My name sounded odd being said by her. I missed Ava. I missed how easy she found enjoying life, how everything was an adventure.
“Just as friends,” I clarified, having a strange feeling that Andrea was hoping there was more to my suggestion.
“Of course,” she said, the smile false this time. “I’ll send you some pictures from my hols too.”
I gave her a slight nod and made my way out of the pub, a couple of people looking longingly at my seat. Really, I should’ve waited until Andrea was ready to leave, that would’ve been polite but it wasn’t like we were on a date or anything.
I checked my phone, seeing more than thirty emails waiting for me. Opening the messages I keyed in Ava’s name and started to type as I walked, nearly walking into someone who was doing the same.
Me:Hope you’re good. I miss you.
It was honest, maybe too honest, but I didn’t want to hover around shit and I wanted her to know how I felt.
Technology told me she’d read the message, then I saw the dots flitter across the screen.
But no reply ever came.
Chapter Twelve
Ava
September
“I’m notsure about my new chef.” Simone Wood, restauranteur and chef extraordinaire sat down on the seventh chair at the table and poured herself a healthy sized glass of wine. “I mean he can cook…”
“Isn’t that the whole point?” Claire said, nursing her own glass as if it was almost as precious as her daughter. Eliza had just stopped breast feeding, which meant Claire could drink again. And Killian was gettinga lotof baby-sitting duties.
Simone glared and I saw a little of Gordon Ramsay in the look. “That’s part of the fucking point. However, you also need to be able to run a kitchen and he’s a little quiet for my taste. You need to be able to boss the sous-chefs about, have a command over them. And I don’t see that he has.” She looked downcast.
“Have you spoken to him about it?” I said, clutching on to my own glass so that no one could prise it out of my hands.
“Yep,” Simone said. “I may have ranted for twenty minutes at him last week and possibly thrown a colander his way too.”
“What was his response?” Vanessa, whose pregnant belly seemed to be housing three babies and not just one, said. She wasn’t drinking wine, and unlike with Claire, it wasn’t bothering her in the slightest.
Simone shook her head. “He grunted at me. Then he waited for me to finish and asked if I’d try the soup he’d made with the leftovers.”
“Oh,” I said. “He didn’t react to you at all?” I was surprised. Simone, although from Newcastle originally, had trained in France and had adopted the French temperament of feisty. I had seen her blow on a couple of occasions and she was scary.
“Nope. Just a single raised eyebrow. And the soup was fucking awesome,” she said, and took a long drink of wine.
“Has it gone on the menu?” Payton said, finally putting her phone in her handbag.
Simone shook her head, swallowing. “He asked me a while ago if he could pass on any leftovers to a soup kitchen he volunteers at. Sometimes after his shift, he’ll use the leftover veggies to make a soup and take it over for the following day. The soup was for that.”
“Is he cooking today?” I asked. “I’ll give you a fair review of his cooking.”
“He is, and he’s heading out of the kitchen now and coming this way. Act like we weren’t talking about him!” Simone said, drinking more wine.
I looked over to the kitchen and saw a mountain man heading towards us. He was easily six four, bearded with a tidy haircut and shoulders that were probably a problem getting through normal doors. “Holy fuck, Simone,” Amelie said. “You shouted at that?”
“Girls, can we all stop fucking staring? He isn’t on the menu.”
“No, but if he were, you’d have a completely different clientele.” Even Claire had put down her wine glass.
The chef headed over to us, seemingly oblivious to the fact we were all staring at him.
“Simone,” he said when he was close enough. “Just to let you know, I’ve sent Anthony home as he’s turned up high. We’re short in the back for an hour or so, but Denny is coming in early. Do you know what you want to have to eat?” His tone was mild and his voice low. I could see Payton squinting at him as if she recognised him.
