The Redemption of Rico D'Angelo

The Redemption of Rico D'Angelo
Мишель Дуглас

Opening his charity cafе should be enough for gorgeous Rico D’Angelo to finally put the regrets of his childhood behind him… but it’s not. Until Neen Cuthbert walks through the door and brings an unexpected blast of sunshine!Can he finally let go of his past and take this chance at happiness?

The man behind the Italian good looks…

Gorgeous Rico D’Angelo is single-handedly saving the world, one disadvantaged teen at a time. The opening of his charity cafе should be enough for him to finally put the regrets of his childhood behind him…but even as the ribbon is cut on opening day it’s not enough.

Until new hire Neen Cuthbert walks through the door and offers an unexpected blast of sunshine! She’s had her fill of misguided do-gooders, but something tells her Rico is different. Neen won’t let him push her away—especially now she’s discovering that Rico might just need her most of all.…

Neen reached out to trace the pattern on her teacup. “Why does this project mean so much to you?”

Rico blew out a breath. “As soon as the cafе is up and running and I have the figures to prove its success, I can start canvassing for funds for additional cafеs in other parts of the city.”

“You want to run a chain of charity cafеs?”

“Why not?”

She couldn’t think of a single reason. Except… “Don’t you ever stop for fun?”

He didn’t answer that.

Praise for Michelle Douglas

“Readers will enjoy a modern spin on this friends-to-lovers tale.”

—RT Book Reviews on FIRST COMES BABY

“Douglas’s story is romantic, humorous and paced just right.”

—RT Book Reviews on BELLA’S IMPOSSIBLE BOSS

“Laughter, holiday charm and characters with depth make this an exceptional story.”

—RT Book Reviews on THE NANNY WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS

“Moving, heartwarming and absolutely impossible to put down, THE MAN WHO SAW HER BEAUTY is another stunning Michelle Douglas romance that’s going straight onto my keeper shelf!”

—CataRomance on THE MAN WHO SAW HER BEAUTY

The Redemption of Rico D’Angelo

Michelle Douglas

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

At the age of eight MICHELLE DOUGLAS was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up. She answered, “A writer.” Years later she read an article about romance writing and thought, Ooh, that’ll be fun. She was right. When she’s not writing she can usually be found with her nose buried in a book. She is currently enrolled in an English Masters programme for the sole purpose of indulging her reading and writing habits further. She lives in a leafy suburb of Newcastle, on Australia’s east coast, with her own romantic hero…husband Greg, who is the inspiration behind all her happy endings.

Michelle would love you to visit her at her website: www.michelle-douglas.com.

To my wonderful niece, Abbey,

who loves books as much as I do.

Contents

CHAPTER ONE (#ud9bd884d-bf23-5189-99e1-3b9920731ce1)

CHAPTER TWO (#ucb36920b-0a90-5686-9b1c-a75e95564c96)

CHAPTER THREE (#ua6116916-8601-5ee1-8d68-14794f7f2ddf)

CHAPTER FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

EXCERPT (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER ONE

RICO STARED AT the application in front of him—again—before blowing out a breath and slumping in his chair. He’d had such high hopes for this project—hopes of finding someone as fantastically enthusiastic about it as he was.

His lips twisted. Hopes of finding someone not only fantastically enthusiastic but with first-rate qualifications and solid experience to bring to the table as well. A day and a half into the interviews, however, and he’d found he could kiss that notion goodbye.

He straightened. Punching a button on his intercom, he barked, ‘Is Janeen Cuthbert here yet, Lisle?’

‘Not yet, but there’s still ten minutes until her appointment.’

‘Thanks.’

Wasn’t it an unspoken rule to arrive ten minutes early for a job interview? He scowled at the wall opposite. Restaurant managers, it seemed, worked to their own schedules. Not that Hobart’s restaurant managers were beating a path to his door for the opportunity to run a charity cafе.

He slammed Janeen Cuthbert’s file shut.

Pressing thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose, he tried to breathe through the pounding at his temples, tried to push it back and concentrate. He’d thought he’d be able to find one community-inspired restaurant manager with a few street smarts in this rotten city.

He wasn’t greedy. He only wanted the one. How hard could that be?