Page 6 of Love Me Forever

“My family would go so far as to call me obnoxious.”

“They don’t pull punches, huh?”

He grinned. “Never. Are you on your lunch break?"

"Yes."

He trained his gaze on me. "What a coincidence, so am I. How about we grab something together?"

I held up my muffins for him to see. "This is my lunch."

His gaze turned incredulous. "That's a snack, maximum."

I burst out laughing. "You’re trying to shame my lunch? I’m inclined to believe your family. Being handsome doesn't make up for being obnoxious, you know."

"So you agree I'm handsome?" Mischief sparked in his eyes.

"I'mallowed to say it. You aren't."

"If you say so."

I laughed again, but then, to my utter dismay, the muffins rolled right off my plate and into the sand. My laughter turned into a shriek. Travis was still laughing.That's what I get for ogling him.Karma decided I couldn't feast my eyesanddelight my stomach at the same time.

"I’m going to come out and say it. This is a sign that you're meant to have lunch with me."

I started laughing once more until I was barely able to breathe. I couldn't find a reason to say no. The man was definitely something to look at, and I liked his humor a lot.

And my lunch was full of sand.

"Fine, you stubborn man. Let me throw these away first. I don't want to litter." I picked the muffins up and put them back on the plate, then dropped them, regretfully, in the bin at the edge of the beach.

"Do you like seafood?" I asked. If we were having lunch, I was going to get something good.

"Yeah. Know of a place?"

"Yes, let’s go to The Fish. They’ve always got fresh fish, obviously."

Travis motioned to a bench so he could sit and put on his socks and shoes. I laughed as he grumbled about the sand.

Seconds later, we entered The Fish, and I couldn't help but grin. It was full to the brim, not an open table in sight. Travis's eyes widened, presumably at the crowd.

I chuckled. "I bet you weren't expecting so much action."

"No." He sounded stunned. "Seems like the entire population of the county is in here."

"Oh, no. They're spread throughout the two other restaurants in town."

"Got it."

When there weren't a lot of options, the restaurants tended to be extremely busy. Fortunately, a couple got up from a corner table by the door, and Travis steered us that way. As we sat, John, the owner, cleared the table, mentioning he’d bring two orders of the daily special.

Travis looked stunned, asking me, "No menu?"

"Nope. He’s told me before that's how he keeps everything fresh. Oh, I forgot to tell you. We’re probably going to smell of fried seafood afterward. The ventilation is horrid." Although where we were sitting was as far as we could get from the kitchen, I knew the smell would stick to us anyway.

"That's not a problem. I don't have any more meetings today."

"So your persuasion skill doesn't involve badgering your opponent from dawn until dusk?" I teased.

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