He’d rather not, especially considering the way Mikayla appraised him as he stacked waffles on his plate and drizzled sauce over the top, but he had to eat and he couldn’t see a polite way out. He squeezed into the space beside the pretty blonde, Clarissa. She wiped her mouth with a napkin and shuffled over to make room.
“You look like you need a coffee,” Mikayla said, more cheerily than the situation warranted. She turned to Megan. “Doesn’t he look like he needs a coffee? Must have been a rough night.”
Something about Mikayla’s cheeky grin and dancing eyes made him think she knew exactly how he’d spent his night. But far from being suspicious of him, as he’d have expected, she seemed delighted, especially when her sister’s cheeks flamed red. Her delight contrasted with the expressions of every other person at the table. Megan’s mother studied him curiously, Clarissa completely ignored the subtext, and the two men glowered like he’d deflowered her right in front of them.
“He looks fine,” Megan said, apologizing to him with her eyes. He shook his head to indicate she shouldn’t worry about it. At least he had her sister’s vote of confidence. There weren’t many people he’d dated seriously, but experience told him that women put a lot of stock in their sister’s opinions.
“What is it that you do, Tione?” Megan’s mother asked, spearing a piece of banana from the fruit salad he’d made earlier.
“I’m the in-house caterer for the lodge,” he said, waiting for the disdain that was bound to follow. It didn’t come. Huh. Most people tended to look down on him once they learned his occupation, either because it wasn’t manly or because it was low-brow.
“Are you responsible for this delicious breakfast?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Fabulous.” She smiled at Megan. “There’s something about a man who can cook, isn’t there?”
“Charles never cooked,” Mikayla added. He was getting the feeling he’d been ambushed. The Talbot women were clearly trying to send some kind of message. “He’d have Megan slaving in the kitchen for hours for one of his fancy dinners, and wouldn’t lift a finger to help her. Isn’t that right, sis?”
“Why would he waste his time helping? He needed to primp and practice his jokes in the mirror.”
Everyone fell silent, gaping at Megan. Tione didn’t know what had happened. Then, as one, they burst into laughter.
“That’s the first time they’ve heard her say anything derogatory about him,” Clarissa murmured, for his benefit. “She’s always been very tight-lipped about their relationship, or so I understand.”
“Thank you,” he said, grateful for the explanation. He dug into his waffle stack, glad the attention had been diverted away from him. A foot knocked against his under the table and he glanced up just as Mikayla winked at him, and mouthed something. He didn’t bother trying to interpret, just focused on his waffles.
“You’re a local?” Joe asked, and it was the first time the man had spoken since he’d sat down. Megan’s stepfather-to-be was a big guy, broad-shouldered, with a shaved head and one of those faces that seemed to look the same regardless of his mood.
“Yeah. Didn’t grow up here, though. Moved to the bay about three years ago. One of my cousins knew Kat and arranged for me to stay here with her.” He didn’t mention the part where his cousin had feared Kat was mentally unstable after the car crash that killed her husband and wanted someone to look out for her. Even Kat didn’t know that detail.
“You’d be able to steer me to the best fishing spots, then? I brought my rod with me.”
“Joe,” Rose exclaimed, clapping her hand to her mouth. “We came here to be with my daughter, and you brought your fishing rod?”
Joe shrugged, unperturbed by her outburst. “I didn’t think Megan would appreciate having all of us around twenty-four seven. Forgive me, doll?”
Megan’s lips curled up into an adorable smile that made Tione badly want to kiss her. “Forgiven.”
“See.” He smiled smugly at his fiancée, who swatted him on the shoulder. “So, Tione. Where should I set up?”
Tione had never been much of a fisherman, preferring to net flounder or catch eels, but no one could live in the area without knowing the best places to find trout. “Head up that little creek you crossed over just before the lodge. It doesn’t look like much, but don’t let that fool you. Best fishing around.”
He nodded. “Thanks, man.”
“No problem.” Putting his cutlery down, he glanced at the clock. He needed to make a start on cleaning up.
Mark spoke before he could move. “You said you moved here three years ago. Where were you before then?”
He frowned. What did his whereabouts have to do with anything? “I was living in the United States.”
“On an O.E.?” Mikayla asked, using the shorthand for “overseas experience,” an international working trip that many young Kiwis embarked on.
“Something like that.”
“Which part of the States?” Mark asked, regaining his attention.
“California.” And he didn’t intend to say anything more on the matter. Not until he’d confessed the whole story to Megan. Guilt sat heavy in his stomach at the omission. “I have to get back to work. You have a great day.” He tipped his head to Joe. “Let me know how it goes.”