Love Caters All by Nicci Carrera

Author:Nicci Carrera [Carrera, Nicci]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Contemporary, Small Town
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2014-07-27T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Maya loved The Cliffside, with its green awning, white tablecloths, and formal waiters. Their table had a view over all of Lobster Cove. Boat lights scattered diamonds on indigo water. Lights in the buildings on the opposite side of the harbor, including the giant McClintock mansion, winked on. At their table, the candle’s flame cast soft yellow pools on the cloth, while the scent of melting wax added to the homey ambiance. The first course was an exquisite shrimp cocktail…for her at least! Rick enjoyed rocket salad.

“I can’t believe you are allergic to shellfish,” Maya said.

“Hey…it happens. I’m from an inland people.”

“Really? What is your background?”

“African, to begin with.”

“Okay, Mister, we can all say that. Depending on what you believe. Let’s stick to a little more recent history, shall we? Tell me about your family.”

“Not much to tell. There’s just me.”

She pinned him with a stern gaze. “Rick.”

He shrugged. “My dad is dead. My mom split years ago. No siblings.”

Her heart squeezed. She wasn’t fooled by his casual inventory of his family. She may get angry with her sisters sometimes, the house may be too small for so many women sometimes, but they all loved each other. Not that she took family for granted. She had already learned that lesson. The hard way. “Is that why you like my family?”

Rick took a sip of wine. “Partly. I never had a mother like yours. Not that I see Pilar as a mother. I’m trying to help her see herself differently, actually. But your family is not why I like you. So let’s talk about you, shall we?”

A rush of emotions blew her thinking circuits. He liked her family. He had his own separate relationship with her mother. He liked her independently of all those things. What was the last part? “What would you like to know?”

“Why didn’t you go to college?”

She was ready for this one. “Because I went to cooking school.”

“Why did you go to cooking school?”

Maya took a deep breath. “I needed to get a degree that would lead to income. I wanted the twins to go to college. Mama couldn’t afford it on her own. Though there was the possibility of the McClintock Scholarship, as there is for everyone in Lobster Cove, it doesn’t pay for everything.”

“Why did you want them to go to college more than yourself?”

Rick’s question came too close to home. Maya stared at her plate. Shame warred with pride in her chest. Honesty won out. She met his gaze. “Because they have more potential.”

“Bullshit!”

Rick’s outburst drew attention from a group at the bar. His reaction wasn’t surprising to Maya, though. Of course he wouldn’t like what she had to say. Too bad. It was the truth. “They’re brilliant.”

“So are you.”

She snorted. “Thank you. I have common sense.”

“A lot more than that. Don’t sell yourself short.”

She met his searing gaze. Held it. “I have to learn everything the hard way.”

Rick’s hard mouth shaped into a protest.

“Is that Rick Nordan?” came a shrill female voice at three o’clock.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.