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34
Chloe thanks the waitressas she places their lunch on the table in front of them. The fact she is completely engrossed in her lunch companion instead of listening to a word Chloe herself says is no surprise. If anything, Chloe is getting used to the attention Tate sometimes brings to their trips out. He wasn’t recognised every time, but it was definitely more often than not.
Although initially irked by the attention he was getting from people who could clearly see he was out with her, she had become strangely accustomed to it. Tate was polite and allowed photos and gave autographs, but as soon as he was done, his attention immediately swung back to her.
She stifles a yawn and looks out at the boats in the harbour as the waitress gushes over Tate. Her magnificent boyfriend had kept her up until the early hours and, after a long lie in, had continued to show her how much he missed her when they woke up. By the time they had finally left the bedroom, it was well past noon. Instead of his usual request for chips, he’d surprised her by suggesting they go to a restaurant for lunch.
The waitress finally finishes rearranging pretty much everything on the table. When Tate smiles and thanks her she blushes then backs away with a huge grin on her face.
‘I think you have a fan.’
He glances over his shoulder at the girl as she waves and blushes again. Tate nods to her and turns back to Chloe, his eyebrows raised. ‘Yeah. You might be right. She’ll get bored in a minute. So, you okay while I was gone? Was work good?’
She nods as she chews her sandwich. ‘Work is great. The kids are wonderful and so are the other teachers. It was nice to have something to occupy myself while I was eagerly waiting for you to grace me with your presence.’
‘Sincerest apologies for leaving you waiting. Did being at my place help or was it too far from work?’
‘It was fine. I have to admit, having use of your truck had its advantages.’ She frowns slightly at him. ‘Okay, out with it. I know that look. What’s wrong?’
He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and takes a deep breath. ‘Busted. Right, so I was thinking a lot while I was away. Not much else to do some days. Anyway, I... do you want to move in?’
‘To your house? With you?’
‘Well I’m not planning on moving out, so yeah, with me. I just thought it could work. I know it’s a bit of a longer commute to work for you, but you could take one of the spare rooms as your office. Take another for your art stuff. I don’t know. It was just an idea.’
She examines him over the rim of her cup as she sips her tea. ‘Are you really sure you want to share your personal space with someone?’
‘No. I want to share it with you. I want to come home from work and find you in my, I mean our, kitchen. I want to wake up beside you. I want to laze on the couch watching crap TV with you. I want you to offload on me if you have a bad day at work. I want to do online grocery shopping with you.’
She laughs at that one. ‘How romantic.’
‘I’m all about the romance.’ He reaches across the table and holds her hand. ‘Seriously though. I love you, Chloe. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. So, what do you reckon? You want to give it a shot?’
‘I’d love to give it a shot.’ She leans across the table and kisses him, much to the waitress’s obvious annoyance.
Tate reaches into this pocket and pulls out a set of keys and a control for the gate. ‘Better take these then.’
‘I already have a set of keys.’
‘No, you have the spare set. This is your set. Cut just for you.’
After lunch he takes her hand and walks back over to the bike. He looks down at his phone and curses. ‘What is it?’
