Page 2 of Alpha & Omega (Alpha's Rejects #4)
After mixing the Caesar salad dressing, I put it in the refrigerator to chill. Then I grabbed the bag of mussels I purchased at the harbor this morning, put them into a strainer, and rinsed them in cold water before I scrubbed them. A few weren’t fully closed, so I tossed those.
I loved cooking, which was why I chose to be a chef. I hadn’t attended the best culinary school because they were expensive, but I learned enough to allow me to be creative and finally open my own restaurant and bar six months ago, which had been a dream of mine. It took forever to get it designed exactly as I wanted it. Admittedly, I was proud of myself. Not bad for only being thirty-four.
Fine dining wasn’t really my style, but I tried to create something unique in my cooking. I wanted it to be casual, with delicious fusion recipes and a fun atmosphere. Already, the place had become a hit, and my success looked promising, but I couldn’t slack off. Competition among restaurants could be fierce as hell. You had to add your own style and flair and then pray it was catchy enough and the food delicious enough to keep the crowd coming back for more.
Owning a restaurant and dealing with people went against my introverted nature, but as long as I was in the kitchen creating, I was in my zone and happy.
I set the strainer full of muscles in the sink and poured olive oil into the heated Dutch oven. Once it was ready, I tossed in the minced garlic and shallots.
“You know, just once, I’d love a regular hamburger,” Hudson said.
I craned my head to glance back at my beloved son, sitting at the kitchen island, studying for a final. He was my mirror image with hints of his pathetic mother in there, but I wouldn’t have had him had I not been with her.
When people saw Hudson and me together, they always assumed we were brothers. We shared the same dark hair that fell to our shoulders and the same chocolatey-brown eyes. Except I was more tanned, and he was pretty pale, like his mother. I had only been eighteen when he was born, so it wasn’t always easy to tell that I was old enough to be his dad.
“Uh, are you so flooded with your studies that you’ve forgotten I’ve made you hamburgers before?”
He gave me a deadpan look before he rolled his eyes. “I’m talking about a basic hamburger, Dad . You know, the dripping kind with ketchup, mustard, and grease? Not the ones you make, cooked in duck fat, smothered in brie cheese, caramelized onions, arugula, and truffle aioli.”
“Oh, come on … I made a great burger.”
Hudson rolled his eyes again, a perpetual look from my beloved teen. “You realize junk food once in a while is good for the soul, right?”
I smiled as I sautéed the garlic and onions before adding fresh herbs, Aleppo pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
“Don’t you like your old dad cooking for you? ”
“First, you’re not old. You’re not even thirty-five yet. Second, you’re an amazing cook, but sometimes I want to be like other kids and just eat crap. Third, don’t you want to take a break from cooking since you do it for work, too? Aren’t professionals against bringing their work home or something?”
“Be still my heart. My teen doesn’t think I’m old.”
“Ugh, way to miss the point, Dad.”
I chuckled. “I get your point, Hud.”
Once everything was fragrant, I dropped the mussels into the pan, coating them with the mixture. Then I poured in some dry white wine and homemade vegetable broth. As they simmered for a few minutes, I put the garlic bread into the oven.
“How about this? I’ll make you a regular hamburger tomorrow.”
“And fries.”
“And fries with—”
“No aioli. Ketchup and mustard.”
“Fine… homemade ketchup and mustard.”
“Deal.”
“It’s like negotiating with a ruthless lawyer.”
“Drama queen.”
I laughed outright, pulling the pot off the stove. “Smartass.”
God, I loved how close we were. We struggled for a long while when his mother took off, leaving me to fend for an eight-year-old who broke when she abandoned him. At least she bothered to leave a note, so I didn’t send the cops out looking for her, worried something had happened. It merely said, ‘ I can’t do this anymore .’
Our road had been rough, but we made it.
I put together our salads, placed the hot bread on a dish, and plated our mussels into soup bowls.
Hudson put away his schoolwork so we could eat together, something I tried to do whenever I didn’t have to work, which wasn’t often enough. I had my sous chef taking over on Sundays to give me time to spend with my son, but really, Hudson didn’t need me as much as he used to, and thanks to a shit ton of therapy, he was more confident than ever. It was me who needed him . One day, he’d leave to have a life of his own, and I would be lucky enough for him to spend rare time with me.
Hudson and I pried apart the shellfish, dunked the meaty morsel into the wine sauce, and ate it.
“Fine, while I would love to eat crap once in a while, this is pretty good.”
“I knew you loved me,” I said, chuckling.
He rolled his eyes as always and smirked before shoving some garlic bread into his mouth.
“Dad?”
“Yep.”
“Now that I’m sixteen and school’s almost out, do you think I can get a job? I want to start making my own money.”
God, we barely saw each other as it was. If he worked, we would be two passing ships in the night, except once in a while when we both weren’t working. This was a part of growing up and moving on. I had to let go and hope that when he finally made his mark on the world, I did a good enough job with him.
“Sure, you can work. It shouldn’t be a problem if you work part time. I guess I need to get you a car, huh? I won’t be able to drive you everywhere.”
“Can… Can I work at Harley’s? Like… maybe I can clean tables and stuff.”
The fact Hudson wanted to work with me made my heart flutter a little, and that he wasn’t ready to move further away from me as he gained his independence.
