Julia Rose Delane

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If only things were simpler

**A chance encounter. A dream job. A relationship that was never meant to happen.**



Emma Carter is finally within reach of the life she has spent years working toward. The night before the biggest interview of her life, a stranger steps in to pay for a pair of shoes after her card is declined. She assumes she'll never see him again.



She is wrong.



Emma lands a position at one of Manhattan's most respected marketing agencies, where she throws herself into her work and the agency's biggest campaign for luxury beauty brand LUMIVÉR. Then she discovers the man from the shoe store is Daniel Whitmore, one of the agency's founding partners.



Her boss.



Determined to protect the career she has worked so hard to build, Emma agrees to keep their relationship hidden. But balancing a demanding career with a secret romance proves harder than either of them expected. As office gossip grows, Daniel's family responsibilities begin to take their toll, and the campaign reaches its most critical stage, Emma finds herself questioning whether love should ask her to remain in the shadows.



When an unexpected tragedy changes everything, Emma and Daniel must decide whether the future they want is worth the risks of finally living it in the open.



*If Only Things Were Simpler* is the first novel in **The If Only Series**—an interconnected contemporary romance set in New York City about ambition, friendship, family, and the complicated journey of building a life.