The Devil She Knew(22)

And maybe, once she'd built a reputation, she'd start a catering business of her own.

"So how are we going to get off this boat?" she asked him.

He glanced over the smooth sea. "With no wind we can't sail anywhere,  and with no power I can't radio the Coast Guard. But they'll come and  check on us anyway, I'm sure."         

     



 

Fingers crossed. As much as she'd enjoyed herself on board the yacht, it was time for it to end.

Only, looking at Nate, that thought stabbed her with regret.

She'd miss him, that was for sure. And who would have thought she'd miss Nate Mason?

It was a good thing the yacht's steering had broken. If it hadn't, she  wouldn't have got to spend time with him. And worse, she would never  have known what she'd missed out on.

Life sure had a weird sense of humor.

"I'll throw a line over the side and catch some fish for dinner," said  Nate. "You think you can work some of your magic on it if I get some?  Wave your wand and make it taste like angel food?"

She laughed, warmth spreading through her chest even as another slim  blade of regret jabbed her through the heart. "Abracadabra," she said.





14





Much to her satisfaction, Suzie was the one who caught the biggest fish.

Cooking it, she experimented some more with flavors she wouldn't  otherwise have tried. The lime cordial that had made the calamari taste  so good turned into a delicious flavor glaze when she mixed it with  chili and soy sauce, and stirred in a spoonful of sweet jelly.

She fried one piece of fish with dried herbs and garlic. She dipped  another into her beer batter, tried a wine marinade, and even attempted  to make a mustard paste taste good. That last experiment was the only  one she could call a failure. The rest she arranged on plates like she  had the squid.

"Smells like heaven," said Nate. He hadn't managed to find a sock big  enough for a whole bottle of wine, so she'd donated a pair of leggings  and he'd tied off one leg. Now he pulled the bottle of wine out of the  wet leggings and felt it. "The pinot grigio has a definite chill."

They sat in the cockpit so they could admire the spectacular sunset  while they ate, and Suzie knew she'd never forget this meal. Right now,  she wasn't even upset about missing another flight. Her heart ached with  the beauty of the sunset's reds and yellows reflected in the still  ocean. In front of them were the dishes she'd prepared, smelling and  looking good enough that she was proud of what she'd managed to achieve.

And across from her sat Nate, his posture relaxed. His t-shirt was taut  across his muscled chest and biceps, and she felt a secret thrill each  time those impressive muscles flexed. His eyes were warm and when he  gave her his crooked smile, she felt it all the way to her toes.

"I can't wait a moment longer to taste this." Nate leaned forward and  took a portion of the fish she'd coated with the lime and soy sauce  concoction. He closed his eyes as he chewed, then groaned with pleasure.  "Up until now, the squid was the best thing I'd ever eaten." He took  another piece. "This might be even better. It's a close competition, but  that sauce is incredible. What's in it?"

"It's a secret," she said smugly. She knew she was a good cook, but his  praise still made her happy enough she could have done a little dance.  "You can't expect me to give away all my tricks."

"Seriously, you should open your own restaurant." He scooped another big  serve onto his plate. "You're a genius. A natural-born culinary genius,  and your talent shouldn't be wasted."

She blinked, taken aback. Had Nate ‘Milhouse' Mason, the guy she'd  envied because he was so smart, just called her a genius? She took a sip  of her wine to hide the sudden laugh that wanted to fly from her mouth,  the laugh that just as quickly wanted to turn into stinging tears. If  only he knew the truth. What would he say if he knew she was a high  school dropout?

He frowned. "Suzie, are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm fine." She shook her head. What was wrong with her? How crazy  to get so upset over a casual remark, and a compliment at that. It had  been a figure of speech for heaven's sake. "Sorry, I just … " Her voice  trailed off as she remembered Nate's motto. No apologies no regrets.  She'd thought the motto sounded arrogant, but maybe there was something  to it. Why was she apologizing? And why the hell did it bother her so  much that she hadn't graduated high school? It was none of his business.  Only …  she wanted to tell him. More than anything, she wanted to blurt  out the truth.

