Page 78 of The Chef

I chuckle. “You’re telling me.”

“But after a while, Cove showed his true side. It was like I had to crack away bricks surrounding him if you know what I mean.”

“I think I do.”

“It took some time but, before I knew it, there I was, standing on a beach knowing in my heart that I love this man,” Ripley says. She shakes her head. “It sounds crazy, I know. I probably sound like a total nutcase.”

“Trust me,” I reply, taking her hand. “After the week I’ve just had with Cliff, you don’t sound crazy at all.”

* * *

Soon the other guests start to arrive. Ripley and I, swaying from being a little bit too tipsy, stagger out of the kitchen and into the main part of the restaurant. We stand by the front door with Cliff and Cove, welcoming people into Rockpool. Famous food critics Cliff’s shown me pictures of swan in to the restaurant, I recognize them, and I make the effort to smile and chat. It’s not easy for me to be this sociable, but Rockpool’s future hangs on it and so I force myself to work hard. This whole networking thing comes easy to Cliff, unlike me. He’s an extrovert when it comes to this stuff, and I guess going to elite private schools gives you that easy confidence and swagger to excel in social situations like these.

Cliff’s other cousin, Sandy, and her husband, Skipper, soon arrive. I also recognize them from the other night. Sandy was the beautiful blonde woman who told me she’d deal with Cliff. I bet she did. There’s a tough steeliness under her pretty blonde exterior. Cove and Ripley warmly greet them, and I am reintroduced, still completely anxious. Sandy puts me at ease with her classic Finn smile and a secret joke about Cliff she shares between us, whispering into my ear so that her cousin can’t hear.

“He used to be scared of the dark when he was a kid. Like, really scared.”

“What are you saying?” Cliff asks his cousin with a nervous expression.

“Nothing,” I reply with a wink back to Sandy. “She’s told me nothing.”

“I don’t trust her. Bay, don’t listen to a word she says. She’s the devil.”

With most of the guests having arrived and filling out the restaurant, Ripley pulls me away from the crowd towards the back of the room.

“I thought you might want a moment to breathe,” she says to me as we clutch our wine glasses against the wall.

“Thank you,” I whisper. She must’ve seen how overwhelmed I was getting with all the people at the front door. Even though I helped him put this all together, this is still Cliff’s restaurant. He deserves the spotlight. Plus, he’s much better than I am at dealing with all the important food critics and Australian celebrities that have turned up.

The crowd mingles around us, all standing. Eating from canapes boards and drinking expensive Australian vintage wine.

“Let’s cheers to Rockpool,” Ripley says, raising her glass. I smile and chink mine against hers. “This is as much your day as it is Cliff’s. I know he didn’t redesign this place. He doesn’t have the talent.”

“Well, I don’t want to brag but most of the decisions were mine,” I smugly reply, causing her to laugh.

“I think, Bay, that this is the start of a beautiful friendship,” Ripley says.

“Me too.”

There’s a loud commotion in front of us. Ripley and I strain our necks trying to see what’s going on.

Everyone’s talking to Cliff.

Calling him to do a speech.

He stands up on top of one of the restaurant tables, hands raised, and with a big smile on his face. The man looks gorgeous in any situation. The crowd quiets down and people stop eating and drinking to listen to what he’s going to say.

“Welcome, everyone,” Cliff starts, his voice booming around the hushed restaurant. “Welcome to the re-opening of Rockpool.”

Everyone applauds. Ripley looks at me and smiles.

“This is the start of a new adventure in my life,” Cliff continues. “A new chapter for Rockpool and for New Water. Finally, a decent restaurant in the center of town. As many of our regulars can see, we’ve made some major adjustments to the place. A complete re-haul of our menu and a re-design of our restaurant. We shall be opening better than ever.”

There’s another scatter of applause. Cliff waits for it to die down before he resumes his speech.

“We’ve been very busy the last few days. There’s been a crazy amount of work to do. I must, therefore, acknowledge the work of Miss Dover in being the talent behind all this.”

Cliff gestures towards me and starts another round of clapping. Everyone’s eyes turn towards me, curious about this strange girl Cliff has mentioned. I blush, uneasy with the attention. I raise my glass in thanks to Cliff and divert my eyes to the ground. I wish the spotlight’s soon taken off me.