
When Elise discovers her boyfriend has turned her into a cruel group-chat joke, she ghosts him, changes states, and lands a new job at Andes, the outdoor brand run by Weston Aldrich—her brother’s brilliant, guarded best friend. Between a green workplace, new friends, and a boss who still calls her by a childhood nickname, Elise plans to keep her head down. But a gentle prank revives old hurts, a mountain lion encounter ignites something dangerous, and a California work trip tests boundaries they swore to respect. As Weston’s company enters crisis, his instinct to solve everything alone collides with Elise’s need to be chosen first. Notes appear. Emails flare. Hearts harden. And a rooftop talk puts the truth on the table: love demands new habits, not new speeches. Dear Grumpy Boss is a workplace romance with a protective hero, a sunshine heroine, found family, and a second chance that has to be earned.