Chapter 6
Great Point was an unspoiled stretch of sand dunes and beach headed by a majestic white lighthouse. It was also a haven for
wildlife. Olivia watched the seals, so streamlined in the water, so lumbering on land; they were a welcome distraction from
her swirling thoughts.
She’d never been properly kissed before. It was a sad realization for a woman approaching forty. Especially as she’d nearly
missed out on this experience too. When he’d made his intention clear, she’d planned to back away, to tell him no for some
very sensible reasons. But then his mouth, with those full, expressive lips, had angled closer, his eyes turning a midnight
blue, heavy-lidded with arousal, and suddenly the reasons had seemed so trite, so boring and old. In that moment, she’d wanted to see what it felt like to be kissed by a virile, sexy young man who made her giddy just by
standing near her.
Now she knew. And she couldn’t unknow it.
“Are you going to tell us why you look so rattled?” Ashley asked bluntly as they sat on the rocks by the lighthouse.
“And why you looked so red-faced after we’d left you with Connor?” Jessica added slyly.
Olivia placed a hand on her chest, willed the fluttering to settle, her pulse to slow. “Leaving me with him was a childish
move,” she retorted. “What are we, eight?”
“Just trying to give things a gentle push,” Jessica argued, smoothing her hands across her baby bump.
“It was more of a shove,” Olivia complained. “If I want to be alone with Connor, I’m quite capable of orchestrating it without
your help.”
“Fine, message received.” Ashley smirked. “Now answer the questions.”
She watched a seal as it struggled out of the water and flopped onto the beach. Did she want to talk about this? “He asked
me to dinner again. And then, when I said we both knew it wasn’t about dinner but about sex, he . . . kissed me.” Okay, looked
like she did want to talk about it.
When her sisters remained silent, she turned to them. Ashley wore a smug expression while Jessica smiled softly at her. “Did
you enjoy it?”
“Yes.” Suddenly the moment felt too big, and she groaned, sinking her head into her hands. “I don’t want this.”
“What don’t you want?” Ashley asked. “To feel excitement, pleasure, joy? Fun, because he sure looks like he could provide
a lot of that?”
“I came here for the wedding, Ash, that’s all. Then I was persuaded to stay longer and have a break, which was fine, I probably
needed it, but the stakes have been raised. I’ve got a promotion battle in store for me when I get back. I need these two
weeks to mentally prepare for it. Not to worry about bumping into some guy we now know works at the flaming hotel so is probably
hard to avoid.”
Jessica peered at her. “But why does it worry you, bumping into him?”
“Because the more I see him, the more likely I am to want to sleep with him,” she admitted tetchily. “And sleeping with someone
ten years younger than me who has a tattoo of his ex or, hell, maybe even his current partner and who kisses like a man who
spends more time rumpling sheets than sleeping in them? In no universe is that a good decision.”
Ashley started to laugh. “God, Liv, it’s the perfect decision. We’re talking a holiday fling here, not sex with a guy you’re going to introduce to Mum. Though, actually, Mum
would like him, so you could do both.”
She gaped at her sister. “I don’t want any man, Ash, never mind one I can take home to Mum. When are you going to understand
that I want a different life than her, just as I want a different life than you two. I don’t want marriage; I don’t want kids.
I want a life that gives me purpose, challenges me.”
“And you think I don’t have purpose?” Jessica asked, looking down at her swollen belly. “You think this little one won’t challenge
me?”
“Of course, but we weren’t talking about you, we were talking about me.” Olivia blew out a frustrated breath. “None of you understand me, but please trust me to know what makes me happy.”
Jessica glanced at Ashley, who shrugged but didn’t say anything, and for the next few minutes they sat in silence watching
the seals.
Finally, Jessica bumped shoulders with her. “We thought we were helping, you know, giving you a little nudge in the direction
we both believed you wanted to go, but I can see you’re not sure, so we promise to stop interfering. Don’t we, Ash.”