If he looked at her with contempt, or pity, she'd just have to deal with  it. And nothing he could say would be worse than what she'd said to  herself over the years. Why hadn't she done the exam at a community  college by now? Enough already. She was going to book in for remedial  classes as soon as she got home, and too bad if she was the oldest one  in the classroom. It was about time she passed that stupid exam and put  her secret shame behind her for good.         

     



 

"Suzie?"

"Which plate of fish do you like best?" She changed the subject away  from her sudden mood swing. She had to get a grip. Could the wine be  going to her head already?

"All of it." He heaped another spoonful of fish onto his plate. "You'd  better make sure you get enough to eat before I finish the lot."

She smiled, absurdly pleased that she'd finally made the decision to sit  the high school exam again. This time she'd study her butt off and make  sure she passed with flying colors. "I have plenty, so go ahead. And  there must be one you prefer."

"All the different ways you've cooked it are delicious, but the one with  that amazing lime flavor tastes like an angel singing a hymn in my  mouth." He took another bite and sighed. "Flights of angels," he  corrected. "And an orchestra to back them up."

She laughed. "You're exaggerating. Besides, it's easy to make fish taste good when it's that fresh."

"No, it's not." He put his hand over hers, suddenly serious. "Don't sell  yourself short, Suzie, or pretend this is just an ordinary meal. I  meant it when I said you should open your own restaurant. Serve this,  and you'll have people queuing to get in."

The weird feeling of not knowing whether to laugh or cry swept over her  again. Hell, she should just tell him. Too bad if he laughed at her or  pitied her.

She took a big gulp of wine, then dragged in a deep breath. "I have a  confession to make. I lied to you." He raised his eyebrows, still  chewing, and she plowed on. "The catering business isn't really mine. It  belongs to my friend Marianna. She did me a favor giving me work when I  didn't have any cooking qualifications. Or any qualifications at all,  really. Friday's wedding is the first job she's letting me do on my own,  and that's only because she's going away for a long weekend."

He swallowed his mouthful and looked like he wanted to say something, so  she held up a hand to stop him. Easier to get it all out at once.

"Nate, I'm not clever like you and Laura. Well, I'm sure you know that already."

Her voice cracked, surprising her. She wasn't that close to tears, was  she? No, she refused to cry. She couldn't show him what a deeply  sensitive confession this was. Act casual, Suzie. It's no big deal.

"What you probably don't know, is that I failed high school. The rest of  my class graduated and I stayed home, pretending I didn't care." She  had to brace herself to say the worst bit. "Laura graduated a year  early, of course. With my class. She was up there instead of me, getting  the certificate that should have been mine."

She tried to keep any trace of bitterness from her voice and didn't  quite succeed. But it wasn't Laura she was mad with, only herself. If  only she hadn't let her sister's achievements get to her, she might have  done okay at school.

"Laura was valedictorian. She got a scholarship to Harvard and I don't  have my high school diploma." Suzie forced herself not to drop her gaze,  though it took an effort of will. "Anyway, you say I should open my own  restaurant, but the truth is, I don't have the confidence. It sounds  silly, but all my life I've known I wasn't smart enough to understand  the things that came so easily to you and Laura."

He put his fork down, frowning. "Suzie, who cares if you didn't pass an  exam? You've got street smarts which are better than anything you can  get out of a book. You're clever, anyone can see that, and capable too.  You're also brave, and wild, and beautiful."

She snorted, ignoring how that last bit made her feel better. "Come on.  You probably could have passed all the high school exams in the ninth  grade."

"I might have done well in school, but I didn't graduate college. I dropped out after my first year."

She blinked, surprised. "You did? Why?"

"Because finishing my degree didn't matter to me. What good are  certificates? You don't need a piece of paper to tell you how smart you  are, or what you can do."