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I ducked my head in the kitchen and the cook groaned. “Late customer?”

I nodded. “Yeah, but it’s not a real customer. It’s Chloe’s dad. Just give me whatever you already have prepared, then you can clean up and go.”

“You got it boss.”

I did the same thing when Emma or Evie came in. We always had extra portions of various dishes at the restaurant, and they knew if they came in they’d get whatever we had left. Not that they ever complained. My staff made great food.

I headed back to the bar, drew Griff a beer, then took it to him along with a glass of water.

“This place is great Dawn. You’ve really done well for yourself.”

“Thanks.”

I felt Griff’s eyes on me as I started putting the chairs on the tables for the cleaning crew to clean the floor tonight. A few minutes later I heard the bell ding in the kitchen and headed back to pick up Griff’s food.

“Thanks Johnny, you guys can go now.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, thank you though.”

I left the kitchen crew to finish their shut down and brought a tray of small plates over to Griff’s table. I set them down one by one, pointing out his options.

“Shrimp with angel hair pasta. Calamari. Blackened tilapia. Stuffed baked potato. Grilled vegetables. Mushroom tart. Seafood paella. Oh, and here’s some bread.”

His eyes widened. “Wow, this all looks great. But this is a lot of food. Will you join me?”

“I’m not hungry.”

Just then my stomach rumbled, making me a liar. We both laughed.

“Please eat with me Dawn. I’d love to catch up some more.”

I debated with myself for a moment, then headed to the bar to grab silverware, an open bottle of merlot and a wine glass. I returned, pouring myself a generous glass of red wine, and making myself a plate out of the assembled food. After a few bites, Griff spoke up.

“I have a confession to make. I knew Chloe wasn’t here tonight. She told me she takes a class on Tuesdays.”

I nodded as I chewed my food.

“I wanted to apologize to you directly. And explain.”

“You don’t need to explain Griffin, you did that at the restaurant the other day. And the truth is, I’m not even mad at you anymore. Not really. What’s done is done and we’ve both moved on. It was all a lifetime ago now.”

He nodded. “You did a great job raising Chloe. She’s amazing.”

I smiled. “Yeah. She is.”

Our eyes met and held, and I felt a strong sense of attraction. It was like a live thing vibrating between us, and I could tell by Griff’s eyes that he was feeling it as well. A line of sweat ran down my back as my entire body heated up. I looked back at my plate.

We ate in silence for a few minutes, while I pondered how it was possible that my ex-husband had gotten better looking with age. So many guys our age were balding and sporting a pot belly, but not Griffin. He was all lean muscle and masculine energy. The only things that hinted at his age were the faint lines around his eyes, and the threads of silver running through his dark hair.

I nodded towards the biker jacket that was draped on the chair next to Griff.

“So, are you in some kind of motorcycle club now?”

He nodded. “There’s a group of us firefighters who ride together on the off season.”

“Do you terrorize people or fight crime?” I asked, remembering how the main character in this month’s book club book was part of a motorcycle gang that protected a town and kept the criminal element at bay.