"I might if I bought my own restaurant."
"You want to open your own place?"
"You'll have to stick around to see how everything turns out." Tate smiled.
"Kind of like magic meatloaf - it's always a surprise."
"Exactly," he said, holding her tight and smiling up at the stars.
Return to start
About Lisa Scott
Tate panics and makes a call
While the lobsters boiled, Tate made a call, his fingers shaking as he dialed the number. "Rebecca? It's Tate."
She groaned. "Did the toilet back up? Shoot. That happened a few times last summer. I can give you the number for our plumber."
"No. Everything's fine with the house. The house is great."
"Oh, you sound panicked. I just assumed something had flooded or burned."
"No, nothing like that, but I do need your help. Things aren't going as planned."
"With the book?"
That too, he thought. "Yes, with the cookbook. Can you come up for a few days and help me work things out?"
"Of course. You sound frantic, and I'll be able to get out of three boring meetings. I'll be there tomorrow."
Tate kept sneaking glances out his window. Mike was gathering things for the beach while Lucy stood on the deck in her bikini. Her arms were crossed as Mike talked to her. She didn't look happy. Tate thought about calling out to her, asking for help with dinner, but she grabbed a towel off the back of a chair and followed Mike and Alexa down to the beach.
Too bad Rebecca can't get here tonight, he thought. Tomorrow might be too late. Mike was a man on a mission who'd be sharing his dinner table soon.
* * *
"Did you know Tate is famous?" Alexa asked her dad as they ate their beach rolls on Tate's deck.
"Famous for what?" Mike asked.
"He has a cooking show on TV," Lucy explained.
Tate rubbed his leg against hers under the table just so he could feel her skin against his. He was suffering serious Lucy withdrawal.
"I guess I'm pretty lucky then, eating food from a famous chef. It's good, thank you." Mike smiled at Tate, but there was a hardness in his eyes. He was a good-looking guy, probably Lucy's age - twenty-six. Still young enough to think his youth alone meant he'd best someone like Tate in a fight, and stupid enough to think such a show of bravado would matter to a woman like Lucy. intimidate another guy.
"I'm up here working on a cookbook. In fact, my agent is joining me tomorrow to help me go over things."
"Oh?" Lucy sounded surprised, and not in a good way.
Mike's smile morphed into a smirk.
"You should all join us for lunch tomorrow. I'm making stuffed grouper."
"We'll be here," Mike said.
"Great." Tate was certain he didn't sound sincere.
* * *
When dinner was over, Lucy started clearing dishes.
"You coming back to the house?" Mike asked.
She didn't look at him. "I'm going to help clean up."
Mike crossed his arms and leaned against the deck railing. "We can wait."
"I'm sure there's a huge mess in the kitchen; I'll be a while. Why don't you take Alexa to the ice cream parlor? It's just a few blocks away. You could walk."
"Please, Daddy?" Alex begged.
"Why don't you come too, Lucy?" Mike asked.
She put her hand over her stomach. "I'm stuffed."
"Come on, before it closes." Alexa grabbed her dad's hand and he reluctantly left.
Once they'd driven off, Tate and Lucy went inside. He set a pan in the sink and started scrubbing it. "I feel like I'm in the middle."
Lucy took two wine glasses from the cupboard. "What do you mean?"
"He wants you back and he wants me out of the way."
"He doesn't want me back. I think he can sense I have feelings for you, and he's jealous." She chose a bottle of wine from the refrigerator and poured them each a glass.
Good, I need a drink, Tate thought as he took a big gulp. "I know how guys work. He's trying to get you back."
Lucy set down her wine and looped her arms around Tate's neck. "It doesn't matter. I don't want him." She dragged her lips across his, not quite a kiss, but sexy as hell nonetheless.
"I hope not." Because you have no
"You want to open your own place?"
"You'll have to stick around to see how everything turns out." Tate smiled.
"Kind of like magic meatloaf - it's always a surprise."
"Exactly," he said, holding her tight and smiling up at the stars.
Return to start
About Lisa Scott
Tate panics and makes a call
While the lobsters boiled, Tate made a call, his fingers shaking as he dialed the number. "Rebecca? It's Tate."
She groaned. "Did the toilet back up? Shoot. That happened a few times last summer. I can give you the number for our plumber."
"No. Everything's fine with the house. The house is great."
"Oh, you sound panicked. I just assumed something had flooded or burned."
"No, nothing like that, but I do need your help. Things aren't going as planned."
"With the book?"
That too, he thought. "Yes, with the cookbook. Can you come up for a few days and help me work things out?"
"Of course. You sound frantic, and I'll be able to get out of three boring meetings. I'll be there tomorrow."
Tate kept sneaking glances out his window. Mike was gathering things for the beach while Lucy stood on the deck in her bikini. Her arms were crossed as Mike talked to her. She didn't look happy. Tate thought about calling out to her, asking for help with dinner, but she grabbed a towel off the back of a chair and followed Mike and Alexa down to the beach.
Too bad Rebecca can't get here tonight, he thought. Tomorrow might be too late. Mike was a man on a mission who'd be sharing his dinner table soon.
* * *
"Did you know Tate is famous?" Alexa asked her dad as they ate their beach rolls on Tate's deck.
"Famous for what?" Mike asked.
"He has a cooking show on TV," Lucy explained.
Tate rubbed his leg against hers under the table just so he could feel her skin against his. He was suffering serious Lucy withdrawal.
"I guess I'm pretty lucky then, eating food from a famous chef. It's good, thank you." Mike smiled at Tate, but there was a hardness in his eyes. He was a good-looking guy, probably Lucy's age - twenty-six. Still young enough to think his youth alone meant he'd best someone like Tate in a fight, and stupid enough to think such a show of bravado would matter to a woman like Lucy. intimidate another guy.
"I'm up here working on a cookbook. In fact, my agent is joining me tomorrow to help me go over things."
"Oh?" Lucy sounded surprised, and not in a good way.
Mike's smile morphed into a smirk.
"You should all join us for lunch tomorrow. I'm making stuffed grouper."
"We'll be here," Mike said.
"Great." Tate was certain he didn't sound sincere.
* * *
When dinner was over, Lucy started clearing dishes.
"You coming back to the house?" Mike asked.
She didn't look at him. "I'm going to help clean up."
Mike crossed his arms and leaned against the deck railing. "We can wait."
"I'm sure there's a huge mess in the kitchen; I'll be a while. Why don't you take Alexa to the ice cream parlor? It's just a few blocks away. You could walk."
"Please, Daddy?" Alex begged.
"Why don't you come too, Lucy?" Mike asked.
She put her hand over her stomach. "I'm stuffed."
"Come on, before it closes." Alexa grabbed her dad's hand and he reluctantly left.
Once they'd driven off, Tate and Lucy went inside. He set a pan in the sink and started scrubbing it. "I feel like I'm in the middle."
Lucy took two wine glasses from the cupboard. "What do you mean?"
"He wants you back and he wants me out of the way."
"He doesn't want me back. I think he can sense I have feelings for you, and he's jealous." She chose a bottle of wine from the refrigerator and poured them each a glass.
Good, I need a drink, Tate thought as he took a big gulp. "I know how guys work. He's trying to get you back."
Lucy set down her wine and looped her arms around Tate's neck. "It doesn't matter. I don't want him." She dragged her lips across his, not quite a kiss, but sexy as hell nonetheless.
"I hope not." Because you have no
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