Talented baker Max Mitchell has never quite gotten over the woman he met, kissed, and promptly repelled, all in the space of one momentous V-J Day celebration. So he should be thrilled when fate brings her back into his life-the only problem? She can't stand him, and now that she's moved in next door, it's impossible to resist provoking her...or pining for her. After years of making ends meet, widow Frannie Haynes finally has the career of her dreams, as head accountant at Phoenix Pictures, and is ready to give her young daughter the world. Her calculations certainly don't include letting her handsome neighbor anywhere near her heart, even if his extraordinary kiss-and the humiliation that followed-are seared into her memory. But the more they're forced into each other's company, the more their bickering gives way to friendship-and passion. With temperatures steadily rising, Frannie and Max forge a stronger bond than either of them expected. But old heartbreaks are slow to heal, and they'll have to learn to trust the magic between them if they want to save their second chance...