Publication Date: December 31, 2019
She thinks meeting him must’ve been fate. It wasn’t.
Claire, a pastry chef struggling to make her restaurant
succeed, is too busy to pursue romance. That doesn’t stop her loving but
meddling mother, Helen, from setting her up on dates. Even after Helen promises
to stop her matchmaking efforts, she can’t help herself. She convinces Eric, a
pediatrician, to meet Claire at a gallery event.
Eric and Claire feel an immediate connection, and their
meeting becomes a magical first date. But the longer Eric and Claire see each
other, the less comfortable Eric feels about hiding the fact that Claire’s mom
set them up. Meanwhile, Claire loves to talk about how she trusts Eric, and how
they met by chance. How will she react to the truth?
This witty, sweet romance includes a free Hallmark original
recipe for Claire’s Coconut Lime Tarts.
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As she crossed her condo to fetch her bag, the answering
machine clicked on. Th e machine was old-fashioned, but it still worked, so she
hadn’t seen a reason to get rid of it. A disembodied male voice fl oated from
it. “Hi, Claire. You don’t know me, but your mother suggested I give you a
call.” “Seriously?” she said to the machine and made a face at it. Claire
didn’t bother to pick up the phone. Any guy who’d take her mother up on her
matchmaking schemes did not deserve a second of Claire’s attention. Th e
disembodied voice continued. “Maybe we could grab dinner tomorrow night? My
name is Peter Bloom. Call me back, let me know.” “No.” Not just no. Never. “My
number is 256—”
Claire grabbed her jacket and slammed the door of her condo
for good measure, right as the answering machine clicked off. When she got to
the bakery, she buzzed straight past all of Marco’s stellar decorations and
cornered her mother in the kitchen. “Who is Peter Bloom?” At least Helen had
the grace to look slightly chagrined, but definitely not chagrined enough for
the crime in question, at least not as far as Claire was concerned. “Peter,
yes.” Her mother smoothed her hair selfconsciously. “He came to an open house
of mine. He didn’t end up buying. But a single man shopping for a four-bedroom?
I guess he wants to start a family.” Claire rolled her eyes, because really?
Maybe he wanted to start a hotel for dogs. Unless he’d expressly told her
mother that he was looking for a wife to go along with his house, Helen needed
to butt out. “Mom, you have to stop setting me up.” Especially with men Claire
had never met. Or men she had met. Men she’d dated a few times and had lost
interest in. All of them were off limits.
Claire wheeled toward the sink to
dump the plate she’d snagged as her excuse for being in the kitchen, instead of
out front ensuring everything was running smoothly. Which was where she should
be instead of back here telling her mom yet again to lay off. Helen followed
her to the sink, still making excuses for her overbearing behavior. Still
fussing over Claire with maternal concern practically dripping from her expression. Her mom reached out to adjust the
neckline of Claire’s dress. “Oh, Claire, pretty soon your dad and I are going
be off traveling the globe, and if he has his way, we are not going to be home
much. I hate the idea of you being alone.” “I’m not alone! I am here, at the
bakery, twentyfour/seven, which is exactly where I want to be. There’s plenty
of time for me to find someone and fall in love.” It wasn’t that Claire hated
the idea of meeting someone. It was just… Well, she wanted to meet someone.
Like, literally meet them, in a special, fatefilled way that would clue her in
instantly that she’d met The One.
About Kacy Cross:
“I write
romance novels starring swoon-worthy heroes that you can share with your
daughter, the ladies at church, and your grandmother. I live in Texas, where
I’m raising two mini-ninjas alongside the love of my life who cooks while I
write, which is my definition of a true hero.
Come for
the romance, stay for the happily ever after. My books will make you laugh, cry
and swoon–cross my heart.”
Connect with Kacy:
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