Opposites come together for a spicy surprise.Bradford “Tully” Tolliver has everything—money, a great car, a beautiful condo, and a promising career as one of Portland’s hottest young lawyers. Sure, he puts in long hours and has no social life to speak of, but who needs romance when corporations pay top dollar for his expertise? He hesitates when a colleague asks if her cousin can live with him, but the arrangement will last less than a year, and then the cousin—Sage Filling—will return to his tiny hometown.
But Sage is handsome and intriguing, and his cooking makes Tully swoon. Sage has obligations back home, though, and Tully has offers he might not refuse from a persistent—and very wealthy—ex. Since Tully and Sage each have a full plate, can they make room for a side of love?
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Cat gives this one 4 Meows with a 1 Purr heat index...
A Full Plate is a sweet, romantic story with very little sex which is the norm for the Dreamspun Desire collection.Tully didn't really want to let Sage stay but owed his friend favors and had plenty of room.Plus Sage was going to cook for him in return for the room. There is a spark of attraction right away. But Tully's ex-shows up and wants another chance. He isn't against strong-arming his employer to get him on the job.
The story is lots of fun and I love foodie stories so I adored Sage. The puns on his name made me laugh as well. I could just imagine how good the food was! I even liked Eddy. If you like opposites attract and a light fluffy romance you will like this!
Excerpt...
TULLY WAS partway through drafting a memorandum when his phone buzzed. It was Su-ji, the weekend day concierge. Mr. Filling is here to see you.
Tully stared at the text in confusion for a moment, wondering why Carrie was here and when Su-ji had become so careless in her texting. Then he remembered the discussion at the bar.
Crap.
Send him up, please.
Really, Tully wanted to order Su-ji to send the guy away. But Tully wasn’t the type to back out of an agreement, even if it was only a handshake deal. And definitely not when it was a promise to a friend.
He didn’t have to be happy about it, though. When his doorbell chimed less than a minute later, Tully walked over and opened it with a scowl.
Sage appeared to be somewhere in his early to mid thirties—around the same age as Tully. He was as tall as Tully too but heavier. Neither fat nor musclebound, but… substantial. His sandy-colored hair was bleached lemon yellow near the tips and arranged in a neat, short cut. Stubble darkened his jawline and upper lip, and his eyes were a warm hazel. He wore jeans, and a T-shirt with a faded Coors logo. A battered suitcase and khaki duffel bag lay at his booted feet. Sage was handsome, dammit, which Tully hadn’t expected.
“Uh, did I come at a bad time?”
Realizing he’d been staring like an idiot, Tully shook his head. “No. Sorry.” He stuck out his hand. “Bradford Tolliver. Tully.”
Sage had big hands, rough with calluses. “Sage Filling. Obviously.” He smiled uneasily and, as soon as their handshake ended, rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m just gonna—”
“Come on in.” Tully picked up the suitcase, waited for Sage to enter with the duffel, and then shut the door.
But Sage stopped in the small entryway. “Are you sure this is okay? Carrie can come on awful strong. It’s real hard to say no to her.”
“I’ve noticed. Was she always like that, or was it law school that ruined her?”
Sage had one of those crooked, boyish grins that never failed to make Tully a little weak in the knees. Tully had once spent time staring into a mirror, trying to cultivate a similar smile. But he ended up looking either demented or evil, so he gave it up. He had the feeling Sage came by his grin naturally.
“Carrie’s always been bossy,” Sage said. “When we were little, she ended up in charge of everyone at the kids’ table. She was class president every year too. I’m five years younger, and the teachers were still talking about her when I came along.”
“I’m not surprised.”
“Yeah. So, y’know, if she strong-armed you into this, I can figure something else out.”
Something else like what? Tully wanted to ask. If Sage had to pay Portland-area rent, he wouldn’t have any money left to send home to Hair Shaker. Tully didn’t want to be responsible for ruining the guy’s life.
“It’s fine. Really. I don’t mind. My place is pretty big.” Then he realized that it wasn’t exactly welcoming to have this conversation while huddled in the foyer, so he led the way into the living room. He waved his free arm. “See? It’s too big for one person, actually.”
Duffel still over his shoulder, Sage clomped to the windows and whistled when he got there. “Holy cow. Hell of a view.”
“Carrie and Leah have a good view too.” Their house was perched on stilts, which always made Tully slightly nervous. People kept saying that one of these days a big quake was going to hit the Pacific Northwest. Of course, he didn’t know if his building was any more tremorproof than their house, but at least the high-rise looked substantial.
Sage was still gazing through the glass. “Yeah. But yours is more close up to city stuff. Up in the hills, sometimes I could almost forget I was in a city. The view’s almost like a painting, you know? It’s real here. I can make out the model of every car going over those bridges.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“Dunno.” Sage turned his head to look at Tully, then turned back. “Your apartment’s closer to work. I can walk from here. Saves me gas money. Uh, Carrie said to ask you about parking.”
