Dana Ellison's life is not her own. For 29 years, she has lived in her parents' image. She became a teacher, because she was expected to. Her true passion is in the kitchen, though. Dana has a talent for cooking. But her mother and father, Denise and Frank, feel that having a daughter who cooks for a living is a waste of time. So, to keep the peace, Dana teaches at Columbia, South Carolina's E. L. Wright Middle School. She knows the only reason she is such a young teacher with an honors class is because she is the daughter of a University of South Carolina professor and the first black superintendent of Richland One School District's daughter. Dana is tired of living in her parents' cold shadow, but the somewhat self-conscious woman doesn't want problems. Dana is also tired of the farce of a relationship she got in at her mother's urging. Andre Harrington would be a dream for most women, but Dana doesn't love him. She's sure that he wants to marry her because her last name is Ellison and he works under her mother at USC. One evening, Dana heads to Andre's house for a romantic dinner, which turns out to be a wedding ambush. While she's there, she meets a man who will change her life, self-image and her mind. Chris Johnson, a sexy landscaper, is working on Andre's back yard, ironically trying to prepare for Andre and Dana's reception. Sparks fly between Dana and Chris the moment their eyes meet.