Page 67 of The Chef

No, stop that, Cliff.

Anything but love.

I was so afraid of what she’ll say when I admitted how intimidated I was by her when I told her I like her. It felt like that Paris hotel room, putting my heart out in that proposal to only get rejected.

But it wasn’t like that at all.

Bay said she likes me too.

And, at that moment, my heart stopped.

Look at me, the guy who’s broken a hundred hearts, brought to his knees by a waitress.

I can’t believe it, but here I am, standing in front of the ocean holding Bay Dover’s hand.

And really liking it.

Could this moment be any more perfect?

Turns out it can be. In one movement, I take her head in my hands, lean down, and kiss her passionately. She melts into my embrace, and I hang on to hers so that she doesn’t disappear. Our lips lock like they’re meant to. Like they were always waiting for this moment, traveling to meet right here, right now.

I want to consume her.

I grip her hand tight and lead her into the ocean.

And I teach this city girl to surf.

22

BAY

“Okay, how about we have those hanging lights closer to the front, then?” I ask the builder.

He crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow at my comment. “Closer to the front?”

“Yeah,” I say as I take a step forward to stand next to Rockpool’s front door. “How about above here? I think they will work here, don’t you?”

The builder nods, finally understanding my point. “Actually, that might work.”

I scan my eyes over the rest of the ceiling inside Rockpool, looking for any other alternatives for the hanging lights.

No, here seems best.

Suddenly, Pearl and Davy appear at my legs, playing. Davy is chasing Pearl around the restaurant. She giggles with every step as her brother eventually catches up to her.

“Hey, guys,” I say after them. “How about you stop running around?”

“But we’re bored,” Davy replies. “How long do we have to be here?”

I point to the bar. “Maybe you can help with the painting over there?”

They don’t need any more encouragement. Pearl and Davy dash over to the painting being done on the bar and eagerly beg to help. The painter laughs and hands them both a small brush, tiny enough not to do too much damage. No one can resist Pearl’s cute charms, not even the bunch of rough builders and construction crew I’ve hired to re-do Rockpool.

Brainstorming plans for the place the other day, Cliff charged me with renovating the restaurant ahead of its big re-opening. Well, more like I begged him to renovate the place. It can really do with a makeover. Cliff has no interest in fixing-up the inside of the restaurant and, judging from his bachelor pad, he shouldn’t go anywhere near interior design, so it all fell to me.

And I’m relishing it.

I’m treating Rockpool like my own business and am pouring my heart and soul into this project. It helps that Cliff’s stuck to his word and is treating me like a true business partner. All the things I’ve longed to do, what I’ve dreamt about in running a business all these years, I can finally apply to this restaurant.