Tropical Holiday Tails - Zoe Chant Page 0,39

in greeting.

Caroline blinked. The light made it look like buds on a potted plant behind Scarlet rather suddenly burst into bloom. But that was ridiculous, wasn’t it?

They had a quiet moment of conversation, while Caroline ached to see Liam. Where was their kiss moment? The emails they had exchanged had been so heart-warming; if he had not been her mate, she might have fallen for him on the strength of just their correspondence. But she couldn’t help but remember his moment of dismay when they had parted. Had she somehow disappointed him? Anticipation and anxiousness made her feel jittery.

“You must be Caroline and James.” The waiter who greeted them was dashingly handsome, though not, she thought critically, as handsome as Liam. “I’m Breck, and I’ll be your server, and also incidentally, your next door neighbor at the Bay, at the moment. We’re all delighted to have you on staff.”

She and James shook his hand and let him lead them to a table on the deck. “Chef has prepared you a welcome-to-the-island meal. Liam told us all your favorites, and he should be here shortly himself.”

Chef himself came out to greet them and discuss the menu: a baked chicken and risotto for Caroline and a Salisbury steak for James. They both agreed eagerly, and then Caroline spotted Liam at the entrance of the restaurant and she forgot about food entirely.

He was everything she’d remembered: tall, beautiful, and graceful. His dark hair was cut short and stylish, and he was wearing a subtly patterned green shirt over his gorgeous broad shoulders.

He had spotted her first, and he was already hurrying towards her by the time she saw him. She stood at his approach, and it was everything she could do not to simply run forward and embrace him.

Her son stood also, and although Liam’s gaze was for her initially, he swiftly turned and greeted the boy first. “You must be James.” He extended a hand and James shook it gravely, looking very grown-up.

“You’re Liam,” James said with an exchange of uncomfortable nods.

“I’ve been looking forward to meeting you,” Liam told him sincerely.

James mumbled something passingly polite in return and they both seemed to think that satisfied courtesy.

“Caroline.” Liam took her hand, not shaking it so much as squeezing it for too brief a moment.

“Liam.” She knew she was smiling foolishly, but completely incapable of doing anything else.

“I hope you won’t mind if I join you for dinner,” Liam said.

“Of course not,” Caroline said with a sideways glance at James, who shrugged and grimaced in a way that she guessed was supposed to be encouraging.

Liam took the empty chair next to Caroline after the slightest of pauses, and Breck poured water into the glass that was already there. “Chef’s got a treat for you, too,” he said cheerfully. “Bacon-wrapped tenderloins with some of Graham’s fresh green beans.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Liam agreed, spreading his napkin into his lap with hands that Caroline tried very hard not to stare at.

It was awkward to turn to look at him the way she wanted to, so mostly Caroline watched James as they all made idle small talk about the trip. His gaze flickered between both of them in return, his contributions to the conversation grudging but polite.

“It’s so beautiful,” Caroline said, looking out over the railing. The sun was just beginning to ease towards the ocean, and the sky was blushing in anticipation.

Breck brought their meals, and they eagerly dug in. It was the most natural thing to offer Liam a taste of her exquisite risotto, and it didn’t seem strange to accept a bite of his delicious steak. Chef’s food might just be the best part of moving to the island, Caroline considered, savoring her perfectly prepared chicken.

Then she caught the corner of a smile from Liam and she knew better.

Liam did a gallant job of including James in the conversation, asking about school and hobbies.

James was unhelpful, but not quite unfriendly, and Caroline could only imagine how awkward it was for him, sitting across from his long-single mother and a complete stranger who was her mate.

Her mate.

She was dizzy with unquantified joy.

Her mate.

“So, what kind of shifter are you?” James asked, not quite belligerent.

“Dragon,” Liam said casually, and both James and Caroline really did stare at him then.

“Dragon?” James said in awe. “Do you breathe fire?”

Liam grinned at them. “I’m afraid not. I’m an Eastern dragon. With the whiskers and the coils.”

James nodded in slow respect. “Cool,” he said as casually as he could manage. “That’s