Page 83 of A Recipe for Love
Adam found a photo of Bella on his phone, a selfie taken the very first night they’d met, faces squashed together in the frame, lit by the moon and the fairy lights that lined the roof of the beach bar. Ravi grinned. ‘Well she’s out of your league.’
‘Thanks. She’s Bella,’ he explained. ‘She’s a chef.’
‘And where is she now?’
‘At Lowbridge.’
‘So she’slivingthere? Orstayingthere?’ Ravi frowned.
‘Staying I guess.’ He paused. ‘She’s got lots of ideas for things we could do there though.’ Adam shook his head. ‘I don’t know. I’ve had an offer to buy the whole place.’
Ravi leaned back in his seat. Adam knew his friend well enough to recognise that he was thinking carefully, trying to formulate a response that was clear but tactful. It was the expression he had when working out how to tell good people that they didn’t have work for them on the next project, or when readying himself to explain to Adam that he had to scale back a design to something objectively less exciting but more in line with the client’s budget. ‘So are you thinking of selling?’
Adam’s instinct was to shake his head, to pretend that it wasn’t even an option, but Ravi was part of another world. It was easier to tell the truth here. ‘It might be the easiest way out.’
‘Do you want a way out?’
‘I don’t think I’m going to be a very good laird.’
‘Bollocks.’
‘Everyone’s expecting something and it’s all on me.’
‘Doesn’t sound like it is. Sounds like this Bella is already pitching in.’
That was true.
‘And it would break my grandmother’s heart.’
Ravi paused again. ‘You don’t only have responsibilities there though mate.’
Adam’s chest tightened. Ravi was right. He was needed here as well.
‘Like I’m not saying you have to rush back.’ Ravi stared at his pint. ‘I know it’s hard, and you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do, but I do sort of need to know what you are going to do.’
‘I’m sorry.’
Ravi hadn’t finished. ‘We need you. The business needs you, which means my mortgage needs you.’
‘I know.’
‘Sorry. I don’t want to stress you out. Ila and Asha miss their Uncle Adam too.’
Adam smiled, even though he knew that wasn’t what Ravi was really worried about at all. He was worried about the business, and about the fact that his income was reliant on Adam, which meant that Ila and Asha and Sam were reliant on Adam too. But so was Lowbridge, and that was the rub. Adam had responsibilities everywhere.
Ravi downed his drink, and stood to go for another round. ‘Shame you can’t be in two places at once.’
Chapter Thirteen
‘Stop pacing.’ Flinty peered at her over the top of her magazine. ‘You’re as ready as you can be.’
‘We’ve only got four whisks.’
‘Which is why you’re having them work in pairs.’
‘Is that OK though? Will people expect to be doing all their own thing?’
Flinty put the magazine down. ‘It’s a trial run. They all know that. They know you’re ironing out the kinks.’
