Page 41 of This Is Who I Am

“Oh, it’s complicated, all right.” His face softens with all the love he has for the people he just mentioned. “My husband, Hunter, has a child with Devon, Sadie’s wife.” Glee lights up his eyes. “I know, it sounds like a really bad soap opera, but it’s actually quite fun.”

“I met Finn the other day. So he’s your husband’s son.”

“My stepson.” There’s definitely more than a hint of pride in his voice. “Lovely kid. He’s ten now and absolutely hilarious. We’re thick as thieves.” He leans back in his chair and slings one leg over the other. “And when we’ve had enough of him for the day, we just tell him to go next door, where Devon and Sadie live.” He grins. “Just kidding. Sort of.”

“Sounds like you all get along.”

“Yeah.” He nods slowly. “Obviously it’s not all sunshine and roses all the time, but we have a great community here.”

“What do you do?”

“I make wooden furniture.” He wiggles his fingers as though he’s itching to sand down some wood right now. “I know I don’t look it, but I’m very good with my hands.”

“What do you mean, you don’t look it?” I beam him my warmest smile.

“I’m as camp as they come, but I make a mean fucking chair, girl.” He cocks his head. “If you come to brunch at our house, you can sit on one of them.”

“I’ll talk to Cass. I promise.”

“Good. I look forward to it.” He sits up straight. “I wish I could stay, but I was on my way to pick up Finn from his grandma’s. I’m on stepdaddy duty.” He rises. “But I sure hope to see you soon, Estelle.”

I watch Bobby for a while as he walks off along the boardwalk and consider everything he said. Cass has some really nice friends in this town and if, somehow, I do decide to linger on, I wouldn’t mind getting to know them all better.

But it’s still very early days for all of that.

CHAPTER21

CASS

Since Estelle last came to Savor, we’ve had two proper dates and one half-date. Now she’s back at her table by the window, and my focus is all over the place. For the life of me, I can’t keep my eyes off her. It’s as if after kissing her again an extra layer of hotness has been added to her entire being. And the way she sits there, back straight, hair wild, tasting my food as if it’s the most precious find on the planet, makes me nearly burn a scallop twice. First it was hot flashes during service, now it’s this.

I manage to make it through service because I’m a chef and that’s what we do. We muddle along while time speeds up and we never have enough hands to perform all the tasks that need doing. I may adhere to a slow restaurant philosophy but that doesn’t mean things aren’t hectic during a fully booked Friday evening.

Just like last Friday, we sit at the bar of the near-empty restaurant where I pour us an outrageously expensive glass of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon.

“Thanks for staying.” I look into Estelle’s brown gaze and everything is already so different than last week. I don’t know her that well yet, not the details that make up the magnificent human that she is, but I do know some things. That she’s a great kisser, for instance.

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” When she smiles, I feel it everywhere. I’ve got it good. Suzy likes to say that menopause is like a second puberty—and that’s very much how I feel when I’m with Estelle. “Although, apparently, we’re invited to brunch at Bobby and Hunter’s on Sunday.”

“We don’t have to go.” Bobby called me this morning to tell me all about his impromptu-but-illuminating coffee with Estelle—knowing him, there probably wasn’t that much impromptu about it. “I promised to help you out at your dad’s house.”

“I’d much rather go to brunch at a gay couple’s than go through more of my father’s incomprehensible papers.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Bobby was lovely. A bit—” She pauses, possibly to search for the right word.

“Full-on? In your face? No-holds-barred?” I offer.

“Amongst other things.” Estelle extends her leg and puts her foot on the footrest of my bar stool.

All I want to do is lean in and kiss her again, but that would be highly inappropriate with my staff finishing up in the kitchen.

“How about we take these glasses upstairs?” I ask. “It’ll be more private.”

“You’re the boss.” Estelle grins at me and I don’t know what to do with myself. Ever since she stopped by yesterday with the sole purpose of kissing me, I’ve been wondering how dating her is different because of her being ace. It doesn’t feel different. In my experience, kissing always leads to something else—to more. But I guess with her, even when I invite her upstairs and there’s clearly an element of not being able to keep our hands off each other—her as well as me—the kissing has nowhere to go. Whereas I’m perfectly okay with that—I think—it’s all a bit strange.

“Give me a minute.” I head to the kitchen and as soon as she clocks me, Kelly catches my gaze.

---