Just for the Plot Characters

Bennett is a Major League Baseball player for the Bombers, Gabby's younger brother, and has been secretly in love with Bower since he was a teenager. He is patient, devoted, and possessive, and he uses a romance book club as a way to get closer to Bower. He grew up poor with Gabby as his guardian and now wants a life with the girl he has always wanted.

Arc: Bennett starts out pining for Bower and self-sabotaging by setting her up with Cougar, then gradually pursues her openly. He confesses his love, wins her over, and is planning to propose by the epilogue.

• Bower — sister's best friend, longtime crush, later girlfriend and fiancée
• Gabby — older sister and guardian
• Nolan Hart — teammate and friend who gives him dating advice
• Graydon St. John — friend and fellow Gladdy Daddy
• OC — friend and fellow Gladdy Daddy
• Cougar Vajeen — man he set up with Bower out of jealousy
• Gretchen — his PR handler
• Ryland Rowley — former coach and brother-in-law, married to Gabby
• Asher Peppers — teammate who warns him about integrity
• Brody — space owner who rents him the book club venue

Bower is Gabby's best friend and the woman Bennett has been in love with for years. She moves to San Francisco to work as Adalade's executive assistant, dreams of starting a book truck, and is wary of risk because her father's business failed. She dates Cougar first, but she is increasingly drawn to Bennett and struggles with guilt over her promise to Gabby to watch over him.

Arc: Bower begins by playing it safe and denying her attraction to Bennett, then slowly takes leaps: starting The Whimsy Wagon and entering a secret relationship with him. She confesses her love, reconciles with Gabby, and opens her book truck by the end.

• Bennett — best friend's younger brother, longtime friend, later boyfriend and fiancée
• Gabby — best friend and practically a sister
• Cougar Vajeen — man she dates briefly and gently rejects
• Adalade — boss, later friend and confidante
• Gretchen — PR figure who involves her in the book club and has her sign an NDA
• Maple — new friend she confides in
• Mark — Adalade's driver who drives her around
• Marlowe — subletter of her old apartment and occasional friend
• Everly — event planner for her grand opening
• Nolan Hart — Bennett's teammate she meets at Maritime and asks about

Gabby is Bennett's older sister and guardian figure, and Bower's best friend. She sacrificed to support Bennett and moves him closer to Almond Bay for his baseball career, then asks Bower to watch over him. She is protective of both Bennett and her friendship with Bower.

Arc: Gabby is initially hurt and angry when she discovers Bower and Bennett's secret relationship, feeling that Bower broke a promise. She reconciles with Bower, accepts the relationship, and later offers to help Bennett propose.

• Bennett — younger brother she raised
• Bower — best friend
• Ryland Rowley — husband/partner

Cougar Vajeen, whose real name is later revealed to be Logan, is a charming baseball player Graydon sets up with Bower at Bennett's request. He dates Bower, helps her pick out a book truck, and seems genuinely interested in her. He is likable rather than villainous, which makes him a real rival for Bennett.

Arc: Cougar starts as Bennett's scheme to make himself look better, but the plan backfires because Cougar is too charming. He is gently rejected by Bower, tells her she changed his perspective on dating, and says goodbye.

• Bower — woman he dates and likes
• Bennett — man who set him up with Bower out of jealousy
• Graydon St. John — teammate who questions him about Bower

Nolan Hart is Bennett's teammate and friend who gives crude, blunt dating advice. He suggests Bennett set Bower up with a loser so Bennett can look better, and later encourages Bennett's next moves with Bower. He is playful and irreverent, eventually joining the Gladdy Daddies group.

Arc: Nolan remains a crass but supportive friend throughout, taking credit for the plan that got Bennett and Bower together and being inducted into the friend group.

• Bennett — teammate and friend
• Bower — friend of Bennett he meets and teases Bennett about
• Asher Peppers — teammate he provokes
• Graydon St. John — fellow Gladdy Daddy after being inducted
• OC — new friend and instant bond

Graydon St. John is a fellow athlete and Bennett's friend in the Gladdy Daddies group chat, first mentioned as doing PR with his zookeeper. He is grumpy, boundary-focused, and reluctant to help Bennett, but he helps set up Bower with Cougar and later questions Cougar for Bennett. He is Maple's boyfriend.

Arc: Graydon goes from annoyed reluctance to grudgingly helping Bennett, and he accepts Nolan into the Gladdy Daddies despite objecting to his addition.

• Bennett — friend and fellow Gladdy Daddy
• OC — group chat sparring partner
• Maple — girlfriend
• Cougar Vajeen — teammate he questions for Bennett
• Nolan Hart — new group member he initially resists

OC, also called Oden O'Conner, is a hockey player and Bennett's dramatic, nosy friend in the Gladdy Daddies group chat. He is dealing with his own heartbreak over his ex, gets deeply involved in Bennett's love life, and bonds immediately with Nolan. He often annoys Graydon and is scolded by Gretchen.

Arc: OC remains an oversharing, supportive friend throughout, encouraging Bennett to fight for Bower and celebrating when the couple gets together.

