The Buy-In (Graham Brothers #1)(117)

Being an accountant, Dale is slightly obsessed with being fiscally responsible. Which has meant putting off even discussing the next step in our relationship again and again. I tried telling him once I’d happily live on ramen, and he looked so horrified, I didn’t bring it up again.

“What is an almost fiancé?” James scoffs.

“He’s not—whatever.” I wave my fork. “He’s my boyfriend. It’s serious.”

“That guy? The boring, buttoned-up one you just took out with one little hit?”

It’s the little hit comment that does it. I’m really not a violent person. I mean, not unless a situation calls for it. Even when I played derby, I was a jammer—more about speed and agility than big hits and blocking. Still, I know how to hit, and no one expects it coming from little ol’ me. When I stand and launch a hip hit into James’s thigh, I give it all I got.

Which leaves him on the floor exactly where Dale was just moments ago. Instead of getting down to help him, I stand over him, hands on my hips. He clutches his thigh, groaning.

“You gave me a charley horse!”

“You deserve worse.” I lift my chin. “And I regret nothing.”

“I’m your boss,” James groans, giving me an incredulous look.

Dale chooses that moment to come out of the bathroom. He’s glancing down at his phone. When he looks up and sees me standing over James, Dale drops the phone and it goes clattering across the floor.

I give James one last, withering look. “You’re not my boss until tomorrow.”

With that, I step over James’s prone body to collect my boyfriend.

I have a feeling I’m really, REALLY going to regret my new job.





Don’t miss The Bluff, Winnie’s and James’s story! Grab it HERE!





A Note From Emma





I joked with someone that I needed to get a T-shirt after finishing this book saying, “I finished writing The Buy-In!” I have been wanting to write this book since I wrote Falling for Your Best Friend (Harper’s story), and yet, when I started … it just took forever. Some books do. I’m so happy with how this one turned out, but also SO GLAD to have it done.

I LOVE the Graham family. Tank, James, Collin, and Pat just came alive to me when I wrote Falling for Your Best Friend. I’ve been WAITING to write their story. I can’t wait to get to each book!

You might also get some other Sheeters’ stories in this series. When I started planning this series, I had a pretty strict idea of where it would go, but even in this book, I was surprised by some things—and that is how I like it. My BEST writing often comes with the things I don’t expect and plan. So, buckle up, buttercups! We’ll see where this ride takes us.

One other character I’ve been planning for a LONG time: Chevy. I held an Instagram giveaway last year where the winners could choose a character name in the book. A Brooke and Her Book won and wanted to use her brother’s name. Her brother, Chevy, passed away in an accident ten years ago. I felt like Chevy needed to be a BIG part of a story to honor his memory. He’s one of my favorite side characters in this book, and I love his bromance with Pat.

A quick note about the situation with Jo—holy moly, legal situations are a hot mess to write. It’s incredibly convoluted. Laws vary by state, and there are so many contingencies and factors that may weigh in. After talking to lawyers, researching, and speaking with moms who have been through custody situations and hearings, I did my best to write a realistic situation that worked for the story. A big thanks to Lorie for talking to me about your family story! So glad we’re neighbors.

I really want to create books with depth, quirky characters, witty banter, and some over-the-top humor. That’s what I want to bring. As I was editing, I felt like I needed one more funny scene. I originally thought this book would be like Money Pit, but thinking about it being Lindy’s childhood home and about safety, I just couldn’t make the bathtub fall through the floor or the oven explode.

I told my husband, Rob, I needed a funny grill incident. He said: squirrels. And off we went. (I love the flaming squirrels. So much.) While these humorous scenes may seem TOTALLY ridiculous (and they are), the squirrel part had real-life inspiration.

My friend, Eric, unknowingly had a squirrel build a nest in his car engine. When they opened the hood to see why it wouldn’t run, a squirrel leaped out onto the mechanic. And Rob’s friend Thomas had a squirrel get electrocuted in a transformer, jump (while flaming) into Thomas’s shed, and burn the whole shed down.

So, yeah, my stories sometimes have wild humor … but it’s not THAT far off from real life.

The name Lindy comes from Bookstagrammer @ReadingLindy, who has been so supportive and happened to message me the day I needed a name. Ashlee’s name comes from @bookswithnopictures, a fellow friend in snark and great supporter. You just never know when you might have a character named after you …

Thanks so much for waiting so long for this story! I’ve got more books to come in this series, and I can’t wait to give you more of Sheet Cake and the Grahams.





Emma St. Clair is a USA Today bestselling author of over twenty books. She loves sweet love stories and characters with a lot of sass. Her stories range from rom-com to women’s fiction and all will have humor, heart, and nothing that’s going to make you need to hide your Kindle from the kids. ;)