Читать книгу The Essential Ingredient - Love - Tracy Madden - Страница 10

Chapter 7

Entering Montgomery’s was a sensory overload. The air was thick with the aroma of rich coffee beans and hot buttermilk pancakes, and there was the busy hum of relaxed conversations over lazy breakfasts. Chilli was still buzzing.

A table had been reserved for them inside. Already seated were her three brothers with their wives and daughters. On her arrival, they all clapped. Eddy, her baby brother asked, “Gee, does this mean you’re going to run in the Olympics?”

“Well we better get her autograph now, don’t you think?” Jim contributed. She was used to her brothers’ teasing. But there hadn’t been much of it lately. It was nice it was back.

And then Charlie being the eldest sibling took over. “Jokes aside, we’re proud of you little one, we know it’s an achievement for you sis.” Holding up a freshly squeezed juice, he toasted her.

She joked with them, “I am famished, starving, fading away, weak at the knees, what does a girl have to do to get something to eat around here.” And it was true. She was hungry for the first time in almost a year. The aroma of breakfasts cooking wafted through the restaurant. Her mouth salivated. “Where’s Sam? Bring it on darling. I want one of everything.”

To begin, she had a tiny bowl of stewed rhubarb and apple with roasted chestnuts, followed by a small serve of flavour-rich goat’s cheese soufflé omelette, with chorizo and relish on the side. It was fantastic! Her taste buds were being teased and tantalised, and felt alive after lying dormant for so long. Not content to leave it at that, she took a minute serving of rustic baked beans. With the piquant addition of worcestershire sauce and bacon ribs, these simple beans were transformed into a gourmet delight. Chilli could have purred with pleasure. She couldn’t stop eating. And then she noticed her family watching her.

“What?” she asked looking around the table.

Laughing Charlie teased, “Are you sure you don’t want to strap on the nosh bag? I’ve got half a croissant I haven’t finished if you want it for later?”

“Ha ha.” She smiled cheekily, and pointed to a bowl of vibrant red strawberries further down the table. “I might just have a couple of those beautiful plump strawberries. Can you pass them to me please Miranda?”

“These are delicious. They’re some of the best berries we’ve had in a while.” Miranda handed them down the table. “We’ve got a new supplier from up the coast, haven’t we Sammy.”

Chilli thought they were the best strawberries she had ever tasted. They were properly ripened fragrant berries that exploded in her mouth with a full, sweet, acid, strawberry flavour. They brought back memories of the strawberries that Grand-mere Celeste had grown in her garden. Chilli had never forgotten what it was like as a small child to pick the sun-warmed ripened fruits straight from the strawberry patch. Lips were stained red by the luscious juicy fruit almost instantly upon eating. In her memory, there was nothing as delicious, but today these came close.

Her father sitting at the other end of the table, began tapping the side of his water glass with a teaspoon.

“Can I have everyone’s attention for a minute please!” He cleared his throat, while they all looked expectantly at him.

His glance fell on his daughter.

“Chilli, we all knew that you were a powerful, strong woman, but you just had to prove it to yourself. And today you did.” There was a smattering of applause. He nodded.

“Dear girl, you’ve had an incredibly rough time, but you are making it through.” At this point he hurried on, not wanting anyone, least of all Chilli, to become emotional, “Now, your mother and I have a gift for you, and as we wanted the timing to be just right, we think that this morning is perfect.”

Raising her eyebrows at him, silently she prayed that it wasn’t a dog.

“We’ve bought you a ticket to Paris. Your mother is going with you.”

Chilli sat frozen in her seat, thinking she had not heard correctly then she shook her head. “What?”

Solange spoke up. “It’s true Chilli. We’re going to Paris.”

Chilli blinked in disbelief. Paris with her mother? Her mother had never wanted to go anywhere near France. For some reason, she’d never been interested, and now they were going to go together. She could show Solange the Paris Grand-mere Celeste had shown her.

She ran around the table, hugging her father first and then her mother. Solange pulled away sharply.

“Don’t want to get makeup on your clothes dear,” she said.

For once her mother’s lack of affection didn’t faze her.

“Mum we’re going to have a wonderful time. There’s so much for me to show you. When do we go? How long are we going for?” And then she spun around. “Oh my goodness, Sam, Miranda is it okay for me to go? Will you be okay with my side of things?”

They laughed at her excitement. Sam waved a hand at her. “We’ll be fine. No problem. In fact we’ve had a head start on you. We’ve known about this for a while.”

“You have?”

“Yes,” he laughed, “We have.”

At this point, Miranda joined in. “Of course you’re going. Was there ever any doubt? Tiffany has offered to take holidays again for at least two weeks to step in for you.”

Chilli turned to her niece. “Tiff surely you do not want to spend one more lot of holidays working for me. I can arrange something else.”

“Aunt Chill, you’re doing me a favour, really.” With that Tiffany glanced over at the kitchen and winked at Dave the sous chef.

