First Kiss #21

When a young woman meets her cousin's handsome visitor Ted at a party, she's charmed—until she learns he's a truck driver, not the professional she'd imagined. Hurt by her coldness, Ted walks away, leaving her wrestling with shame and confusion. With her mother's gentle wisdom, she realizes what truly matters and gets a chance to make things right.

When Mr. Potts closes his dry cleaning shop after forty years, Sally loses her only connection to Johnny Tiel, the singer she's quietly admired from afar—until he rushes in on closing day needing his shirt pressed for a performance that very evening. Taking a chance she never expected, Sally delivers his shirt herself and finds herself invited to his show and supper afterward, discovering that the charming performer values her honest, unpretentious nature far more than the glamorous women usually in his world.

A girl has carried a torch for Rod Myers for years, but his shyness keeps him at arm's length—until she discovers he's passionate about ichthyology and decides to meet him on his own ground. When she corners him at a party with newfound knowledge about fish, Rod finally sees her as more than just another girl, and he offers to teach her everything he knows. Sometimes the key to capturing someone's heart is showing genuine interest in what captures theirs.

A young woman who has grieved deeply over the loss of her father finds unexpected comfort in an older family friend, and as her heart begins to heal, she discovers herself falling in love with him—convinced his attentions mean he returns her feelings. When he returns from a brief absence, she's ready to confess what her heart has revealed, only to face a moment that will test everything she thought she understood.