The Deal - We Faked the Headlines… Until the Feelings Went Off Script — A College Hockey Romance #947165

Rowan Hale built her reputation on telling the truth, even when people didn’t like it. As an ambitious campus journalist competing for a national fellowship, she knows one exclusive athlete interview could change her career. The problem? The athlete she needs access to is the same hockey star she recently exposed in a headline that shook the campus.
Jace Calder is focused on one goal—making the professional draft. But recent controversies and sponsor pressure threaten his carefully built public image. When advisors suggest a stable public relationship could calm the noise, he proposes a strictly professional arrangement: a short-term fake dating deal that benefits them both. Rowan gains the access she needs for her career. Jace gains the media stability he’s expected to maintain.
The agreement is simple: public appearances together, no personal involvement, and a clear end date.
But real life doesn’t follow written contracts.
As public attention grows and private moments begin to blur the lines they promised not to cross, both Rowan and Jace are forced to confront the same fear they’ve spent years avoiding—trusting someone when everything important is at stake. Career ambitions, public expectations, and their own guarded pasts make walking away easier than staying, yet every shared moment makes the arrangement harder to keep strictly professional.
The Deal is a college hockey romance about ambition, reputation, and what happens when two people who planned to pretend start feeling something real.
If you enjoy fake-dating tension, sports romance chemistry, and emotionally driven slow-burn relationships, this story delivers the perfect balance of public drama and private vulnerability. Get your copy today and discover how one simple agreement can change everything.