He split the food between two plates and drizzled the butter from the pan over them.
She picked up the plates. “Want to eat out in the dining room?”
“Nah. Let’s just eat here. It’s a little more private.” He gestured to the long stainless-steel workbench running down the center of the room. “You’re fun to be around, and I don’t want to share.”
Flutters pooled in her stomach. “No one has ever said that to me before.”
Zach paused, fork halfway to his mouth. “Really? None of your boyfriends told you that you’re fun?”
“I actually haven’t had many boyfriends.” The fan above the stove kicked on, its whir filling the silence between them. She traced a finger around the edge of her plate, catching an errant bit of sage.
“You’re good-looking, funny, and smart.” He jabbed his fork in the air to emphasize each point. “I find it hard to believe you didn’t have men knocking down your door.”
“I’ve kind of avoided being in a relationship.” Ava looked at the ceiling. Did she really want to drag all of this up? The ceiling didn’t offer any help. But if Zach could open up about his love life, she could too. “If you really want to know, I was engaged once too.” She took a huge bite and made a show of chewing.
“What happened?”
The sage turned bitter in her mouth. Elias. The lump of malfatti turned to mush, and she swallowed it. “Not much to tell. He strung me along for several years until I finally had the nerve to confront him about setting a date.” She closed her eyes for a moment, then stared at the table. She ran a finger through a drop of butter that had spilled, smearing it a few inches. “Elias led me on, always bragging about my job with the newspaper and bringing me to all his events.” She swirled the butter again. “I’d had doubts about him for a long time, but I didn’t listen to my gut. And then he proved that I was right all along. He said I was nice to have around and he liked me a lot, but he had no intentions of marrying me. That he wanted something different out of life. When I broke it off with him, he immediately got engaged to someone else. As far as I know, he’s never married.” She shrugged and then wiped her fingers on a napkin. “Since then, I haven’t seen the point of getting into a relationship. No one sticks around, anyway.” Her heart squeezed.
Zach stood and then pulled her to her feet. “C’mere.” He wrapped her in an embrace. He smelled like pine and pepper and a hint of lemon. She sank into his arms, resting her head on his chest, his chin tucked on the crown of her head. His heart beat a rhythm beneath her ear. “No one should have treated you that way.” His voice rumbled through her. “You are worthy of being loved and cherished.” His words resonated within her, deep and comforting. They spread to fill long-empty spaces in her heart.
She pulled back to look at him. “I could say the same about you, you know. The way your ex treated you was terrible. You deserve to find love and happiness.”
His gaze searched her face. She reached up and stroked an errant hair off his forehead. He glanced down at her lips. Her breath caught, her heart stumbling over its next beat. She tippedher face up. The air in the kitchen stilled as he dipped his face closer to hers. His arms tightened around her.
“Ava,” he murmured. Then, finally, his lips met hers.
Warmth bloomed in her chest. Zach kissed her as though she were something precious, something to linger over. His thumb traced a circle on her shoulder blade.
Forget belonging on the island, she was beginning to feel she belonged right here. In Zach’s arms.
He tasted of spice and browned butter. A flavor she associated with home.
She curled her fingers into the back of his shirt. Holding on as if he would fly away at any moment.
Because that’s what people did, right? Left her?
She broke contact with him, breathing hard.
He rested his forehead on hers.
“What are we doing?” There was no way this could work between them, right? “Just a week ago you hated me. Are we really trying to have a relationship?” She let go of his shirt and stepped back out of his arms.
“Ava, wait.” Zach reached his hand toward her, but she moved out of his reach. “I think with a little more time and…and…” He raised his hands, palm up. “I don’t know, the right ingredients for a relationship. We could really make something between us.”
She couldn’t help the smile. “Right ingredients? Once a chef, always a chef.”
“Guilty as charged.” He crossed his arms loosely. “What do you say? Want to give it a try?”
She crossed her arms, mimicking his stance. “Just what do you consider the right ingredients?”
“Off the top of my head? Spending time together. Extending understanding. Not betraying each other. Maybe followingthrough on promises?” He uncrossed his arms and counted them off on his fingers.
“That sounds like a pretty good list. I’d add finding things to agree on.” Picking up her purse from next to her, she pulled out her notebook and pen.
Zach laughed. “Is that a tiny notepad and minuscule pen? Really?”
She gave him a cheeky grin. “I’ve told you I always travel with paper.”
