Preston Pruitt put aside his dreams of becoming a gourmet chef at a high-end restaurant to raise his daughter while her mother was on active duty in Afghanistan. Now Abby is a precocious eight-year-old in love with fairies and princesses, and Preston works at an unimaginative and monotonous job as a short order cook.<br><br>Abby has her quirks, and when she tries to wear a pair of costume wings for her school pictures, her father is called to help talk her out of them. That's when Preston meets Cam Richards, a handsome photographer with his own studio in town. Between Cam's quick smile and flirty manner, Preston is smitten and surprises himself by asking the guy out. Late night phone calls lead to dinner dates, and soon Preston is falling for Cam. It helps that Abby approves of her father's new special friend.<br><br>With Cam’s encouragement, Preston gets the chance to interview for an executive chef position. Now that he has all the ingredients, will he finally fulfill his dream of becoming a top chef and find the perfect recipe for romance?

Recipe for Romance

Preston shrugged. “I don’t know. Something that isn’t scrambled eggs and omelets, or burgers and fries. I hate coming home smelling of grease. I’d like a menu with a little diversity, for starters, one that challenges me. Diner food isn’t exactly culinary science.”


She chewed on her lower lip, thinking. After a moment, she moved the magazine out of the way and scooted closer. Leaning on her knees, she told him, “Listen. Cam might have mentioned I like to bake—”


“Yeah, he said.” Preston nodded encouragingly. “That’s one thing I’m not all that great at, so I’m real impressed. Did you go to school, or—”


“I took some classes, but I’m mostly self-taught.” With a wave of her hand, Mel dismissed that turn of the conversation. “No, but listen. I don’t know if you’ve heard of the new place they’re building out on the north side? It’s going to be a fine dining slash gourmet market sort of place, very posh, called Libbie Mill.”


Chapter 36