Page 42 of Recipe for Romance

Aiden gazed at Nic for a moment, tucking her beautiful smile into his back pocket to pull out later when the kitchen was frenzied and he worried that things would go wrong. “Our friends and family are the ones who are there to believe in us, to support us through life’s trials and tribulations while offering a helping hand when we need it. So tonight is not only about securing that support for the journey ahead, but about thanking them for helping us get to that point in the first place.” His eyes started to well with tears, but he managed to keep them at bay. “It is also about realizing a dream I’ve had since I was making mud pies in my family’s orchard, but dreams are only possible if other people believe in you, so thank you. Thank you for being a part of my journey.”

At his nod of finality, claps rang out around him, the loudest coming from the woman next to him. Drawing her into a hug, Aiden breathed her in, letting her sunshine as well as their love for each other ground him as he threatened to float away on a wave of happiness and anxiety. “Great speech, baby,” she whispered in his ear. A kiss to his chin followed, warming his heart and settling his soul.

“Thank you.” Aiden stared into her eyes, getting flashes of a future where he continued to wake up to those pools of brown every morning for the rest of his life. “I wouldn’t be here without you, you know.” She shrugged, as if her presence was inconsequential. Gripping her shoulder, he shook her lightly and smiled. “I mean it, Nic. I might have a restaurant, but it wouldn’t be the same.Iwouldn’t be the same.”

Nic returned the smile and squeezed his hand as a throat cleared. Realizing he’d forgotten that the entire staff still remained in front of them, Aiden turned his attention back to those awaiting orders. “Sorry. Kitchen staff, come to me with any food issues. Any front of house or serving problems will be directed to Nicole. Thank you and have a great night everyone.”

The dismissal had the servers scattering toward their stations and the cooks filing back into the kitchen. With one last look around the front, Aiden turned to Nic and brushed his lips against hers. “Have a great night, Angel.”

Nic smiled, the slight tremble in her body the only giveaway that she was nervous as well. “You too.” They turned from each other, though their hands lingered for much longer than necessary before they finally parted ways and went about their business.

Forty five minutes later, the first order came in. The moment the paper ticket printed out of the computerized system, Aiden ripped it from the dispenser, took a deep breath, and turned to his brigade with a smile. “Order in. Table twenty. One peach salad, one butternut risotto.” He looked up and waited for a time to be called back, but none came.

Sighing, he opened his mouth to demand an answer when finally his sous chef spoke up. “Six minutes chef,” he shouted.

Aiden nodded gratefully to the young man. “Six minutes heard,” he called back. Their exchange seemed to stir the rest of the kitchen staff out of their daze, each one jumping to their station to either get the dish ready or waiting to hear another order.

The ticket generator spit out more orders and time as a general concept ceased to exist. Aiden had no idea what the clock on the wall read, only concerned with how long it would take to prepare and plate the next order. The staff moved around him as well as one could hope for opening night with only the clattering of a dropped pan ringing out to disrupt the general flow of things. Seasoned brigades often worked together seamlessly, and while this bunch moved less like a coordinated group than he would like, they put their heads down and worked hard, never giving up even as he demanded the pork be cooked longer or sauces get thinned out. Aiden was once again surrounded by the chaos of the kitchen, and he loved every second of it.

The high Aiden was feeling didn’t last as long as he would have liked, however, because when an order came in marked VIP, he felt his nerves returning. Even without the designation he’d asked for, he would have known that he was staring at the order from his investors. They’d asked for one of every dish, and while he’d made sure that each order that left the kitchen was up to his standards, this table held more significance. If they didn’t like what they tasted and didn’t think he could make this restaurant a success, then it wouldn’t be.

Eddie had put his own name on the line by getting these investors on board, so burning that bridge with a failure to start would be the final nail in the coffin of his career as he knew it. Determined not to let that happen, Aiden passed the expediting over to his sous chef and personally put together and plated each dish that would go out to the group. As soon as the appetizers were ready, Aiden wiped off the plates and walked through the door and into the dining room.

