“I mentioned your recipe to my dad on the boat the other morning. Declan was there. He stole it.” He pulls his phone out of his coat pocket and starts to dial. “Give me a second…”
He puts it on speaker and holds it out in front of him. I hear a guy say hello.
“You heard me on the boat,” Logan barks into the phone. “You heard me tell Dad about Chloe’s eggs Benedict recipe and you’re fucking trying to steal it.”
“Language, Logan!” Lucy glances over at me, looking humiliated.
“Am I on speaker? Take me off speaker, Logan,” Declan says, annoyed.
“Admit it,” Logan replies, ignoring his brother’s request.
“I may have heard you ramble on about something to do with bisque and eggs,” he says after a loud, exasperated sigh. “It’s not stealing, Logan. I didn’t raid her recipe drawer or anything. I simply started experimenting with the idea.”
Lucy’s jaw drops. “Declan Charles Hawkins you stole this idea?”
“Oh don’t you start too, Mother.”
“Declan, what were you thinking?” Nova asks him, her dark eyes sparking with anger.
“You are no better than Stan,” Logan growls.
I snap out of my stunned trance and find my voice. “It’s fine. I honestly don’t mind.”
Every set of Hawkins eyes in the place turn to me with varying expressions of shock on their faces. I smile softly. “Although, I would have loved to show you exactly how I made it myself because the potato part is a family recipe, and I wouldn’t want it done wrong. I’ll share it with you, Lucy.”
“I would love that, Chloe. Thank you for being so understanding,” Lucy says with a grateful smile and then she turns to the phone Logan is still holding out and the smile disappears. “Declan, you haven’t heard the end of this. I will deal with you tomorrow. Hang up on him, Logan.”
“Ma!”
Logan is about to do just that when Terra lurches forward and grabs the phone from his hand. “Hey Deck, one more thing. I hired a web developer and I’m redoing the website and you are going to have no say in it. Bye Felicia!”
Terra ends the call and tosses the phone back to Logan.
“Who is Felicia?” Lucy asks innocently.
“Let’s gomi corazon,” Nova says and wraps an arm around Lucy’s shoulder to drag her away. “Thanks to my husband, we’ve almost ruined Logan’s date night, let’s not make it worse.”
Terra puts a hand on Logan’s arm. “I left you something special in the kitchen. Hopefully it makes up for Declan being a jerk.”
Lucy and Nova head out the front door with Jake and Finn behind them. Terra scoots out through the kitchen. The customers have all already cleared out, and so now it’s just Logan and me.
Logan’s so tense I can see it. He’s standing rigid, shoulders up, hands in fists. I gently put a hand on each of his shoulders and give them a squeeze. It’s like trying to press into marble. “It’s okay Logan. I swear I don’t care about the recipe.”
“I know, but I do,” he replies. He turns to face me, and his eyes are dark and his expression brooding. “No matter how hard I try, Declan always turns into a jackass. I would have never done that to him. I do what he wants. I keep all the fucking…he just ruins everything.”
“It’ll only ruin the night if you let it because I’m not about to,” I say and cup the side of his face. He pushes his cheek into my palm and turns slightly to kiss it softly.
He starts to remove his jacket. “I’m gonna go hang this in the back and make sure we’re really alone.”
Logan starts toward the counter, but I step into his path. Grabbing the front of his shirt, I pull him to my lips. The kiss is slow, thoughtful and tender. He pulls back just enough to break it and gently kisses a trail from my lips to my ear. He whispers. “I’ve never stripped a woman bare in the middle of my restaurant and taken her on a tabletop, but I’m about to if you don’t stop.”
I smile and step back. “I’m pretty sure it would cause the restaurant inspector to fine you.”
“It would be worth it.” He keeps his eyes on me as one hand moves from the coat he’s carrying to adjust the front of his jeans. He reaches out, cups the back of my neck, and pulls me into a kiss and then whispers against my lips. “The only thing that tastes better than the food in this place is your pussy.”
Now I’m the one blushing. He disappears around the counter and through the kitchen door. I walk over to the window and take in the view as I actually fan myself with my hand to cool down. The ocean is just blackness in the distance, but the dock lights are on and I can see little waves bumping against the boats docked there. I think about how cool it would have been to grow up here. How cute Logan must have been running around these docks with his brothers and sister. I always told myself I would have a big family because I missed out on that. I was still trying to sell Jackson on the idea of kids when he died. He was leery because his own family was so fragmented. What I’ve noticed about the Hawkins family is that they’re fragmented too, but yet they seem to work relentlessly at staying a unit.
Logan walks back in carrying two cups of something steamy and delicious smelling. “Terra left clam chowder simmering on the stove, and Nova prepped the main course, so all we have to do is eat.”
