Second Course

The ex-husband who broke her career plans is the only engineer who can save the galley she finally earned.

Camila Cruz finally has what she spent six years earning: executive chef of Meridian, a luxury charter yacht with a culinary program that belongs to her.

Then the new chief engineer walks aboard.

Nicolas Duarte. Her ex-husband.

Five years ago, Nico accepted the contract that made it clear his career would always be fixed while hers was expected to bend. Camila ended their marriage and built a life where nobody else got to make her choices.

Now Meridian's badly commissioned galley is failing in the middle of charter season, and Nico is the only engineer who understands the systems well enough to protect Camila's program. Every repair forces them into the same tight spaces. Every shared decision reminds her how good they once were together. This time, he asks before acting, listens before solving, and treats her authority like something worth protecting.

Trust is harder to repair than wiring.

When Nico withholds one dangerous uncertainty until he can offer a finished solution, he repeats the exact mistake that ended their marriage. Saving Meridian will require complete honesty. Choosing each other again will require more.

Second Course is a spicy, emotionally grounded divorced-couple romance featuring forced proximity, workplace competence, a hard-earned second chance, and a guaranteed happily ever after.