Page 105 of Go Cook Yourself

“And the curry you ate for breakfast,” Kalen adds.

“I told you not to say,” she hisses and Kalen blushes. “The love story inspired the babies. We need to get to the hospital.”

Suddenly, Jem runs around shouting that he needs a phone while Flora points at the one in his hand. Wicksy screams that he doesn’t want to see a birth while Mum asks the sound man for hot towels, and Dad tells Barry what names he wants to give the twins. Meanwhile, Kath and Kalen are helping Amber out of the side door that leads to the car park.

Garett turns to me. “Your family—”

“Shouldn’t be allowed out in public?” I offer with a shrug.

“Your family and Flora are the third best things to happen in my life after you and Cookie.” He kisses me on the cheek and takes my hand as we slip out the side door, following my sister. It looks like it will be a hospital Cloud Christmas this year. Those poor nurses.

Epilogue

Garett

“Are you ready for the soft opening?” Ruby asks. She’s wearing a sky blue cowl neck dress that cinches at the waist with a knot before dropping to her knees. It lifts up and off with just a pull of a knot. We worked that out when she tried it on last night. Her skin is bronzed from the fake tan she said she needed for opening day confidence. It makes her blond waves glow even more ethereal than usual, especially when naked.

Focus, Garett.

“Rubes, I’ve told you before that it’s called a soft launch,” I reply as I run through the jobs I need to finish before friends and family come for our trial night. The big opening night is tomorrow.

Ruby sidles up to me and pulls me down to her mouth by my blue tie. “But doesn’t a soft opening sound sexier? I bet you’d love to touch my—”

“Put the poor man down,” Amber says as she enters the dining area. Kalen and Iain follow behind, each with a six-month-old baby strapped to them. Amber officially takes over the cookery school tomorrow, at which point Ruby will permanently run her Cloud Nine business and oversee puddings here at the restaurant while doing the occasional class.

Jem ensures all the menus are at the front desk.

“This restaurant was the making of him, wasn’t it?” I whisper.

Ruby smiles, her eyes shining with pride.

“Don’t start crying again,” Jem hollers. “Every time you see me working hard, you and Mum cry.”

“Maybe Mum is still dealing with the trauma of finding out you dropped out of university and spent all the tuition money when you didn’t go to lectures,” Amber retorts.

Luckily, I grew up in noisy, angry kitchens, because the Cloud family resemble a Gordon Ramsay cookery show.

“Whatever. Now, one of you sort out the lights up there. Some of us are too busy working to chat and kiss.” Jem glares at Ruby, and she winks back at him.

“Sorry, no one wants to kiss you, baby brother.”

He glares as he continues sorting things. Jem is so quiet about his love life that none of us know what’s going on. I thought he might date Flora, but nothing is happening with them.

“Leave your brother alone,” Liz calls as she bustles around the room, trying to change our agreed-upon layout.

“Liz,” I warn. “Put the cutlery down.”

She side-eyes me and slowly lowers the fork. I continue to watch her until she steps away from the table.

Iain must sense she’s going to continue to change things as he hands her one of Amber and Kalen’s twins, saying, “You take Iris while I help with the lights.” She was named after Ruby’s grandma. You can imagine the tears in the family when that was announced. The other baby was called Holly because it was the first thing Kalen saw after the babies were born. That will happen on Christmas Day. I bit my tongue and whispered later to Ruby that it was lucky there was no mistletoe or baubles on the ceiling, as they could have named their daughters Toe and Balls. I got a punch and a laugh for that. Totally worth it.

“We’re nearly ready,” Kath announces, bringing in Chrissy from Clive’s former restaurant. All the staff who worked with me there are now part of Every Cloud.

All the wishes I didn’t let myself have when I was kicked out and extra ones I never imagined have come to fruition. Ruby pretends to put her hair in a bun but then lets it drop like ribbons of gold. She winks at me. The woman is non-stop teasing, and I can’t get enough of it.

“Stop flirting,” Jem shouts again. I can’t do anything without this entire family seeing. Well, nearly nothing. I’m on a promise for a soft launch celebration with Ruby in the hideaway later. We’ve sneaked there several times since the snowy night and always with a cheese board. She brings her own cakes for pudding.

“Can I come in? I’ve got Cookie,” Flora says, pushing through the main door. He runs between me and Ruby before settling down next to Flora. We’re allowing him to be part of the soft launch. He’s been part of the journey, although he’s not the face of a restaurant now. He’s just Cookie. “Barry is setting up his camera to film a piece outside. He mentioned Clive.”

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