Maple, Michief, & Misunderstandings

Cal Bennett has survived disasters that should‘ve killed him, including Maggie McGlynn discovering Pinterest. He runs venue operations like a man personally responsible for preventing Dalton from accidentally setting itself on fire, and weddings are basically his natural predator. Unfortunately, Dalton‘s biggest wedding of the year has decided it isn‘t just a wedding. It‘s a civic sport. With a maple theme. With a banner that reads WELCOME TO SAP SEASON. Cal would like to report a crime. Then the doors open, the maple favors arrive early, and Eli Hart walks in smiling like he‘s never been personally victimized by a committee. He‘s the groom‘s best man. A natural fixer. The kind of calm competence that makes other people feel steadier... and makes Cal feel vaguely threatened. Cal does not need a co-lead. Cal does not need a "helpful" man moving things without permission. Cal definitely does not need Eli Hart looking at him like Cal is more than the town‘s center of gravity. But it‘s Sap Season. The committee is inevitable. And somewhere between syrup logistics, cable routes, and a man who refuses to be intimidated by chaos, Cal‘s carefully controlled life starts doing something deeply inconvenient. Maple, Mischief, & Misunderstandings is a cozy, low-angst M/M romantic comedy full of small-town chaos, weaponized competence, and two men falling in love while fixing very practical problems.