Page 61 of Dining for Love

I nod, but the mortification is long gone, thanks to Dad and his sausage links. “Don’t get all starry-eyed, Mom,” I warn her. “He’s not staying.”

“Well, of course not,” she titters. “But you can leave with him.”

“That’s not happening,” I say flatly.

“Well, you never know,” she says. “Plans have a way of changing. It’s not the same, of course, but I didn’t plan on staying when I came to visit this town, either, and look where we are now.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Exactly. Youstayed.” I head to the kitchen to finally join Dad in prep and ignore the noise of protest Mom makes behind me.

Dad slides his gaze over. “You ladies done clucking like a bunch of hens out there?”

“You done pretending like you’re a big, strong man who bosses his womenaround?” I toss back.

He tries to hide his grin, but I catch it. And a minute later, when Mom comes by on her way to the freezer for a new tub of ice cream, I see the way she grabs my dad’s butt, too.

It’s hard not to admire the way those two love each other. I can’t imagine ever having it, but gosh, I’d love to. This thing with Reid, as unbelievable as it is, will only last as long as he’s here. When he’s gone, he’s gone.

So I need to be okay with that and enjoy him while he’s here. It’s a fling, right? That’s what Goldie called it at the very beginning.

But what if Ididfollow him back to Miami?

No. I can’t even conceive of it. It’s not that I couldn’t hack it in a high-end restaurant there, flex my skills and stretch a little. I know I could. And I have Reid to thank for that, in a way, because I wouldn’t have dared to even consider the possibility a month ago. But now, I’m realizing that I’m more capable of things. Stronger than I realized. I’m no longer the scared chef-in-training who cried the second Chef Todd turned his ire on me in front of a sea of cameras. I can’t quite put my finger on when the change started to happen, but I know it’s happened.

The thing about moving is I still don’t want to. I love it here, in this little diner a few blocks from the ocean. I love the regulars, the tourists; I even love the way I can’t ever get the smell of french fries completely out of my skin. I know a lot of people want to flee where they grew up, and I don’t begrudge them that. But this is home.

Later, Reid comes into the diner, all smiles and jokes with Tom and Jerry while petting the kitten strapped to his chest. He slides onto a stool at the counter and raises those mirrored sunglasses to meet my eyes, popping those stupid dimples as he grins at me.

I’m pretty certain that Reid MacKinnon is going to break my heart. And I can’t quite find it in myself to care.

It’s another First Friday,which means it’s another art bonanza for our sweet little downtown and it’s Goldie’s turn to drive. The first words out of her mouth as I hop into her Jeep are, “Where’s Reid?”

I grin. “Officer MacKinnon is on duty this evening.”

“Ooh, so we get to see him in uniform.” She wiggles her shoulders as she turns the Jeep around and angles us toward downtown.

I laugh. “Wealwaysget to see him in uniform,” I remind her.

“Yeah, but most of the time you’re working, right? Now you can really get your ogle on.” She winks at me.

“You really do need to have sex, don’t you?”

She raises her water bottle in salute and takes a sip. “Told you. Have you and he done the horizontal mambo since Tuesday?”

I groan. “You’re incorrigible.”

“I’mfun. There’s a difference,” she corrects. “So? Mambo? Horizontally? Let me live vicariously through you.”

“It doesn’t creep you out that you’re about to get details from your sister?”

She shakes her head. “No. Remember, you’re the one with the hang-ups, not me.”

I laugh. I have most definitely seen Reid since Tuesday. I saw him Tuesday night, Wednesday night, and last night. We traded houses, each of us taking turns to cook for each other, then having a ridiculous amount of seriously hot sex before passing out in each other’s arms. Well, we’d have the hot sex, then he’d get up to check the windows and doors “just to make sure,” he said, before tucking me into his side like I was his teddy bear.

Which, for the record, I am delighted to be. He’s a great snuggler, and I gotta admit, I did not see that coming.

I also did not see any of this coming, so maybe I’m not the best judge of cuddlers? Anyway.

“Hey, earth to Willa.” Goldie’s fingers snap in front of my face, pulling me out of my reverie. “Did I lose you to a sea of sexual memories?”

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