Page 37 of Recipe for Romance

Chapter Nineteen

~Aiden~

The Mill Restaurant was coming together nicely. The front of the house was almost entirely finished with only a few small touches needed here and there to really bring the place together. Aprons for the servers were washed, folded, and ready for distribution, and the kitchen was stocked with all of the tools and pantry items necessary to help train the line cooks he’d hired just a few days ago.

The interviews had gone surprisingly well. Aiden hadn’t expected the amount of applicants he’d interviewed, and while most were nearly as inexperienced as Nic, they all had attended culinary school and worked in a restaurant on campus. He would need to be calmer and more patient with them then more seasoned chefs, but the prospect of having to tamp down his need for perfection didn’t frighten him anymore. Working with Nic had helped him see that he could help someone create a decent product without having to yell and scream at them to do it.

For her part, Nic had spent the last few days interviewing potential servers with him. Again, most were inexperienced with only a few even old enough to legally serve the alcohol that would be offered, but Nic assured him that it would be alright, that together, they could figure out a system to make it work. The way she talked about the restaurant made it sound like she was as invested as he was, that she would be sticking around, but until they sat down and talked about it, he couldn’t be sure.

It was something that had been nagging at him for at least a week, and while he could blame the business or their schedule for it not happening yet, he knew the real reason. Telling Nic she wasn’t cut out to cook with him, at least not yet, would hurt her feelings, and that was the last thing Aiden wanted to do. Running a restaurant was an almost twenty-four hour a day commitment in the beginning, and even though he believed that with time and more focused instruction she could achieve her goals, he wouldn’t be able to give her either of those while also doing his job.

Aiden gazed around the kitchen of the restaurant, light bouncing off the stainless steel appliances and countertops distracting him from the decisions he had to make. There seemed to be two choices in front of them, both with their own downside. The first was that Nic could go and train with a chef friend of his who owned a restaurant in North Carolina. Aiden was happy that the man had taken his call, and when he inquired about the possibility of Nic training with him, he readily agreed. Nic could get the training she wanted, but it would mean her moving across the country.

The thought of being so far away from her felt like someone had an iron grip on his heart, but it was still preferable to option two. Aiden wanted to talk to Nic about being the restaurant manager. She was so good with the front of house, so personable with the staff they’d hired, and even though she wasn’t always organized, she was able to think on her feet quickly, something that position required. He could outsource the payroll and other necessary paperwork items she seemed less comfortable with, but that wasn’t why he hesitated bringing it up.

The problem with asking her for that meant she would give up on cooking altogether except for in whatever little spare time she had. Thinking of Nic staying and working with him had Aiden smiling so widely his cheeks hurt, but when he remembered that it required that she give up on her dream, it evaporated instantly. Asking her to do that felt incredibly selfish, and he wasn’t sure he could bring himself to do it.

The kitchen door swung open and Nic pranced inside, smiling so brightly that it was like the sun had come down from the sky and inhabited her whole being. “There is someone at the door for you, and she has presents.” He felt his brow come together in confusion, but instead of explaining, Nic just grabbed his hand and pulled him out into the main dining room. “Just come and look. I think you’ll like it.”

As they walked, Aiden noticed the few new items Nic had placed around the room. Potted plants lined the window boxes, tendrils of dark green reaching nearly to the floor. There was also the occasional basket filled with wooden apples. Both were a nice touch, but he adored her having found a way to incorporate apples in a way that felt natural. He may not always be able to tell his family with words how much he appreciated them, but Aiden hoped they would see it in the little homage to where he came from.

Nic had also purchased ties embroidered with apples and apple covered socks for the staff. Their button down shirts and slacks showed professionalism while the other items added whimsy. It reminded Aiden of him and Nic, and as he passed the stacks of them on the bar, he felt joyous and saddened at the same time. He loved everything she did, but the potential of losing that weighed down any happy feelings he was experiencing.

Once they were at the front of the building, he was surprised to see Lottie Adams waiting there. Aiden didn’t know her very well since she was at least six years behind him in school, and what little he did know came from his brothers who had very conflicting views of the woman who dressed like a World War II advert. Felix loved her, said she was a model employee and a wonderful friend. Nate, however, seemingly couldn’t stand her and complained about the woman as often as he could.

Trying not to let either brother’s view influence his interaction, Aiden stuck out his hand to shake. “Lottie. It’s good to see you.”

Lottie gripped his hand tightly for a curt shake. “Good to see you too. This place looks incredible.” Her eyes wandered the space appreciatively and Aiden breathed a little easier knowing that at least one member of the general public approved of his restaurant. When her eyes landed back on him, they turned sly. “You’re probably wondering what I’m doing here.”

Aiden chuckled and looked at Nicole who was still bouncing on her heels. “It did cross my mind, yes.” What the sole reporter of town news wanted from him he didn’t know, though he did have one guess.

Lottie nodded and gestured to the seating area where a stack of pictures frames leaned against one of the benches. “Well, I’m not here for an interview if that’s what you’re worried about, although I wouldn’t say no to an exclusive once you’ve got the place up and running.”

Aiden groaned slightly at confirmation of his suspicion. Press wasn’t something he’d liked doing even before the incident in Chicago, but turning down any exposure was a bad idea. Lottie’s newsletter may focus on Applewood, but he knew at least a few places in surrounding towns that placed advertisements there as well. “I’ll think about it,” he finally conceded.

“No pressure,” Lottie said, seeming to mean it.

She flipped over a few of the frames to show off black and white photos of the very building they were standing in during various phases of its life. There were many from when it was actually an operational cider mill, but there were also a few from when the building had been derelict and overgrown with shrubbery. Aiden wasn’t surprised the place had gone up like a tinder box that summer, but he was shocked to see that even in its less than ideal state, the mill still looked beautiful.

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