“Go ahead, Chef-Boy-R-You-Snotty.”
I take a bite, which turns into a few more. Everything is perfect. Impressive. “Not bad, Mr. Peyton.” I take a few more bites. “Where did you learn to cook?”
“My mother is a chef. Owns a little restaurant in Bristol.” A shit-eating grin stretches across his lips. “So, yeah.”
I drop my fork, shocked and excited. “Shut up. She does not.”
“The Clam’s Pearl.” He takes a bite of his eggs, still having trouble clearing his face of that evil little grin of his. “Heard of it?”
“Definitely!” I exclaim. “I think I may have eaten there even, when I was younger. I hear the crab cakes are excellent.” What are the odds? “What else are you holding back?”
He doesn’t answer.
Something has cleared his face of all emotion. He’s suddenly pale. “I’m sorry. Did I say something wrong?” He looks away from me, filling his mouth with more food, chasing it with an entire glass of orange juice. “Hayes?”
“You didn’t say anything wrong. I just want to eat before it gets cold. Do you want to meet her?”
“Meet who?” I’m so frazzled by his whiplashing mood, I don’t even know who or what he’s talking about right now.
“My mother…the chef,” he laughs, like he didn’t just totally check out of the conversation.
“I’d love to, but—”
“I’ll take you out there your next night off.” I want to tell him to slow down. What the hell is going through his head right now? I can’t figure out what just happened.
“I’m off tonight, but I promised Aspen we could have a girl’s night. I sort of moved in with her and we haven’t spent any quality time together. And I’ve been a shitty friend.” I set my fork on my plate and look at him, waiting for him to open up.
He doesn’t.
So, I ask. “Hayes, what’s going on? Why did you just check out when I asked what you were holding back?”
“I’m not holding back anything, Felicity.” He takes our empty plates and places them into the sink with a clatter, then whacks at the faucet knob. I hop down from my seat and walk up behind him, laying my hand on his back. The second my fingers make contact with his shirt, he turns to face me. “It’s nothing. We all have our crap, right?” He pulls me into his chest, allowing me to hear—and feel—his pounding heart. “I’m sorry. What night next week should I tell her?”
I know well enough that when someone says “it’s nothing.” It usually means, whatever it is, is anything but nothing. But out of respect, I have to push it out of my mind. Or at least pretend to. “I’m usually off on Wednesday nights.”
“It’s a date,” he says, placing a kiss on the top of my head. “You’ll get to meet the whole family that night.” Oh boy. “Hopefully that’s not pushing things too fast? If it is, I totally understand.” It’s only been a week and a half, but he wants me to meet his family. He’s opening up. I don’t even know if he has siblings—we still haven’t gotten to those questions. There’s a slight chance I’ve been completely avoiding the topic of his family for my own selfish reasons, since I don’t have a sibling any more.
“The whole family?” I ask.
“Yeah, my brother works there too.” Brother. He still has one. “So, what do you think?”
“I’d love to. We’ll probably be engaged by next week anyway,” I say, peering up at him.
“Whoa. Slow down there, crazy. I was thinking we might move in together first—you know, buy a nice house in the suburbs.” And just like that, the stress melts away as I liquefy under his gaze, completely losing sight of reality and forgetting everything.
I will literarily have to peel myself off of this man; if I don’t, my entire world will be consumed by his lips, his hands, his…everything. I can’t say that I mind that thought, but wow, does it suck to think about giving up what Hayes would likely be willing to give me for the rest of the day. “I have to go plead for my boss’s forgiveness,” I groan against his lips.
He pulls away, still looking down at me. “Did you talk to Aspen about the whole freezer deal?”
“Yeah. It’s pretty dumb. She was doing the cold deed with the dish washer—and a gross dish washer, at that.”
“No; I mean, did you ask her how it was in the freezer? Just for research purposes.”
I give him one last