Page 52 of The Last Goodbye

My gaze moved to his forearm, where the ink was now exposed.

He turned his head, eyes locking with mine as a sexy smile spread across his handsome face. He pulled his arm down quickly and leaned closer, his lips grazing the shell of my ear as he spoke. “I’ll trade you. If you want to know what it says, tell me what you were going to say to me this morning at the restaurant.”

“You’re blackmailing me now?” I feigned annoyance, but I was definitely not annoyed.

“I’m not above a little blackmail, Magpie.”

“Well, if you want to know anything, I suggest you find a new nickname. Calling me a dirty bird is not going to get you anything.” I raised a brow in challenge.

“You clearly haven’t studied your birds.” He moved closer once again, his warm breath tickling the sensitive area below my ear. “Magpies are highly intelligent, social, and loyal birds, and they’ve got a real zest for life. You know, they’re even considered the bird world’s most misunderstood genius.”

My stomach fluttered, and my breaths were coming faster now.

The man hadn’t touched me, but the feel of his lips against my ear had me all flustered.

And the fact that I was reacting this way while being compared to a bird?

Get yourself together, girl.

I pulled back to look at him. “Thanks for the fun facts.”

“Anytime.”

I exhaled. The man was suddenly making me nervous. I was far more comfortable with him when he was insulting me or picking a fight. “I need to get going. I have to get up early tomorrow morning.”

He looked disappointed, and I almost laughed because I loved how badly he wanted to know what I was going to say to him earlier.

“Got it.” He turned his attention back to the table and reached for his bottle.

And something in me tugged. I should’ve just let that be the end of it. Should’ve let the moment pass.

But I didn’t move away.

Didn’t want to, either.

The night felt too good, too easy, too right.

The idea of walking off and leaving it behind didn’t sit quite right in my chest.

Maybe I just didn’t want the conversation to end.

Maybe I don’t want him to end it.

I flicked him in the shoulder, and he gaped at me, which made me laugh. “I’ll trade you secrets if you walk me home.”

His tongue swiped out along his bottom lip before he finished off his beer and set the bottle down. He gave me a quick nod and turned to his friends. “See you tomorrow, boys.”

I said my goodbyes to the group and hugged both Gracie and Tatum, who mouthed for me to text them later.

I started walking toward my house.

And the sexy chef walked right beside me.

“You know I would have walked you home even if you didn’t offer up any secrets,” he said, glancing over at me as we strode side by side.

A light breeze caused the trees to bustle around us. The sounds of crickets chirping in the distance and the water splashing against the shore were so peaceful as we walked along a path beside Blue Sky Lake.

“What I was going to say this morning is that you truly are the best chef I’ve ever met. And I feel comfortable saying that, since I’ve spent many nights in your restaurant trying to talk to you and leaving without a conversation but a very content and full stomach.” I chuckled. “You are incredibly talented.”