“Where are you parked now?”
“Metered spot down the street.”
“Well, let’s finish the tour and get you settled before you get a ticket. I have a space downstairs you can use.”
“It won’t put you out?”
His condo had originally been two smaller units. Someone had torn down the wall and made one big unit, which meant Tully got double the space, plus double the parking and double the storage in the basement. “No, it’s fine. I have an extra.”
There was that grin again. “Thanks, man.”
Tully stared at the text in confusion for a moment, wondering why Carrie was here and when Su-ji had become so careless in her texting. Then he remembered the discussion at the bar.
Crap.
Send him up, please.
Really, Tully wanted to order Su-ji to send the guy away. But Tully wasn’t the type to back out of an agreement, even if it was only a handshake deal. And definitely not when it was a promise to a friend.
He didn’t have to be happy about it, though. When his doorbell chimed less than a minute later, Tully walked over and opened it with a scowl.
Sage appeared to be somewhere in his early to mid thirties—around the same age as Tully. He was as tall as Tully too but heavier. Neither fat nor musclebound, but… substantial. His sandy-colored hair was bleached lemon yellow near the tips and arranged in a neat, short cut. Stubble darkened his jawline and upper lip, and his eyes were a warm hazel. He wore jeans, and a T-shirt with a faded Coors logo. A battered suitcase and khaki duffel bag lay at his booted feet. Sage was handsome, dammit, which Tully hadn’t expected.
“Uh, did I come at a bad time?”
Realizing he’d been staring like an idiot, Tully shook his head. “No. Sorry.” He stuck out his hand. “Bradford Tolliver. Tully.”
Sage had big hands, rough with calluses. “Sage Filling. Obviously.” He smiled uneasily and, as soon as their handshake ended, rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m just gonna—”
“Come on in.” Tully picked up the suitcase, waited for Sage to enter with the duffel, and then shut the door.
But Sage stopped in the small entryway. “Are you sure this is okay? Carrie can come on awful strong. It’s real hard to say no to her.”
“I’ve noticed. Was she always like that, or was it law school that ruined her?”
Sage had one of those crooked, boyish grins that never failed to make Tully a little weak in the knees. Tully had once spent time staring into a mirror, trying to cultivate a similar smile. But he ended up looking either demented or evil, so he gave it up. He had the feeling Sage came by his grin naturally.
“Carrie’s always been bossy,” Sage said. “When we were little, she ended up in charge of everyone at the kids’ table. She was class president every year too. I’m five years younger, and the teachers were still talking about her when I came along.”
“I’m not surprised.”
“Yeah. So, y’know, if she strong-armed you into this, I can figure something else out.”
Something else like what? Tully wanted to ask. If Sage had to pay Portland-area rent, he wouldn’t have any money left to send home to Hair Shaker. Tully didn’t want to be responsible for ruining the guy’s life.
“It’s fine. Really. I don’t mind. My place is pretty big.” Then he realized that it wasn’t exactly welcoming to have this conversation while huddled in the foyer, so he led the way into the living room. He waved his free arm. “See? It’s too big for one person, actually.”
Duffel still over his shoulder, Sage clomped to the windows and whistled when he got there. “Holy cow. Hell of a view.”
“Carrie and Leah have a good view too.” Their house was perched on stilts, which always made Tully slightly nervous. People kept saying that one of these days a big quake was going to hit the Pacific Northwest. Of course, he didn’t know if his building was any more tremorproof than their house, but at least the high-rise looked substantial.
Sage was still gazing through the glass. “Yeah. But yours is more close up to city stuff. Up in the hills, sometimes I could almost forget I was in a city. The view’s almost like a painting, you know? It’s real here. I can make out the model of every car going over those bridges.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“Dunno.” Sage turned his head to look at Tully, then turned back. “Your apartment’s closer to work. I can walk from here. Saves me gas money. Uh, Carrie said to ask you about parking.”
“Where are you parked now?”
“Metered spot down the street.”
“Well, let’s finish the tour and get you settled before you get a ticket. I have a space downstairs you can use.”
“It won’t put you out?”
His condo had originally been two smaller units. Someone had torn down the wall and made one big unit, which meant Tully got double the space, plus double the parking and double the storage in the basement. “No, it’s fine. I have an extra.”
There was that grin again. “Thanks, man.”
Kim Fielding: Authentic voices and unconventional heroes.
I have lived in Illinois, Oregon, Nebraska, and Croatia, but for a long time now I've called the boring part of California home. I have a husband, two daughters, a day job as a university professor, and a passion for travel. I write in many genres--contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, historical--but no matter when and where my stories are set, I love complex worlds and complicated characters. I think that often it's a person's flaws that make him stronger and more beautiful.
Thanks for the good review, Cat. Sounds like another sweet one, of course being a Dreamspun story. - Purple Reader,
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