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Chief Optimism Officer: A Grumpy-Sunshine Workplace Romantic Comedy
Paperback
Publisher Price: $14.99
Publisher: Megan Auman
Published: Mar 31 2026
Pages: 258
Weight: 0.60
Height: 0.58 Width: 5.25 Depth: 8.00
Language: English
Maya Franklin was already dreading her 40th birthday. And that was before her business partner ran off with all their money-and Maya's husband.
Two months later, with her finances on fumes, Maya is forced re-enter the job market after fifteen years of self-employment. How bad can that be? Pretty terrible, it turns out, when the only job Maya can find is working as an assistant to the spoiled son of a logistics magnate. Being a blogger-turned-lifestyle-guru doesn't come with many qualifications, but she's certainly capable of doing more than sending flowers to an endless parade of women at her boss's request.
Malcolm Hirsch can't understand how he's gotten a reputation as the office impresario. Sure, he holds a vaguely made up sounding job at his father's company and he usually doesn't roll into the office until 10-and always in a good mood. But it's not what people think.
Even at 28, he's always been more of a relationship guy. Until a year ago, when the love of his life left abruptly without a reason. Malcolm's just not ready to date again. Not with the parade of women the world's worst HR manager keeps hiring as his assistants. And certainly not with the latest hire. It's not that Maya's older-or perpetually ill-tempered-it's that Malcolm will never (again) date someone who works for him.
When an awkward run-in with Maya's exes (the husband and the business partner) at a benefit dinner inadvertently leads to Maya moving into Malcolm's spare bedroom, the two are forced to reckon with their growing attraction to each other. But is there something more behind their unexpected chemistry and shared love of movies from the late 90s and early 00s, or is this just be a rebound fling that could end up breaking both their hearts?
Tropes: Later in life (With a 40+ FMC.) Age gap (She's older.) Grumpy-Sunshine (She's the grump.) Workplace romance (He's her boss.) Fake dating (It was his idea.) Forced proximity (She crashes with him.) Nostalgia (Lots of 90s and 00s movie references!) Medium spice
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