Page 76 of All Mine
Isabella: Stay late.
Etienne: Sounds better.
Isabella: I want to see how good you are at saying thank you.
Isabella dressed to impress. Her hair tumbled down her back and she left the third button undone on her silky blouse, tucked into her jeans. She exuded almost as much nervous energy as the team did, buzzing around behind the new wooden bar setting out bottles and glasses. Amber pulled a collection of stools and chairs together around a temporary card table in the middle of the restaurant floor. Naomi followed her and placed a handwritten drinks menu in front of each place. Isabella waited for Amber to give her the nod and then opened the restaurant door to the others for the first time.
Wren and Rosie were first. Rosie wore milkmaid plaits and Wren’s red hair was in her usual sleek topknot. They scanned the room, admiring the new paintwork and vintage wooden floorboards. Walker acknowledged the new sprinkler system and fire alarm with an approving nod, Fox came in talking to the babysitter on the phone and Etienne strolled in last looking completely edible. Although they’d been sexting, she hadn’t seen him since the babysitting night and now her desire hit her full force. He looked fresh from the shower, his hair still damp where it curled at his neck, and his black jeans emphasised long, muscular thighs. Definitely time for another serving, surely?
Isabella shook her hair back and felt her lower stomach tighten as she watched him survey her restaurant. Tutto Mio was so different to The Bistro, more whitewashed and stripped-back aesthetic than soft lighting and cosy corners. Although she wouldn’t mind getting him into one of those cosy corners right now.
Rosie grasped her arm and brought her back into the moment.
‘You’ve done so much in here! I wouldn’t recognise it.’
‘Yes, it looks so much better,’ Fox said, laughing, a take met with a general murmur of assent.
‘Grab yourself a seat,’ Amber said, ‘and let me talk you through the drinks menu.’ Isabella aimed for the seat next to Etienne but was surprised when he scooted into the gap between Fox and Walker.
Amber ran through the list of cocktails and mocktails, encouraging everyone to order something different to give the team as much practice as possible.
‘So, what’s first then?’
Fox ordered a Black Russian and Etienne asked for an Old-Fashioned. Walker asked for a gin and tonic and everyone did a fancy ‘oooooh’.
Rosie and Wren turned to the mocktails, choosing an Orange Sunrise and a Berry Burst.
Isabella ordered a Kir Royale. Gazing across the table at Etienne, what she wanted was sex on the beach. Or bar. Or floor. And nothing to do with the drink. Etienne was unaware of her gaze now, though, as he listened to Walker next to him, rubbing the short stubble of his facial hair in concentration.
‘We’ve not had a run like it ever before,’ Walker said. ‘I wonder if the next shift will have a quieter time.’
‘What’s happened?’ Rosie asked him, leaning in.
‘We’ve had a few house fires recently– more than normal,’ Walker said. ‘Over the past four days we’ve had two, and last shift we had another one. It’s a lot for this area. If we were in a busy city, I could understand it.’
The first round of drinks arrived, the team placing them gently in front of the right person and stepping back to watch the first reactions.
‘To Tutto Mio,’ Isabella said, lifting her Kir Royale and admiring the blackberry sitting on the side of the glass. Nice touch.
‘Tutto Mio,’ everyone repeated before sipping. The team held its collective breath until various appreciative noises and nods ensued. Isabella glanced Etienne’s way, but he was studiously appreciating his drink.
‘So how many house fires would you normally deal with each week?’ Rosie asked, turning back to Walker.
‘Sometimes none at all.’ Walker shrugged. ‘Normally we are busy with road traffic accidents, or cats in trees. But we seem to be having a spate of them. The weird thing is that the neighbouring county is experiencing the same thing.’
‘That’s quite a coincidence,’ Etienne said.
‘Is it arson? Or accident?’ Wren asked, sipping her Orange Sunrise through a straw.
‘That’s what we’re trying to ascertain. We’re sending in the investigative team.’
‘That’s worrying.’ Fox frowned. ‘I need to check my smoke alarms.’
‘I did it last week when you were in the garden with George. Replaced the batteries in the downstairs one,’ Walker said and Fox fist bumped him across the table.
‘Lifesaver.’
The Kir Royale was the first alcohol Isabella had drunk since the beer at Fox’s on babysitting duty. She’d hardly eaten for the last two days and was only now starting to feel back to normal. She sipped and let the alcohol ease out her tensions. Although it only seemed to add to the sexual tension she felt, rather than relieve it. She flicked her eyes at him but he was seemingly deep in study of the menu.
