“Yes,” she said softly. “Yes, it is.”
For the rest of the meal, Isla found herself pulled between her professional instincts and this newer, softer way of tasting. She still noted the technical flaws—the slightly grainy texture of the chocolate mousse dessert, the uneven caramelization on Percy’s crème brûlée—but those observations no longer seemed as important as they once had.
After paying the bill, they stepped out into the bright afternoon sunshine. Isla felt oddly off balance, as though something inside her had quietly shifted.
“Isla? Is that you?”
She turned to see Rachel from the Thornberg Restaurant approaching with two young girls in tow, both around Percy’s age.
“Rachel, hi,” Isla smiled, genuinely pleased to see the familiar face.
“I thought that was you coming out of The Pinecone,” Rachel said warmly. “How was it?”
“It was...” Isla hesitated, realizing she hadn’t settled on her final verdict. “Good. Different, but good.”
“These are my daughters, Lucy and Aria,” Rachel said, gesturing to the girls who were staring at Percy with undisguised curiosity.
“Is that a dinosaur?” Lucy asked, pointing to Spike, who was still clutched in Percy’s hand.
Percy nodded, suddenly shy again. “His name is Spike.”
“Cool!” Aria exclaimed. “We have dinosaurs, too. And a treehouse!”
Percy’s eyes widened. “A real treehouse?”
“With a rope ladder and everything,” Lucy confirmed. “Matt built it for us.”
“And we have a fairy house,” Aria said in a hushed voice. “Matt helped us build that, too. When Tessa was staying with us.”
The children fell into easy conversation about dinosaurs, fairies, and treehouses while Rachel turned to Isla.
“They seem to be hitting it off,” Rachel observed. “I’m actually heading home now. I told the girls about Percy, and they would love it if he wanted to come over and play. We’re having a fairy tea party.”
Isla hesitated. She’d planned to visit another restaurant that evening, but the thought of dragging Percy to a second review in one day suddenly seemed unfair.
“That’s very kind, but...”
“Please, Mom?” Percy interrupted, his expression hopeful. “They have atreehouse!”
Rachel smiled. “It’s no trouble at all. The more, the merrier.”
“Please?” Percy repeated, practically bouncing with excitement.
Isla felt her resistance crumbling. “Well, if you’re sure it’s not an imposition...”
“Not at all,” Rachel assured her. “In fact, if you wanted some adult time, he’s welcome to stay for dinner. The kids could have a little sleepover.”
“I’d need to go back to Bear’s Rest and grab his things,” Isla said.
“Oh, don’t worry about it; we have spares of everything,” Rachel said, waving Isla’s concerns away. “Go and have some time to yourself. You look as though you need it.”
She did? Isla smoothed a hand over her hair as she considered the offer.
A whole evening to herself. The thought was both tempting and terrifying. What would she do with that freedom? Her mind immediately conjured an image of Kirk’s cabin, of his warm smile in the firelight.
“That’s... that would be...” Isla took a breath, steadying herself. “If Percy wants to, that would be lovely.”
“Yes!” Percy pumped his fist in the air, then turned to the girls. “Do you like T. rex best or Triceratops?”