• Bennett — friend and fellow Gladdy Daddy
• Graydon St. John — friend and group chat sparring partner
• Nolan Hart — new friend and instant bond
• Gretchen — PR handler who openly dislikes him
• Bower — friend of Bennett he gossips about

Adalade is Bower's boss, an older woman who moves to San Francisco and hires Bower as her executive assistant. She is perceptive, flirtatious, and acts as a confidante to Bower, teasing her about Bennett and later encouraging her to leave and start her book truck. She eventually falls for Ramond.

Arc: Adalade starts as Bower's demanding but caring employer and becomes a friend who lets Bower go, encouraging her dream. She also finds her own romance with Ramond.

• Bower — boss/employer and later friend
• Draco Humphrey — old high school acquaintance she hopes to impress
• Mark — her driver
• Ramond — new romantic interest, later dating
• Bennett — Bower's boyfriend she teases Bower about

Gretchen is Bennett's PR handler, focused on improving his public image after the Bombers' sign-stealing scandal. She turns Bennett and Bower's book club into 'Books with Bombers,' makes Bower sign an NDA, and plans the book club's expansion into a larger project. She is all business and doesn't soften her words.

Arc: Gretchen remains Bennett's professional handler throughout, growing the book club into an event and publicity venture while trying to protect Bennett's image.

• Bennett — PR client
• Bower — book club participant who signs an NDA
• OC — PR client she manages and insults
• Graydon St. John — also her client at publicity shoots

Maple is Graydon's girlfriend, kind and perceptive, who befriends Bower and helps Bennett by delivering cookies and probing for information. She encourages Bower to follow her heart and later helps at the Whimsy Wagon grand opening. She is a warm presence who smooths over tensions in the friend group.

Arc: Maple becomes a new friend to Bower, supports Bennett's pursuit of Bower, and helps the relationships in the group heal.

• Graydon St. John — boyfriend
• Bower — new friend she comforts
• Bennett — friend she helps deliver cookies and gather information
• OC — friendly acquaintance

Ryland Rowley is Gabby's husband and Bennett's former coach, first introduced as Coach Rowley in the prologue. He supports Gabby, cheers for Bennett at games, and witnesses the confrontation when Gabby discovers Bower and Bennett together. He is also involved in the proposal plan, holding Bennett's engagement ring.

Arc: Ryland remains a steady supporting presence without a major personal change; he helps facilitate the reconciliation and proposal.

• Gabby — husband/partner
• Bennett — former coach and brother-in-law
• Bower — wife's best friend

Asher Peppers is a teammate of Bennett and Nolan, described as nasty, never smiling, and always scowling. He warns Bennett that Bennett will be a franchise player, reveals this is his last year, and tells Bennett not to repeat Asher's mistake of failing to report the cheating scandal.

Arc: Asher appears on the periphery and delivers a warning about moral integrity before his departure from the game.

• Bennett — teammate
• Nolan Hart — teammate he rebuffs

Mark is Adalade's driver who drives Bower around town on her errands and opens doors for her. He appears briefly as part of Adalade's household staff.

Arc: No significant arc; he appears only as a driver.

• Adalade — his employer
• Bower — passenger he drives

Brody owns the pop-up library space Bennett rents for the book club event. He shows Bennett the space, demonstrates the fireplace, and is an excited Jason Orson fan.

Arc: No significant arc; he appears only as the venue host.

• Bennett — space owner renting to him

Draco Humphrey is an old high school acquaintance of Adalade's and the man she tries to impress with a dinner party. He cancels the first dinner and later does not hold her attention after she meets Ramond.

Arc: No significant arc; he is a target of Adalade's planning rather than an active participant.

• Adalade — old high school acquaintance she pursues

Ramond is a man Adalade meets at her dinner party, who brings her flowers and woos her. By the epilogue, they have been on four dates and he helps hand out pamphlets at Bower's grand opening.

Arc: Ramond moves from dinner guest to Adalade's new romantic interest.

• Adalade — new romantic interest, later dating

Marlowe sublets Bower's old apartment, occasionally hangs out with Bower, and becomes Adalade's new assistant. She learns Adalade's likes and dislikes with Bower's help.

Arc: No significant arc; she appears near the end as a subletter and new assistant.

• Bower — subletter and occasional friend
• Adalade — new assistant

Everly is the event planner for Bower's Whimsy Wagon grand opening and calls Bower over during the setup.

Arc: No significant arc; appears only in the epilogue.

• Bower — event planner for her shop

Anita hosts the rooftop dinner where Bennett and Bower pretend to be a couple. She introduces the chef, orders another round, and asks Bennett and Bower how long they have been together.

Arc: No significant arc; appears only as a host.

• Adalade — host of the dinner event

Kent is a dinner guest at Anita's rooftop party who, after drinking port, jokes that Bennett was eye-fucking the cheese wheel.

Arc: No significant arc; appears only for a line of comic relief.

Hutton is mentioned as someone Graydon can ask to help find the right man for Bower, and he helps Graydon get Cougar's number for the setup. He does not appear in person.

Arc: No significant arc; he is only referenced.

• Graydon St. John — friend/associate who helps get Cougar's number