The Takeaway by Jamie Bennett

There’s no way that this is going to work.

Because no one would ever believe that Hazel—yes, Hazel Knight, the pianist who’s afraid to play where anyone can hear her—no one would ever believe that this woman is with John Hatcher.
Wait, Hatch? The big-time, oversized, life-of-the-party football player? The guy who may or may not sunbathe naked on the roof, the one who’s like the Pied Piper to fans, especially the female ones?
No, that’s silly! Just because Hazel and Hatch are next-door neighbors, just because they get along so well, just because they both love the same dog…
Well, ok, maybe there are some reasons that it would work out between them. But there are a lot more that make it impossible! Hazel has been in love with the same boy since she was six years old (spoiler: it’s a different guy from the one who lives on the other side of her living room wall, the one she can hear breathing. And not breathing. But more on that later.)
And Hatch? He’s been with a string of beautiful women, both in their town in northern Michigan and all around the country as he travels to play football—and he’s never settled on just one. If the rumors are true, then he schedules his time hour by hour to fit everybody in! So it’s simple: the answer is no, Hazel and Hatch don’t belong together.
Of course, rumors aren’t always true. And people aren’t simple; they have hidden depths that only become clear after you’ve brought them back from the dead. Which happens.
Hazel and Hatch? No way! Probably not. Maybe? Yes…