Page 6 of Things We Need to Say (Second Chance Love Stories #2)

‘You look troubled,’ Liz said when she met Jay in the function room of Diva’s the next day.

Eighteen months ago, Alex, Tia McIntyre and chef Roberto Bianchi, who already owned La Emporium, a Michelin-starred restaurant, had gone into business to purchase and run the three-storey Diva’s.

The ground floor was a dedicated restaurant, with a bar and seating area on the middle floor.

Liz and Jay currently catered for functions on the third floor, in addition to any other private functions that they carried out in people’s homes.

Jay ran a hand through his curly hair — a sure sign he was stressed. ‘There’s something I want to talk to you about.’

Liz made them both a drink and they sat down at the small table used for their planning sessions. When Jay didn’t say anything, she offered up.

‘Well, this obviously isn’t going to be good news, so you might as well just come straight out with it.’

Jay cleared his throat. ‘The thing is, Liz, you know how I love working with you...’

‘I’m sensing a but.’

He nodded. ‘This has nothing to do with you, or the way we work together, but it still feels very much like your business. Your reputation and everything.’

‘Oh! Jay, you know I don’t think of it like that. You bring so much to the business and some of your dishes are inspired. I’d never have thought of putting them on the menu.’

‘I know that, and, like I say, this is nothing to do with you or the way we work together, but I feel like I need to build my own reputation. Independent from you.’

She gasped. ‘Oh.’ This was the last thing she’d wanted to hear today. She’d woken up overjoyed at her secret and had come into work trying not to smile too much in case she gave herself away. ‘You want to dissolve our partnership?’

‘No!’ It was Jay’s turn to look shocked. ‘No, I didn’t mean it like that. Oh! I’m not explaining myself very well, am I?’

She shook her head. ‘No, you’re not. Just tell me straight.’

Jay sighed. ‘You know it’s always been my dream to own my own restaurant?’

‘Of course. I thought that was a long way off, though.’

‘It is. But when I am in the position to go ahead, I also want to have built up a reputation, so that people will invest in me.’

‘So what are you saying?’

‘I want to start entering competitions.’

‘Competitions? Is that all?’ Liz breathed a huge sigh of relief.

‘It might not sound much to you, but I need to start somewhere.’

‘No, don’t get me wrong, I didn’t mean to denigrate it, not by any means. I just thought you wanted out and it’s a relief to know that you don’t. I presume you’re asking for a bit of time off as and when you’re tied up elsewhere?’

‘That’s about the size of it, yes.’

‘That sounds fair enough. I’m presuming you’ll get some advance notice of when competitions start so that we can plan our bookings? And if there’s any clashes, we can always employ more agency chefs.’

‘Really? You’re okay with it?’

‘Of course I am. This is our business, Jay, so we need to make it work for both of us.’

‘Oh, thank you, Liz. I was so worried about telling you. If it wasn’t for Emma, I might have bottled it completely.’

‘Oh, Jay! You daft thing!’ She leaned over and gave him a hug. ‘I know we’re in business together, but, first and foremost, we’re friends. You should be able to tell me anything. Besides, I might need you to return the favour soon so we can work things around each other.’

‘Really? How come you might need time off?’

Liz took a sip of her drink, stalling. She’d nearly let the news about her pregnancy slip when it had been her idea to keep it quiet in the first place.

‘Alex and I are thinking of moving. We haven’t found anything yet, but we’re looking at houses, so I might be a bit tied up with that in the future. ’

‘Oh, congratulations,’ Jay replied. ‘I know you’ve wanted to get a new place that you can put your own stamp on for a while now.’ He paused and then asked, ‘But will that mean you’ll be selling our flat?’

Jay had taken over Liz’s old flat when she’d moved in with Alex, and later Emma had moved in too. At the mention of buying a house, Jay looked so stricken that Liz felt the need to reassure him. ‘Don’t worry about that. I’m not looking at selling the flat — your home is safe.’

‘Thank goodness for that.’ Jay’s smile returned to his face. ‘I thought for a minute we were going to be homeless.’

‘I wouldn’t do that to you.’

‘But don’t you need the money to put into the new house?’

She shook her head. ‘When Dad died, he left me and Mel quite a significant inheritance from when he sold the farm. It seems fitting to invest that money in the house, so that Dad can become part of my future.’

‘That’s a nice idea.’

Liz changed the subject; she always began to well up when she spoke about her dad. ‘So, competitions. Do you have anything in mind?’

‘Nothing so far. I wanted to clear it with you first.’

‘Okay. As long as we give each other plenty of notice I’m sure we can work things out.’

‘Thanks, Liz.’

‘No problem.’ She paused. ‘I don’t suppose you’re thinking of entering MasterChef , then?’

Jay laughed. ‘No, not yet anyway. That’s what Emma asked. But I’ve never done a competition before, so I thought I might start smaller.’

‘That does sound sensible. Although I’d say you’d be more than a match for most of the chefs I’ve seen on that programme.’

He blushed. ‘Thanks Liz.’

‘I’m imagining you’ll need to start on building your repertoire. Let’s have a look at the bookings we’ve got coming up and see if you can incorporate any of your ideas into the menus.’

* * *

Jay left Diva’s feeling so much lighter than when he had walked in only a few hours earlier.

The thought of telling Liz had been weighing on his mind, but Emma had been right — Liz had readily accepted his ambitions.

He should have trusted in both of them before now, then he wouldn’t have had to suffer so many sleepless nights.

He whistled as he walked towards Tottenham Court Road Tube station.

Liz had made a valid point, though — he did need to work on his repertoire.

For years he’d worked at La Emporium cooking dishes inspired by Roberto and, although he had more creative input working for Liz, a lot of the dishes were designed according to either their clients’ requirements or whether the dishes were suitable for mass catering.

For the first time in a long time, he’d be creating the dishes he wanted to cook.

The ability to experiment filled him with joy.

He would have to go through all the classic techniques and make sure he’d know what to do in any given situation.

Jay stepped up his pace. He couldn’t wait to get home and start planning his future.

* * *

‘He wants to do what?’ Alex asked later that night.

‘He wants to start entering competitions to build up his own reputation,’ Liz replied calmly.

‘That’s going to take a lot of time and effort.’

‘It will, but it’s far better than I was expecting. At first, I thought he wanted to dissolve our partnership.’

‘It’s a shame about the timing, though. This is the last thing you need right now.’

Liz handed Alex a glass of wine and poured herself an apple juice.

‘It’s not great timing, and for a moment I was really tempted to tell Jay about the pregnancy.’

Alex looked horrified. ‘But you didn’t?’

‘No, I didn’t. We agreed not to say anything. Besides, it might make him feel guilty for wanting time off.’

‘But how are you going to manage it?’

‘We’ll just take fewer bookings when he’s not around. And for the time off I might need. Don’t worry, we’ll work it out between us. And it’ll be a lot easier in a few weeks when I can tell him about the pregnancy.’

‘As long as you don’t overdo it by trying to do everything. I know what you’re like.’

She kissed him on the lips. ‘Don’t worry, Alex, I have every intention of keeping this baby safe and that’s more important than any function.’

Alex smiled. ‘Things really are going to change for us, aren’t they?’

‘They certainly are.’