The sight that greeted him as he exited the kitchen warmed his heart. Tables were filled with members of the community, everyone that had contributed to the opening of his restaurant even in the smallest of ways. Wishing he could acknowledge each of them at that moment, Aiden settled for knowing he would get his chance later and walked toward the table he needed to direct his attention to. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nic checking in with the Harvey’s, her musical laughter giving him the boost he needed to get through the next few moments. Approaching the table, he nodded to the four individuals present and placed their dishes down on the table.

While doing so, Aiden noticed the filled water glasses, overflowing bread basket, and highly polished silverware. He had known that Nic would make sure everything out front was perfect, but seeing it helped ease any remaining worry he might’ve had about his asking her to manage the restaurant with him.

Releasing a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, he smiled and presented his food to the table. “Gentlemen, thank you for coming. We have in front of you a peach, tomato, and burrata salad tossed with fresh basil and a honey-herb vinaigrette as well as a brown rice risotto with roasted butternut squash and crispy fried sage. Enjoy.”

The seconds dragged on as Aiden watched the group gingerly taste each and every item he’d put on the plate. He expected no less from them, but having to stand there and watch their inscrutable faces like they did it was a form of torture he would like to never have to relive. It felt like he was in culinary school all over again, and the longer it took for them to speak, the more nervous he became.

One could cut the tension with a knife, and he nearly screamed just to have there be some reaction from the men, but he choked it down. Luckily, Eddie put him out of his misery by extending a hand. Aiden took it wearily, wondering if this was the first of a round of farewell handshakes, but the wide smile on the older man’s face revealed the true nature of the gesture.

“Aiden, I can’t speak for these jokers, but I love everything you’ve done here.” He clasped Aiden’s hand firmly. “If the rest of the meal tastes half as good as what you’ve just served us, I think you’ve got a hit on your hands.”

“Thank you, Chef.” As much as his feelings toward Eddie were mixed after hearing about his treatment toward Nic, Aiden couldn’t pretend that hearing those words didn’t feel amazing.

Eddie’s smile turned sly. “I think at this point you can drop the ‘Chef’ permanently.” He nodded to Nicole who stood near another table. Her body was facing away from them, but her eyes were glued to Aiden. “I’ve yet to talk to my daughter, but I think it’s a fair assumption to say that you’re the reason she’s so happy.”

Aiden smiled at her before looking at her father. “I hope so, and I mean to keep her that way.” The two turned back to the rest of the group, the other men chiming in with their own praise and eagerness for the next course. Smiling, Aiden left them to their own conversations as he marched back toward the kitchen, stopping to pull Nicole along with him. “I need to speak with you,” he whispered.

They walked through the kitchen and into the office. Nicole’s eyes were wide and slightly panicked as they searched his. “How did it go? Was it bad? Is that why we’re back here?” She shook her head. “Everything is perfect and if they have any complaints they can—” Aiden would never hear the rest of her thought since he’d swallowed the end of the sentence with a kiss.

Pressing his lips firmly to hers, he proceeded to pour all of his gratitude, happiness, and hope for the future into the kiss. When he was finally finished, he placed one small peck at the tip of her nose and smiled. “Thank you.”

Nicole blinked, her eyes clouded as she gripped his forearms. “After a kiss like that I feel like I should be thanking you.” Aiden huffed a laugh and pulled her into a hug. “I take it they liked the appetizers?”

“Yes. They loved the food just as much as I’m sure they loved everything you’ve done out there.” He stepped back to leave, but stayed put, rubbing his hands up and down her arms, not because she seemed cold, but just because he couldn’t stand next to her and not touch her. Aiden made the mistake of glancing down to her plush mouth and licked his lips. “I should get started on the next course,” he mumbled.

Nicole nodded, smiling slyly. “Yup, you probably should.” Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled his face down until they were face to face. “But I think it can wait for at least another minute.”

Aiden smiled before slanting his mouth against hers, his chest fit to burst with happiness at having gotten everything he ever wanted and something even better. He got something he needed. He got her.

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