“Night,” his daughter replied, her focus squarely on the food in front of her.
Ethan jumped up to walk Vanessa to the door, and she stayed ahead of him the whole time, taking her coat off the back of the couch without a misstep. He managed to slip in front of her by the door.
“I’m sorry. I know you’re annoyed with me, and I also know I’ve been a little…off lately. It’s not you, honestly. I love you, and Daisy loves you too. We’re…we’re a team, the three of us, aren’t we?”
“Dad,Singis on! Can we watch it?” came Daisy’s shout from the kitchen.
Vanessa closed her eyes for a couple of seconds and pressed her lips together.
“Just a second, hon,” Ethan called back, exasperated. He turned back to Vanessa. “Hey, I’ll phone you in the morning. Let’s meet for lunch tomorrow? I’ll come and pick you up from the office.”
She hesitated, then nodded. “Okay, that would be nice.” Vanessa turned to leave, and Ethan listened to her footsteps move away from him down the hallway just as Daisy’s came toward him from the kitchen.
Chapter 20
At 7:00 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, Terri was running around the bistro making last-minute preparations before everyone started arriving for Rachel and Gary’s engagement party.
They’d closed the place early today, after lunch, as originally intended, Rachel suggesting they should use the night off as an opportunity to celebrate the big event.
Terri was cognizant that tonight would also mark a huge shift in the friends’ shared history, a separation of paths as such, and while she was thrilled to see Rachel so happy, she also couldn’t help but feel a little trepidation too.
Still, despite her misgivings about Gary, she really had to hand it to him for surprising her out of the blue in New York with that whopper of a ring.
Her eyes had nearly popped out of her head when she’d seen the size of it, and she felt bad for having clearly misjudged the guy. So in preparation for tonight’s celebrations, she had spent the morning in a corner of the kitchen baking various breads and pastries to accompany savory canapés for the New Year’s Eve–cum–engagement party.
Just then, Justin walked through the swinging kitchen door, closely followed by an excited Rachel.
“Still here?” he jibed. “Everything’s ready to go, so you two should just go off and get changed and, more importantly, get out from under my feet.”
The older chef had been with them since the beginning and was practically a part of the furniture at Gillini now. Besides his talent in the kitchen, they also appreciated his rapid-fire wit and good humor, a plus for keeping the waiting staff smiling when the place was filled to capacity.
“Terri!” Rachel gasped, and Terri could tell that despite her buoyant mood, her friend was a little flustered. “Why aren’t you changed yet?”
“I know, I know. I’m going now.” Terri wiped her hands and put some fresh blinis in the fridge. “Just wanted to make sure we have enough of everything.” Rachel paused then, and by the look on her face, Terri suspected she was about to go all emotional on them, as she was prone to do.
“Hey, just in case I don’t get to say it tonight,” her friend began, tears shining in her eyes, “thanks for helping me pull this party together so quickly. I know it was a lot, asking you to give up your night off, and I want you to know how much I appreciate not just your efforts tonight but the two of you as friends.” Rachel took a deep breath and waved her hand in the air as if this would somehow stop her from blubbering. “This is such a huge and truly unexpected step in my life, and thanks for helping me celebrate it.”
The sincerity in her voice merely made Terri feel even worse for thinking so badly of Gary before.
“Have you been on the vino again?” she joked, by now well used to such emotional outpourings. Rachel was an unbelievable softie and had this unyielding ability to see the good in everything that Terri envied. “You silly goose. Of course we’re going to help you celebrate! It’s not as though we need much of an excuse, and anyway, we’re thrilled for you. Aren’t we, Justin?”
“Yep. You deserve every happiness, honey, and this is going to be a great party.”
Rachel beamed. “Thanks, guys.”
After Rachel exited the kitchen, Terri met Justin’s eye. “Nice dodge,” she said sardonically.
He shrugged. “Unlike some people, I’m not going to lie and say I’mhappyabout it.”
“What do you mean? Of course I’m happy for her.”
“You’re happy that she’s marrying a Neanderthal? Some best friend you are.”
There had never been any love lost between Justin and Gary, who were pretty much chalk and cheese.
Terri shrugged and leaned against the kitchen worktop. “What do you want me to say? If she’s happy, that’s all that matters. Isn’t it?”
“Hmm, remains to be seen,” the chef replied. “But from where I’m standing, this fairy-tale engagement has horror show written all over it.”
