His Love Read Online Free PDF Page B

it doesn’t.”
    He followed her up the block to what looked like a large white house, with both stairs and a ramp for handicapped access. The line of people was long, and she tugged him along to stand at the back of it.
    “Be right back,” she said, and walked away.
    He noticed he was more dressed than most of the others, many of whom looked like they’d come straight off the beach, still in their swimsuits or with T-shirts thrown over them. Buckets of brightly colored flowers hung from unseen hooks, adding splashes of color against the plain white wood. The small, white plastic tables and chairs on the front wooden deck were all already filled with customers, eating what looked to be delicious food on paper plates, and using plastic utensils. It was definitely casual, as he’d requested. The air hummed with the quiet chatter of patrons and old time swing music that played softly from a hidden sound system.
    Toni returned to his side within a minute.
    “Crowded,” he remarked. “Don’t know that we’ll find a seat.”
    “There’s a big deck out back,” she said. “Right on the bay. If we’re lucky, we’ll find a table there.” She handed him a folded piece of pink paper. “This is the menu. The line moves pretty fast, so you can decide what you want beforehand. We order it up at the window—” she pointed to the front of the line, where two girls were taking orders—“then we wait ’til our number is called and they give us our food.”
    “Got it.”
    “It’s not fancy here,” she said, sweeping her curls back from her face, “but it’s got some of the best seafood around, I swear. And eating outside is just nice.”
    “I trust you.” He smiled, and scanned over the paper in his hands. “Wow,” he said. “They’ve got good choices.”
    “Yup.” She edged closer to him to peek at the menu. Her shoulder pressed against his arm lightly, and her nearness made his skin heat. Then he caught her scent, light and floral, and his blood started to hum and pulse through his veins. She made his head swim with longing and plain old lust.
    “Do you like baked clams, or fried calamari, or shrimp cocktail?” she asked, looking up at him with no idea that her closeness was unleashing chaos in his body. “We could split that as an appetizer, if you wanted, then each order our own dinner.”
    Clearing his dry throat, he managed, “I like ’em all. You pick.”
    Twenty minutes later, they were seated at a tiny table by the railing of the back deck, sharing a shrimp cocktail. The shrimp were fresh, and Gavin noted the high quality of the food for such a small, casual place. Before Toni was a plate of grilled salmon with rice; Gavin had gone for the fried combo platter. Fried shrimp, clams, scallops, and flounder sat atop a bed of French fries.
    “This is amazing,” he said as he ate. “The food is delicious, and being right out on the water like this… it’s grand. Thanks for bringing me.”
    “Glad you like the food. I cooked all day,” she joked. She lifted her large plastic cup full of Sam Adams and tapped it to his. “To a nice evening.”
    He blinked, then smiled softly. God, she was lovely. He lifted his cup. “Sláinte mhaith,” he said before sipping.
    “Means ‘good health’, right?” she said. “I’ve heard your sister say it many times.”
    “She’s a good girl,” he grinned.
    “I know there are eight of you.” Toni picked up her napkin, wiped her fingers, then took her plastic fork and knife to her salmon. “That had to be wild growing up.”
    “Aye, it was.” Gavin grinned wryly as he set down his beer. “I’m the sixth of the eight. Four boys, four girls. Pure chaos.”
    “But interesting, I’ll bet.” She took a bite of salmon.
    “Aye, true enough.” He laughed low. “We all survived. There were tough times, sure, but a lot of love there.”
    “Your mother should be commended,” Toni remarked.
    “My mother should be sainted!” Gavin laughed. “You have