He was listening, honest, but he couldn’t help but watch her eat, couldn’t help but notice some tartar sauce at the side of her mouth inviting him to remove it. As his thumb touched her lips, she stilled, eyeing him warily. He showed her the dab of sauce before slowly and very deliberately popping his thumb into his mouth and licking it clean.
Her gaze tracked his movements, and a faint flush appeared across her cheeks.
“The challenge,” he prompted when she didn’t say anything.
She cleared her throat. “Yes.” Her eyes slowly met his. “I love weighing up information, making decisions based on performance metrics, things that can be measured. I listen to the opinion of others, but ultimately, I’m the one in control.”
He wasn’t sharp like she was, but he wasn’t stupid enough to think she was still talking about her job. “Funny—if you asked me what I love about being a chef, it’s the unpredictability. Making decisions based on my gut on the hoof. Never knowing quite how the day is going to pan out.”
She nodded. “We’re very different.”
“Agreed. But we have one thing in common.” When she arched her eyebrow, cool as you like, he decided it was time to ruffle her. “We fancy the hell out of each other.” Before she could try and deny it, he nodded down to the food. “Now tell me what you think of the seared tuna taco. I’m going to make something similar tomorrow. Figured it would look good on my Instagram.”
Chapter 9
Olivia didn’t see much of Connor over the next few days. Yesterday he’d popped over to their table at breakfast, and if her pulse had rocketed when she’d spotted his tall frame ambling toward them, it was surely only because she didn’t want the group watching them interact,speculating.
When he’d declined Sophie’s invitation to join them in the evening, claiming he had a bar shift, she’d tried not to wonder if he really was working or had decided a prickly woman with an unhealthy love for numbers and a prudish attitude when it came to talking about sex wasn’t worth the effort. She’d also assured herself the evening had not been diminishedat allbecause she’d known there was no chance of bumping into him.
We fancy the hell out of each other. What cheek.
But embarrassingly accurate.
Thankfully, today, Friday, the rest of the wedding party had joined them, which was a welcome distraction. Jessica’s husband, Nick, arrived with their three children. He’d also traveled with his mother-in-law, and Olivia gave him serious points for bravery—their mum was a nervous flier. The groom-to-be, Steve, arrived by ferry from Provincetown with the rest of the stag party, all of them looking the worse for wear and wearing expressions that said,I need to be left alone in a dark room for a few hours.
“Bloodshot eyes I can handle. It was black eyes I was worried about,” Ashley murmured as they sat on the hotel loungers overlooking the harbor. The youngsters had all gone off to the beach, and Jessica and Nick had walked into town with the kids to show them the Whale Museum. It left Olivia with Ashley and their mum.
Her mum smiled. “I remember Paul turning up with a broken nose at your wedding.”
“An ominous warning sign that I should have taken notice of.” Ashley grimaced.
“Is he arriving today?” Olivia asked, aware Ashley was not looking forward to seeing her ex.
“Yep, but thankfully he and the luscious young Melissa are staying at a different hotel.”
“What did you say the age gap was?” her mum asked.
“Twenty years.” Ashley snorted and looked over at Olivia. “And you’re quibbling about ten.”
“Eleven,” Olivia corrected. “And that’s not the point. We know this thing with Melissa is just a middle-age crisis Paul will look back on and regret.”
“You think he’ll regret dating some hot young blonde all his mates are envious of?” Ashley countered. “And besides, think how good he feelsnow.”
Their mother cleared her throat. “I think I’m missing an important part of this conversation.”
Olivia felt a dart of shame that for a moment, she’d forgotten her mum was there. She was so quiet, always had been, and it frustrated Olivia no end. As a teenager she’d always wondered why her mum hadn’t stood up for herself, told their father she wanted more from life than being his cook, cleaner, and housekeeper. She still wondered. “You’re not missing anything—”
“The part you’re missing,” Ashley interrupted pointedly, her gaze directed over Olivia’s shoulder, “is on his way over now.”
Immediately their mum turned to look. “Oh, my.”
Olivia fought the desire to swivel round. She was not thirteen. And her heart wasnotpounding in her chest.
“Hi, Connor.” Ashley waved. “Come and meet our mum.”
The air seemed to take on a different charge the moment Connor came within touching distance, as if the molecules were cannoning off each other in a desperate attempt to get close to him.
Her belly tumbled as he dropped onto his haunches next to her, eyes meeting hers for one intense, electric moment before sliding over to their mum. He gave her a wide smile. “Hi, Ashley, Jessica, and Livvy’s mum. I’m Connor.”
