I glance down at my plate and laugh. "Fish sticks and French fries? Baked beans too, huh? That's your grand meal that took so long to make."
"Yes, and you should be honored. I don't make panfried fish and chips for just anyone." He picks up my knife and fork, holding them up for me to take. "Traditionally, this would all be fried. But that makes such a ruddy mess that I started cooking the lot in a frying pan instead. Rick thought I was insane for trying that, but he's a convert now. I also make the best beans you'll ever taste."
"I saw you open the can. Your beans are store-bought."
"But I heated them up in the pan, so it's homemade. After a fashion." He squints at the food on my plate. "I've never cooked beans that way, so I can't swear they'll be as good as the fish and chips."
"I'm sure it's fine."
He stands there, leaning over the bar, with an expectant look on his face.
Okay, I guess he wants to watch me tasting the meal he made for me.
I cut a piece off one of the fish sticks and slide it into my mouth. While I chew, he watches me. Once I've finished my bite, I eat a French fry—a chip, that is—and then some beans. "Mm, very good. Thank you for making this, Nick."
His expression brightens. "You really liked it? You're not pretending so you won't hurt my feelings?"
"No, I like it. Mm, yummy."
"I had to go to three stores to find decent haddock."
"Didn't you buy frozen fish sticks and just heat them in the pan?"
One side of his mouth curls upward. "Yes, but I had a bloody hard time finding frozen fish sticks that didn't look they'd been regurgitated by a rat."
"Yech. Please don't talk that way while I'm eating."
"Sorry." He grabs his plate and joins me at the bar, sitting on the stool beside mine. "Tell me something about you, Siobhan. I know you have a charming daughter. Where's her father? It's not my business, I know, but I can't help being curious."
"Josh isn't in the picture, never has been." Why am I telling Nick this? Oddly, I feel like I need to tell him, and sharing that one tidbit of information has made me feel lighter somehow. "He left before I found out I was pregnant. I was working on my master's degree at the time, and Josh was a grad student too. I fell head over heels for him, but after we had sex, he announced he was leaving to study abroad. I never saw or heard from him again."
"Are you saying the bloke shagged you once and ran away?"
"Yep. I wasn't a virgin when I slept with him, but I was still kind of innocent. I didn't understand how callous men can be." I consume an entire fish stick in about five seconds, but pigging out doesn't make it any easier to reflect on those days. "Josh taught me that lesson. My parents helped out with raising Felicity so I could get my master's and my PhD. Mom and Dad retired to Florida five years ago. I'd been born and raised in Indiana, but I moved to New Mexico once I finished my doctorate. I was offered a position here as an assistant professor. Now I'm a full professor and tenured."
"That's impressive, Siobhan. You did all that while being a single mother."
"My parents helped. I can't take all the credit."
"Felicity is lovely. You should be proud of her."
"I am. She's my greatest accomplishment." I shove two fries in my mouth and chew them faster than I probably should. "I made sure to spend as much time with her as possible while she was growing up. I didn't want to be the invisible mom."
"Sounds like you didn't have much time for dating."
"No, I didn't. Tried dating, off and on, but men always disappoint me."
Nick rotates his stool toward me, eying me with a curious expression. "You think I'll be another 'hot mess' you have to clean up."
"Maybe. I don't know. You're so different from the men I've dated before."
His lips curve into that steamy smile, the one that makes me melt inside. "Well, I did give you the best sex you've ever had."
"True. But maybe we shouldn't do that anymore." I move the food around on my plate absently. "I mean, I'm your teacher and your adviser."
"We've already shagged each other's brains out. Too late to put the genie back in the bottle."
Yeah, he's right about that. Sex with Nick Hunter is…amazing. He makes me feel good even when I'm trying to be annoyed with him for all his flirtation and innuendo. If I'm honest with myself, I love the way he flirts. I love the way he kisses too, and the way he makes me come. Should I give him a shot? See where this goes?