Summer at the Heartbreak Cafe: Summer Sweet Romance (Lakeview Contemporary Romance Book 0) by Melissa Hill Page B

still, revelling in the feel of his strong hand brushing against her skin.
    He ran his hand all the way to her lips then took it back.
    “You had something on your cheek,” he said, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
    “A piece of pasta?”
    Sam nodded furiously. “Yes, that’s it.”
    They exchanged light banter during dinner, and oscillated between serious conversation and flirting.
    “Have you thought further about that tourist guide training?” Sam said, when he brought dessert to the table.
    Nina ignored his question and exclaimed over the dessert. It looked very familiar.
    “Before you ask, yes it’s Colm’s Twix cake and I got it from the cafe. I should have known you’d recognise it immediately.”
    “It’s OK, I love Twix cake.”
    Besides, Nina thought to herself, it would kill off the garlic taste in her mouth from the lemon pasta.
    “I’m still waiting for your answer,” Sam said, looking at her with his dark eyes.
    “What question?”
    “Tour guide training.” Sam said patiently.
    “I’ve been so busy that I haven’t given it further thought,” Nina said, knowing she was lying.
    Other than Sam, she had thought of little else. She knew that by not thinking about going back to work proper when Patrick was in school that she was being a coward, and that was not who she was. If she put her mind to it, she could do it.
    “You’re lying,” Sam said.
    “I am too,” Nina confirmed with a laugh, “The truth is that I’m still thinking about it.”
    “Don’t think too much, just do it,” Sam said, and Nina thought that this could be applied to more than just her future career.
    “Yes sir.”
    They finished dessert, and she was surprised when Sam walked to the stereo and put on some music.
    He chose a soft ballad, and he came back and took her hand.
    Happily, Nina stood up and was enclosed in his arms. He was taller than her by two inches or so, her head coming to his shoulder.
    After a little while, as their bodies swayed to the music in perfect sync, their gazes met and when Sam slowly lowered his face to Nina’s, everything faded to the background.

    I t was morning , Nina could tell even before she opened her eyes.
    The atmosphere had changed, and already she could feel the warmth of the sun on her eyes. She thought of how the night with Sam had ended.
    ‘What are you smiling at?” a gravelly voice said then.
    Nina’s eyes flashed open. Sam was propped up on his hand, looking adoringly at her. “I thought you were still asleep,” she said accusingly.
    “How can I sleep and miss watching you pretend to sleep,” he said and kissed her forehead.
    Nina burrowed herself happily into his chest and arms. She had missed the touch of a man, and so much else, she thought. It had been over five years since she’d broken up with Patrick’s father.
    A fling , she reminded herself, as once again she relished the feeling of being in Sam’s arms. These things happened the world over between people thrown together for short periods.
    Just a summer fling, Nina repeated again in her head like a mantra, willing herself not to wish for anything more.

27
    L akeview had worked its magic again, Ella thought, as she peeked at the couple on the corner table holding hands.
    Nowadays Marianne and Donal only had eyes for each other. And these were people who had spent the last week exchanging harsh words.
    She was glad to see that the couple had worked out their problems. She was manning the fort today, as Nina was off. She picked up a cloth and wiped down a table that had just been vacated.
    “Ella.” A voice called out. It was Marianne. She was alone at the table. Ella smiled at her and from the corner of her eye, she saw Donal disappear towards the bathroom.
    “Good to see you two looking so happy,” she smiled.
    “I just wanted to say thank you for all your help. The last week has been amazing for us.” Marianne said. “Talking with you opened up my eyes to a lot of things. It was my fault as