoppable rumor.

Luca Reynolds is the type of guy who prefers to set low expectations, both for himself and others, if only to avoid any inevitable disappointment. His football teammates would describe him as reserved, brooding, and occasionally stand-offish.

The truth? Luca doesn't feel like he belongs.

When an unexpected injury threatens to destroy Luca's long-term plans, he finds himself in need of help from a discreet professional—one who will assess his knee, provide some simple stretches, and assure him that everything's fine. Luckily, there's a scheming student intern that just might owe him a favor or two.

A secret for a secret. A lie for a lie. It's not really blackmail if she's the one who used him first.