Meet Fiona & Damian: The Two Characters Who Started It All

When I first started writing The Stranger I Let In, I knew I wanted to write a romance.

What I didn’t expect was how quickly these two characters would take over the story.

Meet Fiona Jet and Damian Vassilis—two people who could not come from more different worlds, yet somehow understand each other in ways neither of them is quite prepared for.

Meet Fiona Jet

Fiona is the owner of a small, slightly battered diner in Cedar Falls, Vermont. She’s a single mom, perpetually short on money, stubbornly independent, and far more comfortable taking care of everyone else than letting anyone take care of her.

She’s funny, messy, direct, and the kind of woman who can fix her own truck, remember a regular’s coffee order, argue with a supplier, and completely forget the cup of coffee she left in the microwave twenty minutes ago.

On the surface, Fiona is tough.

Underneath? That’s a different story.

She has spent years rebuilding a life that finally belongs to her. She loves fiercely, trusts carefully, and has learned that accepting help can sometimes come with a price. Her independence is one of her greatest strengths—but it may also be the armor keeping everyone at a safe distance.

And despite everything life has taught her, there’s still a soft heart buried under all that sarcasm.

She just really, really doesn’t want anyone to notice it.

Fiona’s story is ultimately about learning that being loved doesn’t have to mean being controlled—and that letting someone stand beside you isn’t the same as needing them to save you.

And Then There’s Damian Vassilis

Damian is… complicated.

When he walks into Jet’s Diner, Fiona sees a quiet, mysterious stranger who doesn’t say much about himself.

What she doesn’t know is that Damian comes from one of New York’s wealthiest and most powerful families.

He has money most people couldn’t imagine, a family name the media loves, and absolutely no interest in any of it.

Following his father’s death and the chaos surrounding his family empire, Damian disappears. No security. No driver. No expensive suits. Just a man trying, for once, to find out who he is when nobody knows his last name.

Then he walks into Fiona’s diner.

And she has no idea who he is.

Which might be exactly why he can’t seem to leave.

Damian is observant, controlled, painfully private, and equipped with the kind of dry humor that sneaks up on you. He has spent his entire life believing that everyone wants something from him.

Fiona doesn’t.

In fact, half the time she seems mildly irritated that he’s there.

Naturally, he falls first. 😏

But Damian is hiding more than his bank account. He grew up beneath the shadow of a powerful, controlling father, and his greatest fear isn’t losing his fortune or his family empire.

It’s discovering that some part of his father lives inside him.

For a man who can solve almost any problem with money, influence, or intelligence, Fiona presents a particularly inconvenient problem:

She refuses to be solved.

Two People Who Don’t Know How to Need Anyone

This is probably what I love most about Fiona and Damian.

They’re opposites in all the obvious ways.

She worries about whether she can afford a diner repair. He comes from a family worth billions.

She talks to everyone. He avoids almost everyone.

She wears her chaos on the outside. He keeps his locked tightly inside.

But underneath those differences, they have something important in common.

Neither of them really knows how to trust.

Fiona believes needing someone gives them the power to hurt her.

Damian believes everyone eventually has an angle.

So what happens when two people who have built their lives around not needing anyone start becoming the person the other one looks for when they walk into a room?

Well…

That would be telling.

And They’re Not Alone in Cedar Falls…

One of the biggest surprises for me while developing this book has been how much life the supporting characters brought to the story.

Cody, Gael, Jason—and a few other Cedar Falls personalities—have become much more than background characters.

I’ve already received some incredibly promising feedback about the cast surrounding Fiona and Damian, which made me especially happy because I wanted Cedar Falls to feel like a place populated by real people—not simply a backdrop for a romance.

Some will make you laugh.

Some will make you suspicious.

Some may make you want to throw the book across the room.

And at least one of them might have you wondering whether you’ve been judging the wrong person all along.

The supporting cast plays an important role in the secrets, loyalties, rumors, and questions surrounding Fiona and Damian’s story.

And this is only the beginning.

Want to Meet Them First?

The Stranger I Let In is my first novel, and I cannot wait to finally put Fiona, Damian, and the people of Cedar Falls into readers’ hands.

If you’d like to be there from the beginning, join my newsletter.

Newsletter subscribers will receive a FREE copy of my first book when it releases.

You’ll also get behind-the-scenes updates, character introductions, sneak peeks, release news, and a closer look at the world I’m building around Cedar Falls.

Join the newsletter and get The Stranger I Let In FREE when it launches.

I have a feeling Fiona and Damian are going to give us plenty to talk about.

— Mela Bel