A DISH BEST SERVED HOT

Years after their high school relationship ended, a war veteran and an aspiring community leader navigate a complicated reunion.

Santiago “Saint” Vega and Lola León were high school sweethearts—in secret, that is—but their different backgrounds, with the Vega family a pillar of Humboldt Park and Lola's father engaged in less-than-legal activities, made it tough for them to envision a future together. They both left town after high school, Saint enlisting in the military and Lola cutting ties with her family for her own safety, and the former sweethearts haven't crossed paths for decades, until now. Lola decides she’s done running and is back home teaching self-defense classes, while Saint has been concentrating on his responsibilities as a single father. Neither suspects that their meddling grandfathers, longtime rivals in a mean-spirited nursing home prank war, will bring them together again. For Saint, it’s an opportunity for a fresh start with the girl who got away, but Lola isn’t convinced that he’s interested in more than a fling, especially given her lingering connection to her family’s criminal past. Besides, her attention is focused on helping out her neighborhood, including finding a new building for the local LGBTQIA+ youth shelter. She doesn’t realize that Saint’s uncle made a business deal with the company responsible for closing the old shelter, but how long can the truth stay hidden? The latest in Caña’s Vega Family Love Stories series is full of all of the dynamics that made A Proposal They Can’t Refuse (2022) so irresistible, from a comedic cast of supporting characters to an emphasis on the importance of community. Saint and Lola’s relationship is explored through both past and present timelines, emphasizing just how deep their history runs and providing an illuminating comparison between the people they were before and the ones who are much better equipped to pick up where they left off.

A vibrant second-chance love story about repairing community and romantic connection.