Melting Into You (Due South Book 2) by Tracey Alvarez Read Free Book Online Page A

crossed.”
    His teasing shimmered over her, fanning the fine hairs on her arms to attention. It’d been a long time since a man teased her. A long time. “Ruthless, pah. Be nice, or I’ll change my mind about inviting you for dinner.”
    Ben opened her fridge and poured a glass of milk. “Pity invite, huh?”
    “You can’t survive on instant noodles.”
    “I bought some tinned spaghetti and sausages.”
    “Not a huge improvement.”
    He slapped on an affronted expression, but his eyes gleamed. “Shaye and Mum are the only ones who can cook in our family. The rest of us get by and rely on their goodwill.”
    “Or on others’ goodwill?”
    Another wicked grin. “I’ve b een told I’m charming company.”
    He swallowed half his drink and swiped his tongue along his upper lip, removing a milk mustache. Why hadn’t she ever noticed his lips were so soft? How had she missed their perfect symmetry or the small crescent of a dimple in his cheek when he smiled? That one was easy—because Ben Harland rarely smiled at her.
    “Did your dad cook?”
    Ben leaned a hip against her kitchen counter and studied her over the glass rim.
    “He pretended he couldn’t, and Mum let him get away with it since she loved to cook. But yeah, before he died he’d take us out on his boat fishing, and we’d fry up whatever we caught or collect shellfish if the fish weren’t biting. We’d make a beach fire somewhere and eat straight out of the pan.”
    She didn’t miss the catch in his voice when he’d mentioned his father’s death. A corresponding twinge of empathy twisted through her veins. Her parents died many years ago, and the hollow space in her heart had never completely refilled. “Sounds like a fun thing for a boy to do with his dad.”
    “It was. He spent a lot of time with the three of us. Never complained when our mates wanted to tag along.”
    Kezia moved to the pantry and selected two carrots and an onion, dropping them on the counter next to the chopping board. Adding carrot to lasagna was sacrilege to Italian tradition, but Zoe’s dislike of vegetables was a challenge at the best of times. Ragú could hide a multitude of sins.
    “Your father sounds a lot like my uncle back in the Bay.”
    “Where you grew up?”
    “Yes. The Italians have had a fishing fleet there since the nineteen-hundreds. My uncle Nicoli used to take us out to Tapu Te Ranga Island in his old rowboat, and we’d have a picnic. Afterwards, we’d climb to the top of the hill for the view over the Bay.”
    She smiled at the memory.
    Queen of the World , she’d once shouted, to the great amusement of Tony, Carlo, Matt and Nicky, all of whom—in typical big-brother fashion—had teased her mercilessly for days afterward.
    Ben grabbed a carrot and took a bite. Kezia opened her mouth to tell him to make himself at home, then changed her mind. After all, she’d asked him to stay because he’d treated her and Zoe to a fun day in the city. That was the only reason for her dinner invitation. And because Jade needed a decent meal. That was all.
    “Your father didn’t take you out?”
    She replaced the filched carrot. “Oh, no. He wasn’t a fisherman. Papà worked very hard in his restaurant.”
    “Italian restaurant?”
    “How did you guess? Yes, my parents worked long hours there. Antonio’s was one of the first in the Bay—now you can’t turn around without tripping over another café or restaurant.”
    “Mamma, what’s for dinner?” Zoe skipped into the k itchen on a wave of exuberance.
    “Lasagna,” Kezia said. “And Ben and Jade will stay to share it with us.”
    Jade hovered by the door, twisting her pigtail around a finger and clutching the toy dog Ben bought her close to her chest. Her pleading gaze flicked to Ben, but she kept her mouth shut, as if she expected her father to disagree and drag her away from her friend.
    “Do you like lasagna, Jade?” said Kezia.
    The girl shuffled her feet. “I don’t know what it