A Christmas Wish (A Winterberry Hollow Christmas)

Two accomplished chefs. Three weeks to cater the wedding of the year. One unexpected partnership that changes everything. Derek Craword—Michelin-starred chef, TV personality, restaurant empire—took the Winterberry Hollow catering job as a favor to a friend. Three weeks, one wedding, easy. What he didn't expect was to realize how burned out he'd become. Or to meet a chef who reminds him why he fell in love with cooking in the first place. Meredith Hayes has built a thriving career as a personal chef for Chicago's elite. She's talented, successful, and has spent twelve years playing it safe—perfecting her craft without ever taking the creative risks that could launch her to the next level. When they're accidentally hired to co-cater their best friends' Christmas wedding, neither expects the partnership that develops. Through snow-covered farmers' markets and late-night menu planning, Derek and Meredith discover something extraordinary: together, they're better than either ever was alone. He challenges her to be bold. She reminds him why food matters. They create dishes that feel like magic—the kind of cooking that comes from partnership, not performance. With the wedding days away and their hearts completely entangled, Derek and Meredith face an impossible choice: the careers they've worked their entire lives to build, or the partnership—and love—that makes them both better than they ever imagined possible.