Ashley sighed. “Fine. But I want it on the record that if you don’t dive into bed with that hot young stud, you’re going to
seriously regret it when you get back home.” She nodded toward the colony of seals. “Now, as much as I’ve enjoyed watching
these guys swim and sunbathe, please let’s get back to the boat and focus on eating sugary baked goods.”
They strolled over to where Ned was waiting with the dinghy to ferry them to the boat. It annoyed Olivia no end that she felt
no sizzle when he took her arm to help her on board.
And it really pissed her off when her eyes automatically scanned the deck, looking for a six-foot-three giant of a man in
a chef’s jacket.
“Everyone is back.” Ned clearly assumed she was looking for Sophie and her friends, which was what she should have been doing.
Damn it. “We’ll head off to Sconset now, where Luca and Connor will serve us our lunch.”
A short while later they were sailing along the coast. Glad of the distraction, Olivia rested her arms on the side and drank
in the view. Charming gray shingle cottages surrounded by climbing roses perched along the cliff. Below were grassy banks
full of wildflowers and rolling dunes leading down to a long stretch of gold-sand beach. This was why she’d taken time off
work. To see a part of the world she’d not seen before and in the company of people she loved.
It wasn’t for a sleazy cougar fling.
“She’s quite a sight.”
Olivia didn’t need to turn around to know who’d just stepped behind her. The butterflies dancing in her stomach confirmed
it for her.
It didn’t stop her glancing over her shoulder, though. And when she found herself staring into eyes an even more dazzling
blue than the sea, those butterfly wings flapped faster than ever.
Had the hen party enjoyed their lunch? It was a question that bothered Connor as he and Luca cleared up. Certainly they’d
eaten a lot of the food, which he’d chosen specifically for its links to Cape Cod: apple, cheese, walnut, and cranberry salad,
lobster cooked in butter and served in freshly baked rolls, fried clams, Cape Cod potato chips—or crisps if you were British.
His Instagram had gone crazy, with over two thousand likes, so at least it had looked the dog’s bollocks.
You need to have more faith in your ability. He could hear Aaron’s voice in his ears from his last review. It was hard to convince others he was a great chef if he hadn’t
convinced himself. And if he dared to look beyond the bistro, to one day opening his own restaurant, he would need to convince
someone to invest in it . . .
He heaved out a sigh, the thought too heavy for a sunny day on the water. Instead of pondering the future, he allowed his
gaze to drift up the beach to the slender figure in the plain black bikini. A woman he’d just shared the most devastating
kiss of his life with.
“Which one are you checking out?”
With a guilty start, he snapped his attention back to packing away the leftovers. “I’m making sure they’re enjoying themselves.”
Luca laughed. “Right. I’ve got my eyes on the redhead, Chloe. Seems like a good laugh, and she’s rocking that string bikini.”
“You know the hotel rules.” Yeah, he was a hypocrite, but he was here for only three more weeks and no stranger to breaking
rules. Luca was here for the whole summer, and while he might talk big, he was a good kid at heart.
“They can’t stop me looking.”
He flashed Connor a grin and Connor laughed. “Right. Why don’t you let them know we’ll need to set off in about ten minutes.
Oh, and Luca?” he added as the man began to walk away. “Make sure that looking doesn’t cross the line into ogling.”
Once again, Connor’s eyes strayed to the ponytailed woman in the black bikini. Yep, definitely a hypocrite.
The boat got underway again, and, clearing up completed, Connor set off to join Ned and Luca on the bridge. As he walked past
the sundeck, Chloe called him over.
“Come and join us.” She pointed to the spare seat and gave him a flirty smile.
He knew, because he couldn’t help but keep track of her, that Olivia was sitting downstairs with Ashley and Jessica. Still,
figuring it was more fun than being with the guys, he changed direction and joined Chloe and her friends.
“Tell us more about yourself,” Chloe said as he sat down. “Aside from being an awesome chef, obviously.”
“Yeah, the food today has been legit the best I’ve eaten in ages,” Sophie added, and the others all shouted their agreement.
He wasn’t going to lie, the praise felt good. Really fucking good. “Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.”
