Book 2 of the Crushes on the Rideau Series
Coming November 2026
Sophie Navaro is fun and charismatic, but more than a little tired of disappointing dates and relationships that fizzle out. Minutes before a first date she’s not particularly excited about, the visual arts teacher finds herself trapped in a broken elevator at the mall with a complete stranger.
Ethan Martel likes his life quiet and carefully planned. Between his career in government security and raising his five-year-old son, Luke, there isn’t much room for surprises. Getting stuck in a dark elevator with Sophie definitely isn’t on the schedule.
With nowhere to go and time to pass, Sophie and Ethan share some treats from Sophie’s bag and the kind of conversation that just flows when you’re talking to someone you’ll likely never see again.
Except neither of them really wants that.
Then the elevator doors open, the rescue becomes a blur, and they lose sight of each other in the crowd before they even have a chance to say goodbye.
When they find each other again, the connection is still there. So is the attraction. But Sophie is used to jumping into new possibilities with both feet, while Ethan has built his life around predictability, responsibility, and a little boy who comes first.
Finding each other again is a happy accident. Figuring out if they can make it work might be the harder part.
One Sketch at a Time is Book Two in the Crushes on the Rideau series. Each book features a new couple and can be read as a standalone.
Draft cover design by Mary Ann Smith