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.”

“It’s okay for you. Your whole life you’ve known you’re a genius. Besides, you dropped out of college so you could write your Journeyman software and then sell it for — how much? A couple of million? More?”

He didn’t answer. Her estimate must have been low and he didn’t want to admit it.

She shook her head. “Forget it. I just thought you should know why I don’t want to talk about opening my own restaurant. I’m not ready for something like that. I’m going to go home and sit the high school exam. And I’m going to see if I can convince the bride to let me substitute one or two of my own dishes in place of the boring ones she’s arranged with Marianna, and try my hardest to make the night a success. If I do well, Marianna might let me work more hours, handle more parties for her, and expand our standard menu. I want to do more than just make the same old mini quiches and crostinis over and over again. That’s as big as my dreams can get right now.” She gave him a shaky smile. “We can’t all create Skynet and cause the downfall of the entire human race.”

He pushed his plate away so he could lean across the table, push one hand under her hair and cradle the back of her neck. His eyes were warm, the soft brown of burnished wood.

“Those are good dreams.” He pulled her close enough to kiss her, his lips lingering on hers for a long time before he drew back. “I only wish you could look through my eyes, so you can see what a bright and shining star you are, and how crazy it is to doubt it, even for a moment.”

She took a deep breath, her heart beating hard. She’d felt his kiss through her whole body. His lips had awakened every inch of her skin, every nerve and muscle.

“I’m smart enough to want to enjoy this moment, right here, right now, no matter what might happen in the future. Once we make it to land, I’ll fly home to LA and my little dreams, and you’ll go back to New York and world domination.”

She held her gaze firm, not wanting him to be able to tell how much she wished they didn’t have so little time together. But they were being honest, and the fact they lived miles apart was something she had to accept. “We probably won’t see each other again.”

He inclined his head in agreement. “Probably not.”

“Two genius brainiacs like us will be able to figure out a way to get to Denarau tomorrow. So for now, let’s just enjoy our last night together.” She smiled, though she felt closer to crying. There was a pain inside her chest, like her heart was breaking. Could she have fallen a little bit in love with him?

Well, if it was too late not to get hurt, she’d just have to squeeze every last drop of joy out of the short time they had together. She wasn’t going to waste tonight with tears or regrets. There’d be plenty of time for both in the days and weeks to come.

“You know, I think you’re the smartest woman I’ve ever met.” He caressed her cheek. “Let’s make this a night we’ll never forget.”