Including when she looked Tommy up and down appraisingly and said, ‘You remind me of my husband, Giorgios. He was… virile.’ She raised her fisted hand to drive home her point, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.
Even Tommy laughed, his cheeks colouring.
That’s when our eyes met, a look that reverberated through me. I hastily looked away and caught my breath.
‘Oh my,’ said Trudy next to me.
‘She’s funny, isn’t she?’ I asked, sharing the joke.
‘I meant you and Tom,’ she replied, sobering me instantly. ‘You sure there’s nothing between you any more?’
Am I sure? Why no, Trudy, there is nothing in this world of which I am less sure!
‘Oh, we divorced years ago. I’ve had two husbands and two divorces since then,’ I said lightly. Only why did I say that? She blinked rapidly, clearly shocked. But at least it wasn’t pity – that would have been far worse.
‘Now, you will pair up,’ said Michalis, reminding me we were there to cook rather than conduct a post-mortem on my first marriage.
I looked to Trudy, hoping to pair up with her, but she’d already chosen Niki. And with Minh taking photos…
Wonderful – reunited.Again.
‘I hope this is all right?’ Tommy asked as he rounded the bench and stood by my side.
I beamed at him. ‘Why wouldn’t it be?’
Across the way, Minh took a photo.
‘Ahh, mate, sorry,’ said Tommy. ‘Just… employees of Aetheria probably shouldn’t be in the promotional photos.’
‘Yeah, of course. Sorry ’bout that.’ Minh looked intently at his view finder, then lifted his eyes, glancing between me and Tommy, and Trudy and Niki. I expected him to ask me and Trudy to cook together but instead he said, ‘I’ll make sure you’re not in focus.’
‘Perfect,’ replied Tommy.
Don’t you love it when the menfolk decide for you?
Only that’s not fair – I could have spoken up, asked to swap with Niki. But after deliberately dodging him all morning, there was no point denying it any more – Iwantedto be with Tommy. And cooking together would be fun.
I mean, neither of us were exactly ‘home chefs’, but we’d always enjoyed being in the kitchen together. Even making beans on toast, which we’d had a fair bit when we were first married and skint. We’d grate cheese over the top and slide it under the grill, then add brown sauce, laughing about being ‘super posh’ when we were anything but.
The memory made me smile, but I shook it off and took in the restaurant’s well-appointed kitchen. Like onMasterChef, the ingredients and implements were laid out across three workstations, including one forYiayiá.
With Michalis translating, she started demonstrating, and we watched intently, doing our best to replicate her precise actions.
First we hollowed out fat, juicy tomatoes and just from the aroma, I could tell they were sun-ripened. I snuck a little taste, and it was even better than the tomatoes I’d had on Aetheria.
I handed Tommy a sliver, then peeked atYiayiá– I didn’t want to get told off. She caught my eye, but instead of scolding me, she gave me a sly smile.
‘Oh my god,’ sighed Tommy. ‘Is there anything more delicious than Greek tomatoes?’
‘Nothing,’ I agreed, soaking up the warmth of his smile.
Next up were red peppers and Tommy and I worked in unison to scoop out the seeds and pith, then set the peppers on the tray next to the tomatoes. ThenYiayiáheld up a long, narrow aubergine, and explained the next step.
‘The aubergine is a little harder,’ Michalis translated. ‘Hold it firmly – usestronghands.’
I clamped my lips shut.Do not laugh. Do not laugh. Do not laugh.
Sure, it was juvenile to find that funny but come on! And from that glint inYiayiá’s eye and the quirk of her mouth, she knewexactlywhat she was saying.
