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“I did,” I admitted. “And it’s only cringey if you know them. I needed some inspiration for new menu dishes at the Elderflower Inn. This was what inspired me. Deal with it.” I stuck my tongue out at Luca.
He fought a grin, the dimple on the left side of his mouth giving him away. “All right, then. I guess I won’t snitch to the customers as long as you’re nice to me.”
“Ooh, blackmail,” I said, my eyes wide and innocent. “Anyway, grab a plate and bowl. Dessert’s not done yet, but we have appetizers and a main course.”
I watched with satisfaction as the four men eagerly loaded up plates of tapas and took bowls of curry. I’d been tasting liberally as I went along, so rather than join them, I watched from the sidelines.
Luca bit into one of the appetizers. “Huh,” he said, chewing and swallowing. “It’s Byron, only he’s been turned into an extremely tiny pizza round.”
“Delicious,” Byron put in, eating one whole.
“Spanish-style mini pizza bites with sliced fennel and aniseed,” I said grandly. “Twelve ninety-five for a plate of four. I’m debating including a dipping sauce.”
“Doesn’t need one,” Emiel said, taking a second pizza round.
“I agree,” Zalen put in. “It would only smother poor Byron’s delicate aroma.”
Byron casually flipped him off behind Luca’s back, and immediately picked up another mini-pizza.
“Noted,” I said, inordinately pleased.
It took a surprisingly short time for the little pizzas to disappear, after which, the boys turned their attention to the main course.
“Thai-style coconut-lime drunken porgy,” I announced. “And coconut-lime drunken lion’s mane mushrooms for Zalen. Twenty-two ninety-five per bowl. There’s French bread for dipping, but that part’s store-bought.”
Princess, who’d been watching the entire process avidly, meowed at us.
“The porgy, at least, gets Princess’s seal of approval,” I told them. “Yes, Emiel, I had to bribe your cat to stay off the counter with expensive imported fish.”
“She’s worth it,” Emiel said, making my heart melt all over again.
“Of course she is,” Luca agreed. “Besides, you need someone for quality control when it comes to fish, right?”
Princess meeped in agreement.
I pointed a finger at her. “Don’t expect a job at the restaurant, you hear me? We only just got the health department off our backs.”
“Mia, this is amazing,” Zalen said. “And I’m not just saying that because I’m biased toward lime and coconut. What’s the drunken part in this? I don’t recognize the taste.”
“Sang Som,” I told him. “They call it Thai whiskey, but it’s actually rum. Bit of a specialty item in this part of the world, but I know someone who knows someone.”
Silence fell, broken only by the scrape of spoons in bowls. I took the opportunity to check on my cakes in the oven. Those were going to be a bit more fiddly than the other dishes had been. While the guys worked their way through firsts and seconds on the curry, I pulled them out and checked the doneness with a toothpick.
“Is that my dessert?” Emiel asked shyly, turning to watch.
“It is,” I told him. “Unfortunately, I’m not entirely sure my initial idea for it is going to work. But I’ll get it right one way or another, even if it takes a few attempts.”
I tested the temperature of the sauce I had warming on the stovetop, wanting to make sure it wasn’t too hot for the makeshift pastry bag I’d be using.
Emiel cleared his throat. “Wanted you to know that I emailed that place in Frontenac I told you about. Would’ve called them, but the office is closed on Sunday.”
I paused, turning to face him directly, a huge smile on my face. “That’s great, Emiel. Remember what I said, though. If it doesn’t feel right, try someone else. It needs to be a good fit.”
The others watched the exchange curiously.
“This place,” Luca said cautiously. “Is it...” He trailed off, clearly unsure if Emiel would want him to blurt out that he was getting counseling.”
“It’s a mental health place,” Emiel said. “A few LCSWs and a couple of licensed psychologists. Supposed to be real good at it... I can give you the website if you want.”