“So, come on, we want to know more about the hot chef.” Chloe waggled her eyebrows. “You’re clearly English.”
He laughed. “What gave it away?”
“Not the potbelly or the sunburn, that’s for sure,” one of the other girls said dryly—he thought her name was Nicole. “You’re
really hot.”
He smiled his thanks, enjoying the boost to his ego, which had taken a hit since he’d been turned down by the woman he’d just
spotted climbing the stairs with her sisters.
“Are you single?” Sophie asked.
“Wouldn’t have asked your aunt out if I weren’t.” He was aware Olivia could now overhear everything he said, even though she
seemed to be stuck in a protracted discussion with her sisters about where they were going to sit.
“You prefer older women, then, huh?” Chloe pouted. “That’s not fair on us youngies.”
“I don’t have a preference. Age doesn’t matter to me.” He forced himself not to turn and look at Olivia. He’d said his piece.
The next move, if it came, had to be hers.
“So how come you’re in Nantucket?” Gabrielle asked. He remembered her name because she always wore really bright colors. The
other end of the spectrum to Olivia.
Stop thinking of her.
“I’m here for a month,” he told Gabrielle. “Learning new cooking techniques from Chef Felix.”
“That’s what you do in England, then, work in a hotel kitchen?” Sophie again.
“No, I work in a small restaurant, the Palm Bistro in Chiswick. I want to learn to be a better chef, though, open my own place
one day.” Ten years. Ellie would be eighteen. Enough time to have planned it out, secured the finances. And to feel like a
chef and not a bartender masquerading as a chef.
“But surely there are loads of places where you can learn new techniques,” Gabrielle argued. “You don’t have to come all the
way out here.”
“My boss back home trained with the head chef here, so I had an easy in. But I also like New England–style cooking.”
“I’d have thought foodwise, America was very similar to the UK.”
He glanced round at the sound of Olivia’s voice. Looks like they’d decided to join them. Her choice? Or persuaded by her sisters?
“Sure, compared to Asia or Europe, American food is similar to the UK’s, but I hope the lunch today showed you that New England
food has its own distinct flavors. The emphasis is on fresh ingredients and simple seasoning to let the flavors come through.
There’s also a tradition to the cooking—some of it, like steaming, boiling, and stewing, comes from our own English techniques.”
He swallowed, hoped she couldn’t hear the thump of his heart. “I want to bring that New England flavor to the UK in my own
restaurant. A slice of New England in old England.”
Ashley and Jessica murmured their approval but Olivia . . . frowned. “That could work, as an idea,” she said carefully. “But
would it be financially sensible? When people think New England, they mainly think seafood, especially lobster and clams.
They’re plentiful out here, but back home—”
“Liv, stop.” Ashley put up her hand. “Turn your brain off for once and just appreciate the concept like a normal person. I’m
sure when the time comes, Connor will work out the details.”
He pushed a grateful smile out, but inside, his stomach dropped. What the hell was he thinking, mentioning his poorly thought-out
plan to someone as smart as her? Abruptly he stood up. “I’m going to check in with the guys. Enjoy the rest of your trip.
We’ll be heading round Eel Point soon. You’ll get some great views of Tuckernuck Island.”
He started off toward the bridge.
“Hey, Connor, before you go.” He turned to find Sophie giving him a sweet smile. “We’re heading to the Gaslight later. Do
you know it?”
“Sure. One of the best party venues on the island, live bands, big dance floor, lots of energy.” He forced a smile, though
inside all he wanted to do was get away and nurse his damaged ego in private. “You’ll enjoy it.”
“If you fancy joining us for a bit of dancing, it’d be great to see you. And Luca and Ned,” she added quickly.
“Thanks, I’ll let them know.”
He turned to go, and his gaze collided with Olivia’s, who looked pensive. Probably working out how to get out of tonight without
hurting her niece’s feelings.
Was it worth rushing through the rest of his shift, the station cleaning, prepping for tomorrow’s menu, and potentially risking
Felix’s wrath, just on the outside chance of bumping into a woman whose interest in him was lukewarm at best?