Page 42 of Recipe for Romance (Applewood #2)

~A iden~

Standing in front of the motley crew of kitchen and serving staff felt almost surreal.

Aiden had hoped for this, worked hard to make it happen, but the fact that the soft opening of his restaurant was tonight still felt like a bit of a dream.

The space looked amazing, the pictures Lottie had found hanging straight along the walls, and not a single napkin or piece of silverware was out of place.

It looked exactly how he’d pictured it in his mind when he’d taken photos of the burnt shell of a building and sent them off to his investors.

It wasn’t just the inside that looked amazing.

Nic had gone to extra lengths to make the outside of the entrance look just as warm and welcoming as the rest of the place.

The day after the Christmas they’d spent with his family, the two of them making omelets together in the kitchen for everyone else that morning, Aiden and Nic had gone to a post-holiday clearance sale.

White string lights she’d wrestled away from a middle aged man now hung in trees he’d ordered planted months ago, lighting up the newly painted wood of the exterior as well as the flagstone walkway that would lead customers up to The Mill Restaurant.

Aiden’s chest fluttered with nerves as he gazed at the group in front of him.

Servers wearing their apple ties looked polished and ready to greet customers while the cooks, most of whose aprons were already splattered in various colors as result of their food prep, looked ready to tackle whatever orders he threw at them.

They were untested, but after witnessing how Nicole had guided the servers through their training and his putting the cooks through their paces over the last six weeks, Aiden felt confident that the night would go off with only the most minimal of hindrances.

While his biggest concern should be the food, most of his worry was for Nicole, not because he didn’t believe in her, but because her father was expected that evening.

Eddie Malone as well as the men in charge of financing this little endeavor were flying up to dine in their restaurant.

Aiden was only slightly worried that they would find his menu a little too pedestrian, but he believed with certainty that once they tasted the food, they would come to see that cooking simple comfort food to the best of his ability had been the right direction.

Aiden wanted the food to be perfect, but he also knew that perfection wasn’t a possibility.

There would always be someone who found fault in his cuisine, most of the time that person being him, but he was cooking it with love.

Love for the ingredients, love for his family who had supported him along the way, and love for the woman who made the dream of owning a restaurant that much more fulfilling by inspiring him to become a better version of himself.

Maybe his food would taste the same as it had before, but the way he made it would be different.

The manner with which he asked those under his command to make it would be different as well.

When his sous chef and line cooks had shown up that first day, Aiden had slipped back into his old persona.

The grumpiness took over and he barked at them about sloppy work and inconsistent knife cuts, but one visit from Nic had changed that.

In the midst of one of his tirades, she’d come in, placed her hand on his arm and passed him a small bag of corn chips, a knowing look on her face.

The small but significant gesture acted as a reminder that Aiden could be better, and not just for her, but for everyone he came into contact with.

He still got grumbly with the cooks when their station was dirty or their knives dull, but he also said thank you more frequently and tried to praise more often than he censured.

Things were going well, and as he gazed down at Nic who was beaming up at him, an expression of pure belief in his ability as well as her own, he knew they would continue to go that way.

Light reflected off of the glittery, red apple broach that was pinned near the neckline of her dress, but Aiden pointedly kept his gaze on her face.

When she’d come out of the office wearing the form-fitting black dress, it took every ounce of his willpower not to abandon his prep for the evening and drag her back inside for a quickie.

Being with her settled something in him, and as confident as he was in their ability to pull the evening off, he wouldn’t turn down a little tension relief.

Nicole nudging him with her elbow drew him out of his fervor and back to the matter at hand: his speech.

Aiden had given enough talks before a restaurant opening in his career to know what to say, but this felt far more momentous.

Hoping he could put the appropriate amount of gravitas into his voice without scaring anyone, Aiden began.

“Tonight is an important night for all of us. The success of this restaurant hinges on how smoothly the evening goes.” He looked around at the faces of the people in front of him, trying not to worry that they seemed to hang on his every word.

“You might consider that an overstatement, seeing as how this is friends and family night, but if anything, that makes it more important than any other night this place will ever see.”

Aiden gazed at Nic for a moment, tucking her beautiful smile into his back pocket to pull out later when the kitchen was frenzied and he worried that things would go wrong.

“Our friends and family are the ones who are there to believe in us, to support us through life’s trials and tribulations while offering a helping hand when we need it.

So tonight is not only about securing that support for the journey ahead, but about thanking them for helping us get to that point in the first place.

” His eyes started to well with tears, but he managed to keep them at bay.

“It is also about realizing a dream I’ve had since I was making mud pies in my family’s orchard, but dreams are only possible if other people believe in you, so thank you.

Thank you for being a part of my journey. ”

At his nod of finality, claps rang out around him, the loudest coming from the woman next to him.

Drawing her into a hug, Aiden breathed her in, letting her sunshine as well as their love for each other ground him as he threatened to float away on a wave of happiness and anxiety.

“Great speech, baby,” she whispered in his ear.

A kiss to his chin followed, warming his heart and settling his soul.

“Thank you.” Aiden stared into her eyes, getting flashes of a future where he continued to wake up to those pools of brown every morning for the rest of his life.

“I wouldn’t be here without you, you know.

” She shrugged, as if her presence was inconsequential.

Gripping her shoulder, he shook her lightly and smiled.

“I mean it, Nic. I might have a restaurant, but it wouldn’t be the same. I wouldn’t be the same.”

Nic returned the smile and squeezed his hand as a throat cleared.

Realizing he’d forgotten that the entire staff still remained in front of them, Aiden turned his attention back to those awaiting orders.

“Sorry. Kitchen staff, come to me with any food issues. Any front of house or serving problems will be directed to Nicole. Thank you and have a great night everyone.”

The dismissal had the servers scattering toward their stations and the cooks filing back into the kitchen. With one last look around the front, Aiden turned to Nic and brushed his lips against hers. “Have a great night, Angel.”

Nic smiled, the slight tremble in her body the only giveaway that she was nervous as well. “You too.” They turned from each other, though their hands lingered for much longer than necessary before they finally parted ways and went about their business.

Forty five minutes later, the first order came in.

The moment the paper ticket printed out of the computerized system, Aiden ripped it from the dispenser, took a deep breath, and turned to his brigade with a smile.

“Order in. Table twenty. One peach salad, one butternut risotto.” He looked up and waited for a time to be called back, but none came.

Sighing, he opened his mouth to demand an answer when finally his sous chef spoke up. “Six minutes chef,” he shouted.

Aiden nodded gratefully to the young man. “Six minutes heard,” he called back. Their exchange seemed to stir the rest of the kitchen staff out of their daze, each one jumping to their station to either get the dish ready or waiting to hear another order.

The ticket generator spit out more orders and time as a general concept ceased to exist. Aiden had no idea what the clock on the wall read, only concerned with how long it would take to prepare and plate the next order.

The staff moved around him as well as one could hope for opening night with only the clattering of a dropped pan ringing out to disrupt the general flow of things.

Seasoned brigades often worked together seamlessly, and while this bunch moved less like a coordinated group than he would like, they put their heads down and worked hard, never giving up even as he demanded the pork be cooked longer or sauces get thinned out.

Aiden was once again surrounded by the chaos of the kitchen, and he loved every second of it.