His Private Chef (by Amycee) novel Chapter 44

We stopped near the bow of the boat, where the rest of the world felt miles away. The music was a faint hum now. All I could hear was my heartbeat, and his silence.

He finally turned to face me.

“What the hell was that?” he asked, voice low but tight.

“What was what?” I snapped, folding my arms.

“Don’t play dumb, Emily. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

“Do you mean the part where I was laughing? Or where I was having a good time, before you stormed in like a thundercloud?”

His expression hardened. “You know what Kelvin’s doing. He’s using you to get under my skin.”

I narrowed my eyes. “So now I’m a pawn? You don’t get to play possessive one minute and then ice me out the next. It’s exhausting, Liam.”

He ran a hand through his hair, muttering curses under his breath. “You seriously don’t get it… or are you just pretending not to?”

“God, no, I don’t get anything!” I snapped. “Because you’re the one messing with my head! And I’m tired, Liam. Tired of this game.”

I turned before he could reply, marching away toward the others with my head held high and my pulse screaming.

I spent the next half hour avoiding Liam like he was a landmine. One wrong step, and I’d explode again.

I stood by the railing, soaking in the sea breeze, trying to convince myself everything was fine. It wasn’t. Not even close.

Linda appeared beside me, holding out two glasses of something fizzy.

“Drink this,” she said dryly. “You look like you just fought off a shark,”

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Chapter 44

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I took one without hesitation and sipped. “He’s messing with my head,” I muttered. “Liam. One minute he’s all intense and the next he’s acting like I committed treason for laughing.”

Linda chuckled. “Welcome to the world of Black men. Emotional whiplash is their love language.”

I managed a small smile. “He’s driving me insane.”

Linda gave me a sidelong glance. “You think you’ve got it bad? Noah and I… we’ve been coasting for months. Years, maybe. I don’t even know when we stopped being us.

I met her eyes, my voice low.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She took a slow sip from her glass, then nodded.

“Sure. It’s always work. Meetings. Travel. I talk, and he listens…sort of. But he never really hears me. After a while, I just felt like background noise.”

“Have you

told him that?”

She scoffed. “You think I haven’t?”

I looked back at the ocean. “Then maybe it’s time you both start from scratch. Relearn each other. Communicate better. Speak the love n

languages you both understand.”

Linda went quiet, then smiled. “You sound like someone who’s figured that out.

I laughed. “Please. Look at the mess I’m in.

”

“To clarity,” she said, lifting her glass with a wry smile.

We clinked lightly.

After we docked, I tried sneaking off to my room, but Jay had other plans.

He spotted me and immediately grabbed my hand. “Nope. That look on your face? Unacceptable. Come on.”

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Chapter 44

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“Jay…”

“Nope,” he said cheerfully. “You’re coming with me. You need to loosen up, drink something cold, and remember that you’re on a damn island vacation.”

Before I could argue, he whisked me off to a cozy beach setup: throw blankets, soft lights, a portable speaker humming R&B, a mini firepit crackling in a steel bowl. A few cousins lounged barefoot with wine and beers. The air smelled like salt and citrus.

I sighed, giving in, and sat down slowly.

Jay handed me a cup. “Now tell me I’m not your favorite person here.”

“You were my first friend,” I said, smiling. “Even though Sophia’s officially snatched me

“She’s evil like that,” he grinned. “But I’ll allow it.”

He draped an arm around my shoulder dramatically. “Now drink, laugh, and don’t let the brooding storm cloud ruin your night.”

“}

“Too late.”

“You can’t let Liam get in your head, Em. He’s wired like a mystery novel written in reverse. And also? You’re too cute to be this stressed.”

I couldn’t help the laugh that slipped out. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Exactly why I’m valuable.”

More cousins trickled in. The music got louder. Laughter flowed like the drinks. The mood lifted. Sophia danced barefoot with Leo. Linda sat close to the fire, watching it like it held answers. And just like that, it started to feel… warm again.

Then Kelvin dropped beside me with a teasing grin. “Looks like someone found her spark again.”

“Might be the tequila,” I said.

“Nope. That was all me,” Jay chimed in.

Kelvin launched into stories about Jay’s teenage obsession with velvet tracksuits and how he once tried to teach a parrot to swear. I laughed until my face hurt.

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