Page 61 of The Chef

“For helping,” he replies. “For doing this, and the menu, and the cooking.”

“You would be pretty helpless in that kitchen without me.”

He laughs. “I’m sure I would be.”

“And thank you,” I say. Cliff tilts his head back at me, curious. “For saving me from that man the other day.”

“No problem,” he replies. “I didn’t like how he was zooming in on my territory. Only I can abuse Rockpool’s waitresses.”

This time it was my turn to laugh.

He’s not too bad.

There’s more to Cliff than I first thought there was, back at the bank the first day we met. There’s more to him. Something hidden under his cocky aggressive attitude. Something approaching kindness.

And he’s also pretty damn funny.

I know something’s hurt him in the past, something to do with his ex-girlfriend. Maybe that’s why he was so defensive the first few times we met, and now, with the kiss we shared, I’m getting a better picture of what might’ve been going through his head.

“Um,” I start to say as we paint, but Cliff interrupts me.

“I know what you’re going to say.”

“What?”

“You want to talk about that kiss.”

He’s being blunt.

“Yes.” I try to appear unfazed by the turn in our conversation, but my wavering voice betrays me.

We’re actually talking about it.

This is what I came back here to do.

“Look, that was a mistake.”

I shrug. “I don’t think it was.”

“You don’t think so?” he asks.

“No.”

Cliff exhales. There’s a little bit of blue paint on his nose, and he’s completely unaware of it. Makes him look cute. “Me neither. I don’t know why I said I thought it was.”

“We don’t have to talk about this,” I reply. “We can just put it behind us if you’d like.”

Cliff takes in a deep breath. “I just want to say that there’s been a reason why I was treating you like a dick, and it’s only taken me till today - until that kiss - to fully realize why I was acting in such a stupid way.”

“What reason?”

Cliff’s dark brown eyes find mine. I melt under his intense glare. “I like you, Bay. That’s the reason. I was intimidated by you, and by what I felt towards you. Because of that, I acted like a total dick.”

I move towards him. He seems so exposed, so vulnerable. So serious and sincere. It’s so addictive to see. This big, tall man reduced to a nervous wreck because he’s talking to me and about how much he likes me.

I’m making him feel this.

The cocky and so-sure-of-himself Cliff Finn is exposing his heart to me.