Standards, Sidelines & Second Chances: A Romantic Comedy

By Dalton Douglas

Samir Desai did not transfer to Dalton to sit on the sidelines.

He came to earn his place, lock down a starting role, and prove he can handle the pressure. But preseason in Dalton comes with one problem he cannot outrun: a knee that is not as fine as he keeps insisting it is.

Evan Hale has seen too many athletes mistake pride for discipline. As the team's athletic trainer, he has no patience for shortcuts, selective listening, or Samir's push-through instinct. If Samir wants to stay on the field, he will have to follow the plan, respect the line, and stop treating pain like a challenge to beat.

Samir is used to earning trust through performance. Evan is more interested in consistency than promises. What starts as friction over recovery, standards, and control slowly turns into something steadier-and far more dangerous to Samir's composure than any preseason evaluation.

Because Dalton has a way of making things personal.

And when the pressure rises, Samir will have to decide what matters more: proving himself in the moment, or building something strong enough to last.

Standards, Sidelines & Second Chances is a low-spice MM small-town sports romance featuring a driven transfer player, a calm and relentless athletic trainer, recovery tension, emotional slow burn, and a love story built on trust, consistency, and choosing care over pride.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0H7P47ZJB
• ISBN13: 9798185639948
• Release Date: July 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"