It only takes a few days for Ollie D'Angelo to lose his boyfriend, his job, and his home. Instead of mourning what he doesn't have, Ollie celebrates what he does: the freedom to pursue his real passion -- cooking. He begins Dinner at Home, a home-catering business, and it takes off.<br><br>Late one night, Ollie catches Hank Mellinger, a streetwise hood down on his luck, about to rob his car. Ollie soon discovers that appearances aren't necessarily what they seem. Hank isn't a criminal caught red-handed, but a hungry young man trying to make a life for himself and the four-year-old niece he's trying desperately to take care of.<br><br>Instead of calling the cops, Ollie offers Hank a job and a way to pull himself up by his bootstraps. Together, they discover they can really cook ... and that their shared passion for food just might lead to a passion for each other.

Dinner at Home

“Here, home slice, let’s not eat like animals.” Hank groped around on one of the shelves above the hot plate and produced a spoon. Addison snatched the spoon from Hank’s hand, the bowl from Ollie’s, and sat herself down on the bare floor to begin shoveling pudding in her mouth. She didn’t stop until the bowl, which contained about four servings, was empty.


She belched and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “That was good, mister. What else you got?”


Ollie chuckled. “How about something good andgood for you?” Ollie rooted around in the box and pulled out the container of vegetable beef soup. He looked at Hank. “Can I heat this up on the hot plate?”


Hank grinned sheepishly. “You could, if I had a pan. Usually, I just stick a can of something on the coils and heat it up.”


“Oh, never mind,” Addison said impatiently. She snatched the container from Ollie’s hands, opened it, and dug in with the spoon she still held clenched in her little fist.


Chapter 33