Page 46

Sam shrugged. “What can I say? I love cooking, especially simple dishes with loads of flavour. Dad wasn’t the best cook growing up. Mum was amazing, and he tried to do his best…”

Taylor gave her a pitying smile.

“I pretty much took over after a few years when I was older and could make more than just pancakes and spaghettibolognese.” She pierced the last few bits in her bowl. “I had Mum’s recipe books, so I’d pick out the ones I remembered and make Dad shop for the ingredients. We’d cook them together, and that worked so much better.”

“Sounds like you and your dad make quite the team.”

“‘You and me against the world, and Mum watching over us both,’” she mimicked her dad, a line they’d shared a thousand times over the years.

“Aww, that’s really beautiful.” Taylor put her dishes down beside her and gave Sam’s knee a gentle squeeze.

“Yeah, it always made me feel better. I remember so many nights spent on his boat. We’d be up on deck like this, and he’d ask,‘Where’s the brightest star?’ I took my job very seriously. I’d look and look, pointing when I found it, and we’d shout together, ‘There she is!’.”

“Your dad sounds like an amazing guy. I wish my dad was as caring and thoughtful.”

“You haven’t talked about your parents much.”

“Not a lot to say really. They are…”

Sam waited as Taylor’s brows furrowed.

“…not the kind of people I want to be around,” she finished. “They’re selfish people through and through, on the rougher side of life. More interested in themselves than raising a kid. We almost seemed to be in mutual agreement when I moved to the other side of town. We still text on birthdays, that sort of thing, but that’s about it.”

Sam was gobsmacked. “I can’t even imagine… to have those who raised you not care like that.”

Taylor shrugged. “I’m just glad I left, took control of my life, and never looked back. Best decision I ever made for myself.”

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“Now there’s a simpler ‘get to know you’ question,” Taylor said, bumping Sam’s shoulder with a wry smile. “It’s just me.”

“How did we get from cooking to another D&M on family again?” Sam scrunched her nose and squinted out of one eye. “It was me, wasn’t it?”

“Yep,” Taylor replied with a pop.

Sam gathered up their dishes. “Right, well, let me clear this up and think of someactuallyeasy questions. Another drink?”

“I better not; I drove here tonight. Well, notherehere.” She laughed, gesturing at the water that surrounded them and shook her head. “Ah, you know what I mean.”

Sam bit her lip as an idea sprung to mind.

“Soooo… question.”

Taylor raised an eyebrow.

“As it’s a pretty calm night, would”—she cleared her throat—“would you want to stay on the boat overnight?” She hated that she almost squeaked out the last word.

She saw Taylor physically swallow and tried not to let her eyes trail down her throat at the movement, down to—she flicked her eyes back up.What are you doing?The air seemed charged at what she originally meant as an innocent question amongst…friends?She had no bloody idea now.

A smile spread across Taylor’s face, replacing the serious moment.

“Hell yeah! Do you know how long I’ve wanted to sleep on a boat at sea? I’ve worked on them enough times and only ever slept in my van on my big road trip.”

“Well tonight’s your lucky night!”

She realised what she’d said too late, the double meaning hanging in the air between them.

“That’s what she said,” Taylor said with a wink.