How to Kiss a Hawthorne Brother

Kate Fletcher is my kryptonite. She's also my best friend. Former best friend? I'm not sure what you call it when we grew up attached at the hip and then she left Silver Creek (and me) to travel the world. The important thing is: Kate is back. (Temporarily.) And I'm still in love with her. (Permanently.) But something is different now. The attraction doesn't seem one-sided. I don't think I'm imagining the heat in Kate's eyes or the chemistry crackling between us.

When one of THE Hawthorne brothers—known by their chiseled jawlines and their family-run farm and event center—hires me to be his virtual assistant, I do everything I can to keep him firmly in the work zone. His grumpy demeanor helps. His smoking hot profile picture does not. But even if I do have a crush (a very tiny one), I can't catch real feelings for a million different reasons. Besides the whole business part of our relationship, I'm a single mom. I have to think about what's best for my son. And my grumpy, divorced, humorless boss isn't exactly giving me "ready to be a stepdad" vibes.

When THE Tatum Elliott shows up to run the catering kitchen at my family's farm and event center, I don't trust her any more than I did back in culinary school. But like it or not, she's here. On my territory. My turf. In the kitchen that shares a building with my farm-to-table restaurant. And she can't seem to keep her hands off my parmesan. Our old rivalry flares to life faster than a flambe, but there's something else flaming between us too. And it's heating up quicker than anything we're making in the kitchen.