Lake

Nathaniel, the HOA manager of Bluedragon Springs, has just hired private investigators Alissa Sterling and Matthew Rain to figure out who has been leaving disgusting surprises on the porches of the community's lakeside luxury homes. Gifts like a dead possum in a doll dress, fish oil on a front door, and tar all over prizeworthy pansies have homeowners fuming and demanding answers.

Nathaniel instructs Matthew and Alissa to go undercover as husband and wife while living in one of the fancy homes on the shore of Bluedragon Lake. Alissa has had a crush on Matthew since she met him. She is both thrown and thrilled by this situation.

Their furry coworker, a smart, friendly dog named Sydney, isn't happy about the "no throwing balls in the house" rule, but he is glad to be included on the venture and raring to get to work on the case. He gets several chapters of his own to tell his side of the story.

The undercover case presents challenges they've never faced before, like having to come up with fake careers and a relationship backstory. Living in the same house as Matthew causes Alissa's feelings for him to deepen. Small clues suggest he might share those feelings, but both of them are too scared to act on them for the sake of their investigative partnership.

Can they make it through this unscathed, or will the pressure of living a lie cause their relationship to implode? Furthermore, will Sterling Rain Private Investigations be able to endure such a test?