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“Whiskey?” I ask.
She nods before she heads over to the bar at the other side of the room and I watch as she pours a couple of fingers into a glass. Her hips sway back and forth as she makes her way back towards me and I freeze with my fork halfway to my mouth. She’s so sexy and she’s not even trying to be. I wonder if she’s ever had a man between those creamy thighs of hers or if I would be the first.
And Only.
She slides my whiskey to me and I thank her before I take the first bite of my meal. The flounder is cooked to perfection and the vegetable du jour looks fresh and seasoned perfectly. I bite into the fish and moan at the rich flavor. My girl is talented.
Suddenly, my plans for this island have changed. There’s no way I would open my own restaurant here and be competition to my girl. I look around the café once again and I can see how I would change things. With my girl’s cooking and my skills running restaurants, we could make this place huge.
“This is delicious.” I tell her.
“Thanks.” She says with a smile as she wipes down the counter.
“What’s your name?” I ask.
She stares at me for a second, probably judging what the harm could be with telling me that information.
“Peyton.” She finally says as she heads back towards the kitchen door.
“Nice to meet you, Peyton. I’m Hunter Ellis.”
Her footsteps falter at my words and she turns back around.
“Hunter Ellis? The restauranteur?”
“Yeah.” I say with a smile.
“What brings you to Kiawah Island?”
“I was just checking out the island. I was thinking about opening a new restaurant here but I’m not sure that any chef I find could compete with you.”
She blushes at my words and my smile widens.
“How long have you been working here?”
“Since I was sixteen but I actually bought it with my best friend about six months ago. We run this place and we’re working on opening a bakery next door.”
I try to remember what the rest of this stretch of beach looked like but it was already getting dark when I headed down here.
“Impressive. You seem pretty young to have your own restaurant.” I say and I wonder if she’ll mind an age gap between us. I’m twenty-nine but I already know that nothing will stop me from claiming this girl.
“Yeah, I turn nineteen in another couple of weeks but we’ve always known that we wanted to be chefs. We spent our summers working in the café here and the diner on the island and saving up every penny so that we could buy this place. Harley and I always loved to cook and we spent every free second trying to perfect our craft. Our parents sent us to a couple of cooking camps when we were younger too but most of the recipes and techniques that we learned was from working here and watching YouTube videos.” She finishes with a laugh.
“Well, you’re doing great.” I say as I finish off the last of my meal.
“Thanks.” She says with a shy smile.
She comes over closer to me and clears away my plate and silverware while I finish the last of my whiskey. She carries everything back into the kitchen before she comes back out. A clap of thunder sounds from outside and we both turn to stare out the windows at the storm. It seems like it’s coming down even harder now and I wonder how I’m going to be able to make it all the way back to Charleston tonight.
I had parked my car in the center of town and strolled down the boardwalk, wanting to get a feel for the town. I know that I’m going to be soaked from the rain before I even get down the café’s front steps, let alone make it back to my car in the dark. I turn back to look at Peyton and she smiles at me.
“Did you want anything else to eat? Some dessert or another drink?”
My mind flashes to what she could mean by dessert and I shake my head when I realize that she’s probably not on the menu.
“No, I’m ok. Is there a cab company or something around here? I walked from my car and I’m not sure that I’ll make it back.” I say with a self-deprecating smile.
“I doubt that anyone is running with this storm going on.”
