holiday dinner plate

The Zhekova family's young master approached Cindy Clarke with an old phone and said, "You dropped this five years ago, and I picked it up. Do you still deny it?" Five years ago, she was set up and got pregnant. Cindy Clarke never imagined that the father of her son would turn out to be the Prince Charming that the entire nation loved. She had a weak father, a scheming mother, and a sister plotting to harm her? None of that mattered! Adrian Zhekova said, "Whatever they want, I'll give it all to you. Let them be jealous." If her opponents slandered Cindy Clarke? Adrian Zhekova said, "I'll shut down their account." Don't like it? Endure it! Morgan Clarke said, "Sob, sob... Arthur Woods says I'm an illegitimate child without a dad." After the Woods family went bankrupt, Adrian Zhekova turned to Cindy Clarke and asked, "When are you going to make us official?" Cindy Clarke replied, "Since I met you, it's been like having a cheat code. Everything goes my way." Adrian Zhekova replied, "That's right, I'm that cheat code."

Old phone in paw, Mr. Zhao corners Ye Fei: “You left this with me five years ago—still pretending we never happened?” Back then, Ye Fei got tricked into Mommy-hood, and Baby’s dad turns out to be the nation’s top heart-throb! Coward dad, scheming mom, meanie sister? → Zhao buys her the moon and watches them pout. Internet trolls? → One click → *poof* account gone. Little Ye Xiaomo tugs Zhao’s sleeve, pouting like a dumpling: “Daddy, Wang says I’m a wild kid with no dad!” Zhao pats his head: “Wang’s Wi-Fi just took a nap—forever.” Final scene: Zhao wearing an apron, waving a ladle: “So, when do I get upgraded from secret dad to official husband?” Ye Fei giggles: “Ever since I met you, life’s on easy mode!” Zhao winks: “Exactly—I’m the built-in cheat code!”

At 16, Stacy Evans dropped out of high school in the hopes of moving on with his life. But four years later, he's stuck in an abusive relationship with Lamar, a "friend with benefits," and works long hours at a dead-end job just to get by.<br><br>Then his mother enrolls him in a program to earn his GED. There he meets Darian, a woodshop teacher who is everything Stacy's friends are not -- smart, successful ... and who seems to take a personal interest in helping Stacy turn his life around. The two develop a rapport that keeps Stacy after school just to spend extra time with him. In intimate moments alone, they grow closer than just student and teacher.<br><br>On the right track for once, Stacy has a chance to choose between his troublesome past and a promising future with Darian. But his jealous friends won't let him go so easily.

Author: Cindy Spencer Pape firmly believes in happily-ever-after and brings that to her writing. A multiple award-winning author, she has published almost sixty novels and stories. When not hard at work writing, she can be found restoring her 1870 house, dressing up for steampunk parties and Renaissance fairs, or with her nose buried in a book. Visit her website: www.cindyspencerpape.com. Holiday Hearts Follow the five Holiday siblings as they find romance one by one. Between holiday magic and scorching passion, each of them find and fight for the loves of their lives. Yuletide Enchantment: Noel Holiday doesn’t like Christmas. When he finds himself trapped in a magical Christmas village with sweet and steamy Shelby Carter, the season suddenly becomes spicy. While they figure out the magic, they also discover passion like they’ve never known. Like Bunnies Star Holiday wants some time alone, so she heads to her family’s cabin for a few days. After a car accident, something changes. Star is suddenly a rabbit—four paws, fluffy tail and all. When she doesn’t check in, her brothers send her ex-boyfriend to check on her. Veterinarian Theo Morgan picks up the injured bunny and carries it into the cabin, only to discover the rabbit in his arms turns into Star as soon as they cross the threshold. The Holiday family agic forces the two to stay together. They have plenty of time to talk about their relationship. If they bother to spend time talking instead of making love. Valentine’s Heart Computer guru Valentine Holiday doesn’t have time for love. When a computer dating service sets him up with overworked social worker Corazon Lopez, Val can’t figure out what’s going on. Neither can Cora. They meet to discuss it and the sparks fly—all the way to a tropical paradise perfectly designed for passion. Midsummer Dreams Summer Holiday has had dreams of Matt Warren since she was six years old. The dreams aged along with her, taking her and Matt from childhood friends to voracious lovers. Matt knows Summer is real, and now that he’s out of the military, he comes to Charleston looking for his soulmate. Once they meet in the flesh, Summer has to decide if Matt really is the man for her. All Hallow’s Evie Sam Holiday’s new house is haunted. Soon he meets the ghost—a beautiful woman named Evie Bonnell. Evie’s unfinished business is that she died a virgin. Over the days leading up to Halloween, Sam agrees to teach her about the pleasure she missed in her lifetime. His only problem is that he doesn’t want her to disappear after her wish is granted.

