The Plus-One Protocol

Graham holds the hand. He charms the parents. He never falls in love. Graham is the proprietor of The Plus-One Protocol, a boutique service providing platonic, perfect partners for high-stress family events. He has a psychology degree, a closet full of tuxedos, and an ironclad liability waiver that forbids romance. He is a blank slate, able to become whatever overbearing parents want to see. Enter Cordelia "Delia" Vance. The black sheep of a construction dynasty, Delia needs her trust fund to launch her dream: a high-end tattoo studio. But her traditional father won't release a cent until she proves she's "settled down." She hires Graham to play the role of "Julian," a rugged, successful contractor. It was supposed to be a simple dinner. But Delia's family falls so hard for the fake Julian that they invite him on their inescapable two-week Mediterranean cruise. Trapped on a ship with a suspicious ex-boyfriend, a father who wants to merge his real company with Graham's fake one, and a client who is running out of money to pay him, Graham is in deep water. But the real danger isn't the fraud; it's the moment they get lost in a chaotic foreign market. When Graham's smooth facade cracks to reveal the anxious man beneath, and Delia looks at his unmarked skin like a canvas waiting for art, the only thing harder than maintaining the lie is resisting the truth.