“I think I can arrange something.” I winked. “It’s my place, after all.”
He sat up straighter and smiled. “Thanks, Dad!”
We ate in silence, digging into our salads and eating more mussels. It was a recipe I put on the menu at the restaurant, but I made it less spicy at home.
“Dad?”
“Yes, love of my life.”
Hudson stared down at his salad as if avoiding my eyes. I braced myself for a tough discussion. He always had to gather his thoughts before talking about issues important to him.
“You know… now that I’m older and stuff, you don’t need to be alone. I’m okay if you… wanna date. I mean, you could have earlier, but… ”
My heart swelled even more than before that my son thought about me and my loneliness, showing his empathy. I worried about dating for a long time after his mother left us, not wanting to bring anyone in for fear they would leave, too, after he’d gotten attached to them. Hudson hadn’t been emotionally ready for all that.
Sure, I had dates occasionally with either men or women, or had a one-nighter for release, but I hadn’t had anyone serious in my life for eight years. Being bisexual, I always wanted to explore a relationship with a man, but I’d never had the chance except for a quickie. After a few years, I kind of gave up the idea of having anything serious until Hudson left for college, which was still a couple of years away.
“Well, I appreciate that I have your permission,” I teased.
“Ugh, you’re impossible. I’m trying to be cool.”
I laughed. “I’m just messing with you, but I’m grateful you’re ready and open for something like that.”
“Aren’t you lonely?”
“Yeah, sometimes, but I’m also so busy that I tend to forget about myself.”
“You need to stop that. I know the restaurant needs you, but you need you, too.”
Another thing I loved about my son was his insightfulness and old-soul vibes.
“I’m not sure I’ve got the time to date, but let’s say I was. Would it bother you if, say… I started dating a man?”
For the hundredth time tonight, he rolled his eyes. “Dad, I know you’re bisexual. It’s cool. And you know I’m gay. Why would I care?”
I shrugged and smiled. “Just making sure.”
“So, does that mean you’ll try? It’s just that I’m not always going to be here. You should have someone special in your life. It’s important. You’re also still like really young.”
“Maybe. It’s just hard to find the time, and what little time I have, I’d rather spend it with you.”
Hudson smiled at me shyly. “Thanks… but that’s why I want to work at Harley’s. We can see each other more, then you won’t have to worry about me. ”
I sat back and wiped my mouth before taking a sip of my Sauvignon Blanc. “Had this all planned out, did you?”
He bloomed crimson across his cheeks and straight to his ears. “Caught me.”
“Tell you what. I’ll think about it. Maybe I’ll try one of those apps and go on a date to see how it goes.”
“Cool.”
After Hudson went to bed and I took my shower, I sat on the edge of my bed, downloaded the new dating app called MatchVibes, and filled out my profile with the username OmegaChef34. My friends periodically called me Omega, teasing me for my introversion and living life on my own terms. It was a change I made after my wife left Hudson and me after spending over eight years trying to make things work between us.
I’d never used a dating app before, and I’d heard it could be a struggle to find someone. But how else would I find someone when I worked so much and was always in the kitchen?
After I finished filling out my profile, I added my preferences, hoping I’d get a decent match. It took only a few minutes before I had several matches. I opened each profile, reading their history and interests.
One guy was in his sixties and too old for me, so I unchecked that one. Another was some CEO, and his profile read too arrogantly. The third one was looking to fuck. While I didn’t mind that, I wasn’t going to bother with the app only for sex. I could just go to some bar to find that easily enough.
After entering my preferences, those were my choices? Not promising. Either the algorithm was terrible, or the pickings were slim.
My eyes bugged out a bit at the fourth profile. The man was an owner of a bar at only twenty-nine, making him five years younger. Huh… That was something we had in common. If anyone understood the long hours spent trying to make a business grow, he would. Damn, he was young to own a business, too.
I kept reading his profile. He said he was a skateboarder, winning a few championships, and was a strong supporter of mental health, mostly for men because masculinity teaches men that it’s unacceptable. He was also a huge advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.
AlphaSk8tr definitely sounded promising, but I had no idea what he looked like. The app required us to chat for a bit before we went through the approval process to agree to a date. At that point, we would share a picture of our faces.
My thumb hovered over the message icon, debating if I should reach out. It was hard to put myself out there, but I was lonely, and Hudson gave me the green light. I trusted him to be okay with someone I chose to date. Of course, I wouldn’t introduce him to just anyone.
With a deep breath, I hit the icon, and the app opened a messaging screen. Now to decide what to write and not look like an utter moron. I was truly out of practice, not that I was ever in practice. Ava and I got pregnant early and were married for eight years before she took off. I hadn’t had a serious relationship since.
Me: I’m intrigued by how young you are and being a bar owner. I’m
a chef at a restaurant I own. You would understand how much hard
work it takes and how little time we have left over to meet people.
I’d love to chat.
There. That didn’t sound too horrible, right?
I looked over at the clock, which read it was past eleven at night. AlphaSk8tr was probably working at his bar, so I wouldn’t hear back for a while. I put my phone on the charger and tried to ignore it as I crawled into bed. Soon enough, I would find out if he was interested or not.
I picked up my latest romance novel, about a gay couple who work together as private investigators before falling in love, and read it until I fell asleep.