Date the Alphabet

Finished November 14

Date the Alphabet by Laura Langa

This romance is the second book in a series set in Tucson. Here the female main character is a teacher in a private school, Ann Powell. Ann excels as a teacher because she really puts her heart into it. Not only does she work hard for her own students, but she offers free tutoring and donates supplies to teachers in the public system who are underfunded. She doesn't date, and doesn't socialize much. Her younger sister Rene is getting married, for the third time, and when they are discussing wedding details tells Ann that she must bring a plus one, and says that if she starts by working her way through the alphabet (by men's names) and finds true love, her sister will give her $4000 for her charitable work. 

Ann really doesn't want to do this, but agrees for the prize at the end. With the help of a fellow teacher who is a friend, Kennedy, she signs up to a dating app and begins. She finds a lot of duds, as well as some who leave her very unsettled. In a moment of desperation, she asks a student's father if he will attend with her and pretend they have fallen for each other. 

Zane West and his wife Tessa separated after her recovery from cancer, but remained great friends. She is about to move in with her new boyfriend Isaac, while he hasn't even dated yet. They both love their daughter Caroline, and worry about how she has dealt with the trauma of her mother's illness and their separation. They knew things weren't working for a while, but had been hanging together for Caroline. After Tessa's recovery they agreed that they deserved happiness and separated. Caroline is a quiet, but observant kid who loves art and draws a lot. 

Zane had been attracted to Caroline's third grade teacher since he first met her, but held back from any move due to worry about Caroline's feelings and about the ethics of dating his child's teacher. When Ann proposes that he be her fake date for Rene's wedding he agrees, but the events that they attend over the next few weeks have them both feeling the attraction.

I liked the plot, the details of their jobs (Zane is an audiobook narrator), and the touches of humour. There are other things influencing their actions and we come to see how and why they do gradually. A very enjoyable read.