Andi Barnes is a bit of an anarchist. As a high school art teacher, there’s a thin line between bad influence and role model—and she walks that tightrope with grace… usually. Almost losing her job after refusing to implement AI into her lesson plan, she’s determined to show her principal and school district why human art and connection are so important. Maybe the anti-AI interruption she inspired at the last school assembly was taking it too far, but her heart was in the right place. When the school board decides to put on a district-wide competition to see which school’s fall festival raises the most money, it’s Andi’s chance to prove that she deserves to keep her job. And when it’s announced that the winner will decide what elective the money will be donated to—robotics, arts, sports, language classes—it’s just all that much more important to win. Carter Dunham never meant to become the school’s prize-winning swim coach. In fact, he only ever wanted to teach shop class. But after the woodworking program at the local community college lost funding two years ago, teaching middle school became his only option. Hired to teach shop and reluctantly coach the boys’ swim team on the side, Carter never expected to fall in love with the sport—or the students depending on him. When the team can’t afford to fly out to regionals, they beg him to turn their school grounds into the fall fest of their dreams. He’s a woodworker after all, how hard could it possibly be? When Andi and Carter unexpectedly meet at the local craft store while fighting over the last spool of orange ribbon, they realize they might be better off joining forces. Where Andi has vision, Carter has craft. Together, they begin to transform the entire town square into an autumn wonderland filled with glowing jack-o’-lanterns, lantern-lit pathways, hand-painted signs, a hay maze, and cider-drenched nights that slowly start to feel like something more. But with only one elective program able to claim the funding, Andi and Carter will have to decide what—and who—is worth fighting for.