Personal chef Beau St. Clair, recently divorced from his cheating husband, returns to the small Ohio River town where he grew up to lick his wounds.<br><br>Jack Rogers lives with his mother, Maisie, in that same small town, angry at and frightened by the world. Jack has a gap in his memory that hides something he dares not face, and he’s probably suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.<br><br>Maisie, seeking relief from her housebound and often surly son, hires Beau to cook for Jack, hoping the change might help bring Jack, once a handsome and vibrant attorney, back to his former self. But can a new face and comfort food compensate for the terror lurking in Jack’s past?<br><br>Slowly the two men begin a dance of revelation and healing. Food and compassion build a bridge between Beau and Jack, a bridge that might lead to love. But will Jack’s demons allow it? His history could just as easily tear them apart as bring them together.

Henry Appleby has an appetite for life. As a recent high school graduate and the son of a wealthy family in one of Chicago’s affluent North Shore suburbs, his life is laid out for him. Unfortunately, though, he’s being forced to follow in the footsteps of his successful attorney father instead of living his dream of being a chef. When an opportunity comes his way to work in a real kitchen the summer after graduation, at a little Italian joint called Fiorello’s, Henry jumps at the chance, putting his future in jeopardy.<br><br>Years ago, life was a plentiful buffet for Vito Carelli. But a tragic turn of events now keeps the young chef at Fiorello’s quiet and secretive, preferring to let his amazing Italian peasant cuisine do his talking.<br><br>When the two cooks meet over an open flame, sparks fly. Both need a taste of something more -- something real, something true -- to separate the good from the bad and find the love -- and the hope -- that just might be their salvation.

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.

Welcome to the enigmatic tale of Reinhart Glast, a warrior wrapped in a hard hat, hit by a storm of misfortune in his prime years. Threatened by Parkinson's Disease, his world crumbles into a heap of depression, pushing him to the edge of despair. As he contemplates death, life serves him a bittersweet twist - instead of oblivion, Reinhart's existence is whisked away to another realm, where he is plated as... an instant dinner? Fork your way through the unfathomable world of Fallenia, a simmering cauldron across dimensions, where the air stirs with magical energy known as Mana, and humanoid dragons, the Dralkons, color the sky. At the heart of this world lies the Roost of Grammel, where Queen Maze sits on the overheated throne, ensnared in a whirlwind of conspiracy and strife. With her kingdom on the razor's edge of chaos, the heat of politics blisters relentlessly. In the spice-ridden milieu of Maze's royal tribulations, our unlikely hero Reinhart appears, struggling to digest his peculiar fate. Their paths merge in an unusual mélange of destiny and dire need, as they bite into the thick crust of Fallenia's challenges. The epic adventure of this duo cooks up the central plot of our story, as they navigate the cauldron of deception, whip up alliances, and serve their enemies with defeat.

Arnold Jr., the only son of Arnold Palmer, one of the richest and most powerful men in America, was born into a wealthy family. He was cruel, mean, and the most notorious bully the school had ever known. After a scandal that nearly ruined his reputation, Arnold Jr. and Olivia's paths crossed. He tried to make Olivia's life a living hell, but she fought back with all her might. Hate turned to love, and enemies became friends, uniting the once-feared rivals Arnold Jr. and Olivia. However, their bond always threatened to break, as Arnold Jr.'s former enemies, who had suffered at his hands, constantly sought to harm him, and Olivia was always drawn into their unfortunate situations. Will love conquer greed, betrayal, lust, and a lifelong secret that had kept them apart? Will Arnold Jr. find more meaning in life than hatred and cruelty? The journey begins in the story "Dinner with the devil ."

When Omega Lily Evans returns to her hometown for Christmas after five years away, she brings more than just gifts; she is parenting Alpha Dominic Stone's secret kid, the man who destroyed her heart. Everyone knows Dominic never sleeps with the same woman again, but he couldn't get away from Lily until he unexpectedly married someone else. Lily has forged a new life as a respected defense attorney, but fate has other plans when she realizes her true match is Dominic's cousin, Ethan, a charming hockey star with his own holiday traumas. As the holiday season pulls them together, Dominic learns about Lily's return and the child he never knew existed. With two men vying for her heart - one by former passion and one by genuine mate link - Lily must pick her path while protecting her daughter. Will Christmas magic mend old wounds, or will ancient werewolf traditions rip them apart?