The Right Move by Liz Tomforde (Paperback)

A newly appointed captain of Chicago’s professional basketball team has built his reputation on discipline, control, and focus. Known for keeping his personal life separate from his career, he rarely allows distractions to interfere with the game. That plan becomes harder to maintain when his sister’s best friend suddenly moves into his apartment.

Their personalities clash from the start. She is expressive, emotional, and far more relaxed about life than he is. Living under the same roof quickly turns into a challenge neither expected, especially as their constant proximity begins to blur personal boundaries.

At the same time, criticism from the team’s management begins to follow his promotion to captain. Branded as distant and unapproachable, he faces pressure to prove he can lead both on and off the court. In an attempt to change that perception, a simple idea forms: a fake relationship with his outgoing roommate might show a different side of him.

For her, the arrangement offers its own advantage. With a major event approaching where her ex-boyfriend will be present, arriving with a well-known athlete as her date seems like the perfect solution.

What begins as a practical agreement soon becomes far more complicated. Pretending to be a couple starts to feel surprisingly natural, and the lines between performance and reality grow harder to define.

As feelings deepen and expectations grow, both must decide whether what they are building together was ever meant to stay pretend.