Ellie is hardly the most sought after girl at Noble High, so she is completely surprised when the boy most likely to become prom king asks her out. Her short-lived glee quickly turns to panic as she admits to herself that she doesn’t know the first thing about dating. After a fair amount of wheedling, she convinces her best friend and hockey star, Alec, totutor her in the ways of love. Only once things start, she finds she knows even less than first suspected. Dating is full of more codes and unspoken rules than she ever imagined. Even more difficult is the effort not to cross lines with Alec. Every lesson brings her closer and closer to the boy next door whom she’s never had a romantic thought about before in her life. Each caress and playful scenario has Ellie wishing more for her best friend’s affection than the boy he’s teaching her to woo.

Alec Horner’s life was never simple. Between dealing with an alcoholic father and worrying about the continuation of his education, he has more than a few concerns. The complications continue to mount when his neighbor and best friend, Ellie Harper, asks him to tutor her in the art of dating. The alternately humorous and frustrating task takes a new turn when Alec starts to realize his feelings for the girl next door suddenly expand beyond that of a mere friend. Coaching her is a torturous delight. He wants her and revels in each moment, yet he knows her efforts are aimed toward the goal of seducing another boy. Can this gruff hockey player convince his sweet and innocent best friend that the two of them might have a future together?