“I tried, but it didn’t help and he refuses to visit.”
“Maybe having you and Brandon here reminds him too much of what he’s lost,” Penelope suggested.
“Maybe.” He needed to change the subject. “What are you ordering?”
“I’m getting the lemon meringue pancakes.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Sweet tooth?”
“They sound interesting,” she said. “I like to try something different when I can, otherwise I’ll always get the same thing.”
“And what would that be?”
“Bircher muesli and a large cappuccino, if I’m being good.”
“I’m more of the big breakfast kind of guy. What do you have if you’re being bad?” He liked the idea.
“Bacon and hash browns.”
Both excellent choices.
The wait person came over and they ordered. After the girl had left, Sam asked, “What are your other go-to orders?”
“There used to be a Vietnamese deli down the road from where I worked. I lived on banh mi and Vietnamese iced coffee.”
“How is Vietnamese iced coffee different from normal iced coffee?”
“It’s made with condensed milk and the coffee is stronger, has a different flavour to it.”
She definitely had a sweet tooth. He’d have to remember that. “Chocolate or cake?”
“Cake.”
“Ice cream or pudding?”
“Both together—or custard and pudding, depending on the season.”
The coffees arrived and she sipped hers, closing her eyes to savour the taste.
Sam shifted and smiled. “Pizza or chips?”
“Depends on the quality,” she replied. “Thick, crispy beer-battered chips with gravy are amazing, but so is a good thin crust Italian pizza with the right toppings.” She placed her cup on the table. “What about you?”
“Cake, ice cream—but the good Italian gelato—and definitely pizza, but I’m not fussy as long as the balance of cheese, sauce and toppings is right.”
She grinned with such joy that he smiled back. “Have you tried the pizza at the brewery?”
“Yeah. It was another plus in the move to Retribution Bay.”
The food arrived and he had to admit, the lemon meringue pancakes looked amazing. The meringue was whipped into a spiral, and the lemon curd was generously drizzled over the pancakes. Penelope cut off a section, making sure she had both the lemon and the meringue on her piece and then bit into it. Her eyes closed and she moaned softly.
He wanted her badly.
“You’ve got to taste this.” Penelope held out a portion on the end of her fork.
He wanted to try something all right. Keeping his eyes on hers, he leaned forward and let her feed him. Her eyes widened as his mouth closed over the fork and he slid the pancake into his mouth. Sharp lemon clashed with sweet meringue in a celebration. He swallowed. “That is damned good.”
She nodded. “I’ll share if you like.”
