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She chuckles. “Yep, and they turned out perfect.”
My mouth immediately waters when I see the guacamole she made. “I’m so relieved you know how to cook. Honestly, if I were here alone, I’d be living off tuna and Spam.”
She pretends to throw up in her mouth. “Spam? Disgusting.”
“Hey! It’s not so bad when you put it in a skillet and heat it up.”
Tatum holds up her hand to stop me from saying more. “The smell is enough to make me barf. Canned meat is a big no from me.”
“It’s a bachelor’s specialty. Ooh, you know what goes good with tacos?”
She shrugs.
“Mojitos.”
“Not sure I’ve had one before.”
My jaw drops. “What? Never? Okay, we’re going to change that right now.” I go to the liquor cabinet Piper had stocked and pull out the ingredients. Considering I grew up in a beach town, this drink is always paired with seafood. I have the recipe memorized.
I set the rum, mint syrup, lime juice on the counter, then grab some glasses and fill them with ice. After I pour the perfect drink, I give it a stir, then hand it to Tatum to sip.
“It’s missing one ingredient,” I admit.
“What’s that?”
“A mint leaf,” I tell her.
She snorts. “That sounded so pretentious.”
“I try,” I say with brows raised as she takes a sip.
“Okay, I think I’m in love,” she blurts out. “With a mojito,” she corrects.
“Not a bad thing to be in love with.” I make mine in the other glass. Once she’s made her tacos and added cheese, I grab everything and set it on the table.
Once it’s all laid out, I observe her brushing loose strands of hair from her face.
“You could be a chef. Look at this.”
“I’ve always loved to cook, but Justin loved the same meals so I never got to experiment.”
My face softens. “I love to eat, and I’m always down for trying anything you want to feed me. Otherwise, it’s Spam and cheese sandwiches.”
“Don’t mention that again. The visual has my stomach roiling.” She gags, and we sit.
I grab a few tacos, and she opens the chips.
“I read a funny surfing joke today,” Tatum says.
“Really?” I ask around a mouthful. “Tell me.”
“Okay, it’s corny, but I chuckled.” She takes a sip of her drink. “Why do surfers eat cold food?”
I shake my head, waiting for her answer.
“Because they hate microwaves.”
I nearly choke on a shrimp and clear my throat.
“Holy shit, are you okay?” she asks with worry in her eyes.
“Yes,” I say, sucking in air. “That one caught me by surprise, but it’s hilarious.”
She grins. “I was looking up surfing facts, and I saw that one on a forum. I usually suck at telling jokes, so I’m glad I didn’t ruin the punchline.”
“I think it did the job.”
She chews on her bottom lip. “Good thing I know how to do the Heimlich maneuver, thanks to my sister.”
“Oh yeah?” I ask, loving how she’s sharing so much about herself. Though we’ve been here for a while, I feel like she’s just started to share little things about herself she may have never shared without the fire. Guess I can be grateful that it brought us closer together, even if spending time together won’t last forever.
“One of Oakley’s friends nearly choked at a party. They didn’t know what to do, so she forced me to take a class with her. I didn’t want to go, but it’s a good skill to have. You never know when you’ll need to save someone’s life.”
“Do you know how to do CPR too?”
She nods. “Everyone should know those things just in case you need to use them.”
I pop a chip with chunky guacamole in my mouth, then notice Tatum finished her drink.
“Want another?”
“Absolutely. Keep ’em coming. I really like them!” Tatum says as I scoop up her glass. I chug mine and make us another round.
I return to the table with our fresh drinks and sit. “Be careful. They’ll sneak up on you.”
“Perfect. It’s been a while since I’ve had a buzz. Actually, I can’t remember the last time.”
“Then I’ll go heavy on the rum for the next one.”
She snickers. “I won’t complain.”
I finish my tacos, then snatch up another. Tatum does too. When we’re finished eating, I offer to clean up the mess and put everything away.
“Ooh, refill time,” I announce, quickly making and bringing her another. I barely feel anything, but I can tell Tatum is growing tipsy. She lifts it to her lips and chugs it down, then hands me the glass.
All I can do is laugh, but when I return, I hand her some water with her drink. “Don’t want you to feel like shit tomorrow.”
“That’s thoughtful. Thank you.”
I plop down in front of her. “So now that we’ve had dinner and drinks, what do you wanna do.”
Tatum looks at me with hooded eyes, and my cock springs to life. I have to remind myself that she’s my employee and not ready for any kind of relationship. I’ve always been intrigued by her, and I can never get her off my mind, even when she’s sitting right in front of me.
