CARTER Twenty years working oil rigs and I’m done. I’ve made enough money to cash out and what better way to settle into the idea of eternal, well-off bachelorhood than by joining my best friend Greg in Vermont for some skiing? His daughter Serena’s coming too, she finished college last summer, so it’s a time to celebrate freedoms. Little do I know, it’s also Greg who’s trying to set me up with a complete stranger on the same holiday. A romance I know I don’t care for, even want to think about once I see Serena again. My Serena. It’s something I can’t deny, I have to claim her as my own, I will claim her. Regardless of the consequences. SERENA What would an older guy like Carter Everett ever see in a younger girl like me? He could have any woman he wants, the man’s a freaking god. But dad seems determined to matchmake him, my Carter with some bimbo Barbie doll from a dating app. Oh, did I mention I’ve had a wet patch for Carter since I learned what it means for a young woman to crave a man? A real man. I have the photo to prove it, the only thing that got me through college. But worse than knowing dad’s trying to set up my biggest crush, is thinking if I don’t go on this trip I’m might never see Carter again. It’s a fool’s hope, but it’s all I have. And I’m willing to risk it. Even if it’s only to see Carter Everett in the flesh one more time. *Matchmaker Backfire is an insta-everything standalone instalove romance with a HEA, no cheating, and no cliffhanger.