Not For You

Andraya Manwaring lives in Casarina, an island of lush landscape, surrounded by the sparkling Mediterranean Sea. She was drawn here after she graduated college, and was thrilled to be able to teach in the Marcello Schools, a renowned, innovative educational system. She anticipates a good year again, and getting to know the new staff, particularly the agricultural faculty’s Ben Moretti. She’s drawn to him, too.

Ben has lost everything he cared about. His family farm, which fell victim to drought, his way of life and a wife who abandoned him and his kids years ago. Now, he lives in the city, where he will teach agriculture and try to help his rebellious daughter adjust. So what if he’s attracted to the lovely Andraya Manwaring, who even shows interest in him? He has nothing to offer her but a lot of problems, and he won’t drag her down into his dysfunctional life.

But both circumstances and an undeniable attraction throw them together and he sees what a beautiful person Andraya is inside as well as outside. He gets close to her as they work together on integrating journals into his classes. Mistakenly, he spends time with her outside of school.

Andraya comes to really care about Ben. She’s also particularly interested in his twins. His son is a doll, but his daughter Meli has a big chip on her shoulder. Eventually, though, her tenacity in showing Meli she truly wants to help her, brings his daughter close too. They have fun together, spend time with each other’s family, and everybody’s happy.

This leads to Ben and Andraya falling in love. But when Meli learns of their relationship, all hell breaks loose. Ben and Andraya must end their relationship to save Meli. Her father, former President of the U.S. steps in and tries to help.

Can Meli ever believe Andraya’s interest in her wasn’t just to get to her father? They both lied for so long.

The outlook for their relationship is grim if his daughter doesn’t see the truth. If they could convince her of their honesty, they could be one happy family.