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She laughed. ‘In the kitchen!’

‘Really? Why’s that?’

‘My dad ran a chippy in Brighton.’

Lucas’s forehead furrowed in momentary confusion, either misunderstanding her English or not getting the joke. But then he broke into a smile, his full lips widening, his dark-fringed eyes crinkling into laughter lines. ‘Ah! But fish and chips is an art form, non?’

‘Of course. It’s not easy to fry the perfect chip – crispy on the outside, fluffy in the middle …’

‘For me it’s all about the seasoning. A pinch of salt and a drizzle of vinegar – parfait,’ Lucas finished seriously, before the two of them burst into laughter, an undeniable chemistry sparking between them.

Stephanie felt delighted to have broken through his serious façade. Emboldened, she strolled into the kitchen and hopped up on one of the stainless-steel countertops that Lucas had been cleaning only moments earlier. She crossed her legs, showing off her slim, tanned legs, knowing that her body looked knock-out in the halter-neck mini dress she was wearing. Lucas watched her, intrigued. The rest of the staff were gathered at the other side of the kitchen, seemingly engrossed in their work, but Stephanie could tell they were casting surreptitious glances at the two of them.

‘How did you get that scar?’ she asked softly, her eyes fluttering over him.

Lucas’s hand reached instinctively to his cheek, tracing the jagged line that ran from the top of his ear down to the corner of his mouth. His jaw tightened, and for a moment his face darkened. Stephanie wondered if she’d gone too far with the question, but then Lucas took a deep breath and looked her straight in the eye. ‘I was in a car accident.’

Stephanie remembered what Camille had told her, and her eyes held his. ‘Oh yes, I’m so sorry … Your father …’

Lucas inhaled, his broad shoulders rising as he gathered himself. ‘It was a little over four years ago now. I’m mostly healed – physically …’ Once again, he traced the jagged line across his cheek, and Stephanie had the crazy idea that she wanted to do the same. ‘But I think this makes me more interesting, don’t you?’

Stephanie hesitated, trying to read him.

‘I was far too good-looking before. This gives me character,’ Lucas grinned, breaking the tension, and Stephanie laughed.

‘It really does,’ she said with a soft smile. ‘I shouldn’t have brought it up. My mouth didn’t engage my brain first, as usual.’

‘It’s all right,’ he said, with a Gallic shrug. ‘I don’t remember very much about it – it’s all a blur. We had been at my dad’s birthday party in Switzerland. My father and I were driving home, weaving down the mountain, and then … nothing. I woke up in hospital three weeks later.’

Sadness and uncertainty passed over his face, and Stephanie was overwhelmed with an urge to hold him in her arms. But she stayed where she was. ‘I can’t imagine what it must have been like … What you’ve been through …’

‘Everyone has stuff to deal with, right?’ Lucas replied, looking at her meaningfully, and Stephanie felt a jolt of recognition shudder through her body. It was as though he could see inside her, as though he knew what she’d been through.

‘Yeah,’ she answered. She felt oblivious to the busy restaurant outside, or the other chefs bustling round the kitchen, as though it was just the two of them in their own private world, and she sensed that Lucas felt the same.

‘Except sometimes, recently …’ he hesitated, rubbing his forehead. ‘I’ve started to have flashbacks. Nothing I can really piece together. Just moments, snatches of memory, and a feeling that—’

‘Stephanie, we meet again.’ Paulo strode into the kitchen with a roguish grin, breaking the moment.

‘Hi Paulo,’ Stephanie replied, as she jumped down from the counter, amused by the way he was blatantly checking her out.

‘I’m afraid I’m going to have to enforce the rule of no diners in the kitchen when the restaurant’s open,’ he said with a charming smile, placing a hand on Stephanie’s lower back and steering her towards the archway. ‘You can’t disturb the chef when he’s working. Besides, his girlfriend wouldn’t like it.’

Stephanie’s gaze flicked to Lucas, whose eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.

‘Oh, did he not mention Elle?’ Paulo could barely hide the note of glee in his voice. ‘Yeah, she’s a model. What was it she said this morning, Lucas? That she was hoping for a ring on her finger very soon …’

Stephanie let herself be guided back to her table, as she took in Paulo’s words. Typical. She’d thought Lucas seemed like a nice guy, and imagined they’d made a connection, but it turned out she’d completely misread the situation. She felt like an idiot.

‘How long are you staying on the island?’

Paulo’s question cut into her thoughts, and she forced herself to focus. ‘A couple of weeks. I’m staying at Catherine and Michael’s villa,’ she explained, noticing how Paulo’s face lit up as he realized who she was referring to.

‘Nice. Well, can I get your number, Stephanie Moon? I’d love to take you out sometime.’

Paulo was staring at her expectantly, with an air of self-confidence, as though he didn’t expect to be refused. They didn’t share the same kind of spark that she’d felt with Lucas, but he seemed fun, he was good-looking, and she liked his boldness. Why not enjoy herself during her stay? A no-strings holiday romance could be just what she needed.

‘OK,’ Stephanie agreed, as he pulled his mobile out from his jeans pocket, and she dictated her number.