Page 126 of Geordie

“It's one of them. Granda has several female friends, some even younger.”

“Really? She's got to be in her forties. He never married again, right?”

“He told us Granny Bella was the love of his life. He'll only have one wife.”

“Hey, are we too late?” William walks in with Emmy by his side. The little girl with a princess crown and dark curls makes a beeline for Geordie's leg. He scoops her up and her little arms go around his neck. He kisses her on the forehead. “Hello, wee yin,”

“Where's Innis?” her curls bouncing as she rubs noses with Geordie with a giggle.

Geordie turns around, pointing out the window. “She's there in the baby pool.”

“Why don't we join her?” William says, putting a couple of six packs on the counter. “That's not our only contribution to the potluck; my ex…” he shakes his head. “You know Celeste and I are back together. Old habits die hard. She’d kill me if she heard me say ex. Anyway, Celeste is bringing lasagna.”

Geordie releases the little girl, and she dances to the door. William catches her before she gets outside. “Mommy should be here any minute, then you can introduce her to Innis.” We watch at the window as the two trail around the big pool for the blue toddler pool.

Geordie stands in back of me, and his arms go around my shoulders. “Happy?” his lips brushing my hair.

“Yes, I can't believe they all showed up.”

“They all love you. Why wouldn't they?”

“I know one that does,” making a full turn in his arms to kiss him. He hooks my thighs and places me on the counter and we do a real kiss, his fingers in my hair.

“Ah, act like I'm not here.”

We break apart to see Harv, my partner, smirking at us. “The guys sent me to get the rest of the meat. They said the coals are ready.” He scoots the tray out of the fridge and turns to exit when Geordie tugs it away from him. “My grill, my timing. I've got to rescue my grill master reputation. I'll be back.” Harv and I watch him stomp out the door.

“Are the coals really ready?”

He shrugs, turning to open the fridge, and retrieves a beer. “I'd wait a little longer, but I'm a professional chef; what do I know?” He takes a swig of his beer.

“Harv,” watching his eyes crinkle at the corners. He knows what I'm going to ask.

“Yeah, I checked the Michelin site.” He takes another drink.

My heart sinks, knowing the news isn't different this time. Today being my birthday, I hoped my wish for a star would come true. I've got to stop chasing this dream and be happy with my life. “We weren't awarded our first star?” Knowing the answer. “I could have sworn that suited couple last month that ordered water were from Michelin.”

“I did too, but you know Michelin inspectors ordering water is an urban myth. Those people could have been at the restaurant for a dinner meeting. Not every meeting is boozy.”

“It doesn't matter.” I’m fluttering my hand so he doesn't see the disappointment. “The restaurant and the cookbooks are doing well and we have celebrity chef status; that should be enough.”

“We didn't get a star, not this time.” He shakes his head. “It's a damn shame the crew works so hard every night, but they gave us a rising star award. You know what that means—the next stop is a star.”

I scream, jumping into Harv's arms. A fountain of beer shoots from his bottle, landing on his shirt. “So, they were Michelin inspectors. I knew it.” I dance. “I knew it.”

“Congratulations, kid, you're on your way to glory,” he laughs.

“Does the crew know?”

“Not yet. I thought we could tell them together. They might know already; anyone can check the site.”

“This calls for a big celebration to thank them for their hard work. I'll tell everyone here after I blow out my candles.”

I'm roaming around the backyard greeting guests when Connell's girlfriend, Gina, gets out of the pool, water cascading off her perfect body, like Halle Berry coming out of the sea in a Bond movie. All the guys stopped to look, and yeah, tongues are hanging out. At least Geordie snuck a furtive glance, then turned back to the grill. How could I not love this man?

Geordie said Connell and Kenzie dated briefly before she started seeing Lochlan. He thinks Connell met Gina while they were modeling a few months ago and it might be serious. She’s been in the tasting room a lot lately to pick him up from work. They look like two picture-perfect people for a dating ad. Geordie thinks Connell never got over Kenzie and maybe Gina's here to prove he's moved on. Kenzie and Lochlan are coming to the party; they should be here soon.

I plop down beside Molly. She pushes her glasses down her nose. “You know, I would have been happy to plan this birthday party. We could have come up with something better than a potluck at a kids’ water park.”

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