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

The one window was high up and grimy, situated between the eaves. Ollie doubted it let in much light.


He was overwhelmed with a feeling of both claustrophobia and sadness. The heat was already causing a line of sweat to form at his hairline.


But he didn’t see a little girl. At least until he heard a toilet flush and the door at the back of the room open. Framed in the open doorway stood the most beautiful child Ollie had ever seen. The word cinnamon came to mind as he met her dark-eyed and somber gaze. Her hair was deep red and in tight little curls; her skin was the color of creamy hot chocolate, perfectly complementing her brown eyes, which were so dark the irises appeared to have swallowed up her pupils. A constellation of cinnamon colored freckles spread across her nose and cheeks. Her lips were full, but right now were thinned in a line that Ollie could only imagine was fury.


Chapter 32