Darcy was so gorgeous when he came. I’d be playing the sounds he made in my head for years.
I could still hear them now as I looked at him sitting on the other side of the booth, his tongue poking out as he looked at the laminated menu, twisting a few strands of golden hair in his fingers. The loose T-shirt he’d chosen skimmed over his frame, almost making him look like he should be in some sort of ad for one of those fancy designers who charged sixty quid for a T-shirt and two hundred quid for a pair of jeans.
“Had any thoughts about what you want?” I asked, already knowing I wanted coffee, orange juice, and a breakfast burrito with a side of home fries, because I was craving something salty, spicy, and crispy. I’d kind of made up my mind before we’d even arrived, but I wasn’t in any rush. I wanted Darcy to take his time and enjoy himself.
“Hmm, it’s a toss-up between the French toast, the blueberry pancakes, or the breakfast special,” he said, his eyes roaming across the menu as he spoke. “I wouldn’t make any of them at home, but I’m not sure if I want sweet or savoury. I mean, I love sweet food but what if it’s too sweet, you know? What if I need something savoury too?”
“The pancakes come with crispy bacon,” I said. “And I’m going to get a side of home fries if you wanted to share them? They’re like these awesome little fried potato cubes with paprika, cayenne pepper, onion, a bit of garlic. They’d be perfect if you need something to cut through the sweetness.”
“Ohh, they do sound amazing. Okay, pancakes it is then.” He grinned at me as he put the menu down. “Luckily I’m not sure blueberry pancake will really translate into an ice cream flavour, so I don’t have to worry about my brain fixating on that for the next hour.”
I chuckled softly, gently sliding my leg out to brush my foot against his. “And we already have several flavours in the works, with even more lined up for testing.”
“True. I really don’t need to add anything more to my plate.”
“No, you don’t.”
He nodded, his smile softening as he hooked his foot around mine. “I appreciate you calling me out. Or at least, trying to keep me honest.”
“I know it’s tough, trying to get the balance right with life and work, especially when you’re running your own business. But you deserve a life that’s more than work, Darcy. You need things that make your soul sing.”
“What if that thing is ice cream?”
“Then you have to find a way to make it about doing it for the love of it, not work. But also, I do think you need something outside of ice cream too, since you turned it into an awesome business.”
“I thought the advice was do what you love, then you’ll never work a day in your life?” he asked, the little glint in his eye suggesting even he knew that was bullshit.
“No, they only say that so you’ll work more. Capitalism will squeeze you for everything you’ve got.”
“And then some,” Darcy said. He gazed out of the window for a moment, watching people in the street. “I guess your hobbies are swimming? And surfing?”
“Yeah, and I like paddleboarding and kite surfing too—anything that gets me out on the water. Cooking, obviously. And getting tattooed, but I’m not sure if you’d count it as a hobby.”
Darcy chuckled. “Maybe? It’s something you enjoy doing, so I guess it counts.”
“In which case, we’re totally counting having sex as a hobby too,” I said, lowering my voice and leaning across the table. His hand was still resting by the menu, and I casually intertwined my fingers with his. “Because I really enjoy making you come, angel.”
Darcy’s face flushed bright pink, his eyes widening as he glanced around in case anyone else had heard what I’d said. “Owen! You can’t say that,” he hissed.
“Why not? It’s the truth.”
“Because… because…” He opened his mouth a couple of times, but nothing came out.
So, of course, Louise picked that moment to come over and take our order, smiling warmly at both of us. “What can I get you, boys?”
I smiled charmingly, casually releasing Darcy’s hand so I didn’t make him uncomfortable. “I don’t think anyone’s called me that in a while.”
“Anyone younger than thirty-five is always going to be a boy to me,” Louise said with a wink. She studied the pair of usclosely, paying particular attention to Darcy. “You run LickIt!, don’t you? Down on Saltgate. I thought I recognised you.”
“Yeah, I do,” Darcy said, the relief evident on his face as he snapped into professional mode. “It’s myself and two friends, then Owen here is one of our fabulous chefs.”
“We love your stuff. That strawberry and cream is perfection. And the lemon curd! I think I could eat it by the bucket. You don’t happen to sell tubs do you?”
“Not yet, but it’s one thing I’ve been considering,” Darcy said smoothly. “I need to look at our infrastructure and see whether it’s feasible, especially since we’re quite a small kitchen. But it’s good to know it’s something people want.”
“Well, if you ever have them, I’ll be first in line.” She smiled warmly and we both returned it, but inside I was cursing. Because while producing ice cream tubs might be a good commercial suggestion, I was trying to convince Darcy to work less, and that wasn’t going to help. If he decided it was something he wanted to do, he’d plaster himself to the kitchen until he figured out how to make it work.
And there weren’t enough hours in the day for him to do that and live.
