Page 14 of The Flirt

"After-shift treat?”

"Exactly."

He tapped his temple. "Great minds think alike."

"You often drop by this late in the evening?"

"Only when my daughter gets a craving and doesn't want to wait until tomorrow morning."

I swallowed hard, feeling like complete crap. Holy shit, the man had a family, and I was ogling him. I was certain he couldn't tell, but still, I felt a bit dirty.

"I always tell her it's not good to eat sugar this late in the evening, but I make exceptions,” he continued. “This line better move fast. Although, she probably won't miss me. She never does when one of my brothers is at the house."

"How old is she?" I asked.

"Eight. And Julian is definitely keeping her entertained.” He checked his phone, laughing.

“Her mom also likes beignets?” Now, why did I ask that?

I noticed his eyes clouding before he whipped his head away. “Her mother and I are divorced. Bella lives with me.”

“Sorry, I didn’t know—”

He waved his hand, cutting me off. “Doesn’t matter. Anyway, when her sugar craving is too much, I take a trip to Café Du Monde, and one of my brothers or someone else in the family watches her.”

Oh, man. I was in danger of melting. How cute was that?

"She usually tries to negotiate with me to buy her some on the way to school every morning, but she's learned that it's easier to get me to do her bidding in the evening."

I narrowed my eyes. "I can't see you doing anyone's bidding."

"I usually don’t. Just when it comes to my daughter.”

We stepped forward as the line advanced. At least it seemed to be moving quickly.

“How was your first day? Kitchen treat you all right?" he asked.

"Yes. Everything went surprisingly smooth." I hesitated. "Can I ask why you lost your previous chef?"

"He moved to New York because his wife got a job there."

“All right. Are you buying beignets for yourself too?"

"I wasn't going to, but now I'm having second thoughts since I ran into you." My heart fluttered. Calm down, Scarlett. "Can I tempt you to eat your beignets with me? That way, I’ll get to hear more about your day."

I flashed an impish smile. "Only if we also get a café au lait."

He grimaced. "I know people get both, but trust me, the café au lait is nothing to brag about."

"I find that hard to believe. Besides, I usually like what most people like." I was talking more to myself now.

Chad frowned slightly but then laughed. I probably came across as a dork.

“Do you trust me?” he asked.

“Hmm... I mean, I only met you this morning.”

He burst out laughing, and I was delighted that I’d get to spend more time with him. Was I aware that I should answer no to his question? Absolutely. The man lit a fire inside me, and that was unacceptable.

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