"Old Parker gave me three days off after the crazy week."
"I'm making breakfast—want to join me?"
Although Hunter had guessed the moment he saw Mia that this mixed-blood beauty must have stopped by the garage before coming to him,
he still explained a bit more and casually asked if she'd like breakfast together.
Mia had actually eaten, but as she was about to speak,
for some reason the memory of Hunter's two delicious dinners popped into her head.
The words stuck in her throat.
She shook her head instinctively, then caught herself and said awkwardly, "I came to thank you, Hunter."
"The car's fine now, and you even fixed the other little problems."
Hunter waved his hand with a smile, the milk in his hand sloshing along.
"It was nothing, really."
"Just give me a minute!"
Not wanting to keep Mia waiting, he didn't attempt anything too complicated.
Using chicken, beef, onion, tomato, lettuce, a dab of pickle mash, and supermarket-ready tortillas,
Hunter whipped up two burritos and two glasses of milk lightly sweetened with condensed milk and honey.
He set them on the table, and the two of them shared a simple but appetizing breakfast.
"Hunter, your Culinary Skill is amazing."
Mia had ended up at the table only because she hadn't refused in time.
She'd thought she wouldn't be able to eat.
But after the first bite,
the tangy-savory flavor paired with the creamy, slightly sweet milk
surprised her—she polished off the entire burrito and the glass of milk.
Hunter, hearing the Long time no seenotification of a big chunk of Culinary Skill experience, grinned just as brightly.
"I've always cooked for myself—I never had other hobbies."
"So in my free time I just wanted to make something tasty."
"If you like it, drop by whenever."
"Tell me whatever you want to eat!"
"Right now I only know some Xia dishes and simple Mexican fare,"
"but I'm happy to learn. I'd love to pick up more recipes."
After a quick wash-up, Hunter looked at Mia
and suddenly suggested, "Actually, I was planning to hit the beach today,"
"have a solo barbecue."
"Mia, want to come along?"
Today he really did intend to enjoy the coast,
though his real goal was to swim a bit and level up that skill.
Los Angeles is a harbor city—never short of shoreline or beaches.
In his past life he'd been too busy; this time he meant to reclaim all the leisure
crushed under the triple weight of mortgage, car payments, and marriage.
Mia hesitated, unsure whether to accept.
She knew exactly what her brother had been doing all these years—
Dominic had never hidden it from his little sister.
So while he hadn't stated it outright,
he turned a blind eye whenever Vince harassed or drove off guys who got close to Mia.
He hoped Mia would end up with one of his brothers or crew,
making it easier for him to keep looking after her.
But that heavy-handedness repelled her.
After she'd sought Hunter out twice recently—
once at night, returning very late,
even leaving her car at his place—
Dominic had chewed her out harshly.
At the time he was planning a new highway heist
and worried Mia might accidentally leak details,
so he grounded her for a full fortnight.
Only yesterday had he let her out.
She could pretty much read her brother's mind.
Mia herself didn't quite know why she'd come to see Hunter today.
She only feared that, after this, her brother might start targeting the young Chinese man in front of her—
just like Vince, who'd merely been scolded lightly after bullying Hunter's predecessor.
For a moment, she hesitated instead.
Hunter couldn't read her mind, but when she didn't answer for a long time
he said, a little disappointed, "Mia, don't overthink it."
"If you're busy, forget it; we can hang out another time."
Hearing the disappointment in Hunter's voice, Mia felt a sudden flutter of panic.
She looked at this handsome Chinese boy, about her own age.
and suddenly felt that the distance between them might start to widen.
She hurriedly replied, "No, I don't have other plans."
"But I have to get home early tonight."
The smile on Hunter's face instantly brightened.
"No problem!"
After telling Mia to go down and start the car, Hunter took the chance to pull out the grill and charcoal.
He'd bought them earlier while swimming at the beach and had kept them tucked away in his private space.
Thanks to a series of skill upgrades, Hunter's private space now measured thirty-one cubic meters.
Normally it could hold far more than just a pistol and a motorcycle.
At this point every valuable thing in Hunter's home was stored in his private space.
He quickly carried the gear downstairs; since he had no car and didn't want to reveal the secret of his private space,
he stashed everything in Mia's car and had her drive them to a beach less than twenty kilometers away.
That day, both Hunter and Mia had a wonderful time.
They swam, played, and splashed each other.
They even rented a jet-ski near the beach and rode it for two hours.
At noon they grilled seafood on the beach, rubbed sunscreen on each other, sunbathed a while, swam again in the afternoon, and finished with some casual fishing.
They played until after four o'clock, when the sea breeze started to pick up.
Only then did they pack up, rinse off the salt and sand, and drive back to Hunter's place…