Page 44 of The Flirt

"I've just..."

His lips were hovering over mine now. My entire body was vibrating.

"All right, here are the best shrimp in New Orleans." Genaro's voice resounded from the employee entrance.

Chad and I instantly stepped apart, but his eyes were still fixed on me as I hurried to the door and said, "Yep, I'm here. Let me help you."

"I saved the best for you."

"Why, thank you."

"Don't tell anyone in the city that Genaro is selling you shrimp, or I’ll have to fight them off."

"I'm afraid word already spread," I said.

Genaro was probably in his sixties. His white hair contrasted with his tanned skin. He’d confided in me that he came from Sicily and moved to the States when he was a kid, and he was upset that he’d lost his Italian accent over the years.

"Oh no," he said theatrically. "Who knows?"

"Just the family who owns the restaurant. Actually, they’re here and would love to take some shrimp home with them.”

He wrinkled his nose. "Okay. But I only give it to them if they promise not to tell anyone where they got the shrimp."

"Come to the kitchen." I led him from the entrance, noticing Bella and her grandparents were back there too. Chad was once again focused on me.

Oh, I had to tell him that he couldn't look at me like that in public. Though it wasn’t that he was even looking at me in a specific way; I was just simmering for no reason. I had to tell him not to look at me at all.

Adele beamed at him. "Genaro, this is such an honor. I couldn’t believe it when I heard you’re the new supplier. I’m Adele, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, Miss Adele.”

Once Genaro set the box of shrimp on the counter, both Remy and Chad shook his hand.

“Genaro, please tell us how Scarlett convinced you to sell us your shrimp when our previous three chefs failed," Remy asked while I loaded shrimp into a smaller box for Adele.

"Well," he said, "Miss Scarlett here is special. I like her a lot more than any of the chefs you had running this place before."

I looked at him, beaming.

"Don't we all?" Chad asked, eyes fixed on me.

Guess who instantly blushed from head to toe?

Yep, that’s right: me.

Chapter Eleven

Chad

"Daddy, please," Bella said when we walked up to the front of her school. She put her hands together, pouting. "I really want to learn how to bake with Scarlett."

I lowered myself onto my haunches until I was more or less level with her. "Cricket, I promised I’d talk to her."

"Today."

"Today," I agreed.

"I really like her."

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