Chilli laughed and looked up to the heavens. “Okay. Okay. I get it!” Her head was still reeling. “Mum, I think that you and Dad need to come for dinner tonight. We’ve so much to plan.” She clapped her hands.

“What are you cooking,” Jack asked, as if this made a difference to whether he would go or not.

“What does it matter, what I’m cooking? You love everything I make,” she teased, laughing.

“You’re right. I do.” He put his arms around her, hugging her once more. A feeling of euphoria and bedlam broke out as they all spoke at once.

Sitting back, Chilli basked in a feeling she hadn’t felt for some time. It was warmth in her heart. It was only small, but it was there. Briefly she placed her hand to her chest. She realised that it must have been fate for her life to be as it was at this moment. If Rob was meant to go when he did, then at least it was when she was fully entrenched in Montgomery’s with Sam and Miranda. If he could see them now, he would say that they were all together, exactly where he wanted them. And then another feeling came over her, and she recognised it. It was Rob’s presence. She sensed that he was watching over her, and guiding her.

Lost in thought, she stared into oblivion. With a jolt, she shook her head, and her vision focused on a young girl coming out of the powder room on the opposite side of the room. The girl walked past their table and continued through the restaurant and out onto the front deck. It was the girl she had seen earlier in the park with Jeff Bryson.

Excusing herself from her family, she strolled out onto the deck. There he was, with his three children.

As she approached his table, he glanced up and the look on his face was one of surprise.

Chilli spoke first. “Hello Jeff. How are you?”

He rose to greet her, his face tinged with cautiousness. He greeted her gently, “Chilli! Hello. It’s nice to see you. How are you?” He extended his hand and shook hers softly as if she might break.

She exhaled heavily before answering. “I’m getting there.” She paused. Then her voice lifted. “So this must be your family.”

“Yes. This is my son Trent and my daughter Justine, and the midget is Coco.” Trent was already on his feet and offering his hand. The same height as his father, he had blonde short styled hair, tanned skin, clear blue eyes and a fit muscular physique. His smile was slow and lazy, and when it reached his eyes it was quite genuine. Justine stayed seated. She appeared a far more reserved personality and said a brief. “Hi,” and then glanced away. She was attractive, with shoulder length blonde hair, fair skin and a small smattering of freckles across her nose. The youngest, Coco was bursting with personality. She too was blonde, with a little turned up nose and a look that knew it all. She screwed her face up at her father’s description of her.

“Dad, that’s dreadful,” she wailed, and he playfully mussed her hair up, which gave her reason to wail again.

“Everybody this is Chilli. Chilli and her family own this restaurant.”

She smiled at them. “So are you all enjoying your breakfast?”

“I love the coconut pancakes with the mascarpone and raspberries. I’ve wanted Dad to bring me here for the last couple of months and he said he’s been too busy. You didn’t even say you knew the owner, Dad.” Coco was speaking to Chilli and her father at the same time.

At that moment they were interrupted by Solange. “Excuse me Chilli, we’ll be over tonight around sixish, will that suit?” and then she glanced across at Jeff. “Oh hello, how are you? We met a little while ago didn’t we?” she said nodding her head.

“Yes, that’s right. Jeff Bryson.” Smiling he extended his hand. “How are you?”

“Wonderful! Well, you look like you did the run as well. Good luck to you if you can. I’m afraid it’s not for me, although Chilli did a marvellous job this morning. We’re very proud of her.” She patted Chilli’s arm. “Anyway, your father’s bringing the car around dear.” She turned back to Jeff, “Nice to see you again. Bye dear, see you tonight. I’m sure we’ve got a lot to talk about.”

Jeff’s children had resumed talking amongst themselves. Jeff lowered his voice. “Look, I hope you don’t mind me saying this, and please stop me if you want to, but I have felt dreadful since that day when I ran into you. I really said the wrong thing, and I want you to know how sorry I am.”

Speaking softly and slowly, she briefly put her hand on his arm. “Please don’t apologise. I’m afraid I didn’t behave very well, and what I said... Well it just came out that way, anyway enough said. I should let you get back to your breakfast.” Then on a slightly more elevated note, “I see you had the goat’s cheese omelette. Too delicious for words isn’t it? Now would anyone like another coffee? I’ll organise someone. Be back in a minute.”

She returned with a white plate filled with little plump pillows of almond nougat. “I’d love you to try these. They’re entirely too scrumptious for words.”

“You sound like you love everything here,” Jeff laughed at her enthusiasm and his smile widened as she remembered it doing when she had met him on the flight, making her smile in return. His children were silently watching the interplay between their father and her.

“I do, but then again I’m biased. I gave birth to the chef.” Everyone laughed at that.

“So how do you know my dad?” Coco interrupted, asking in a very direct manner. Justine nudged Coco, but it was obvious by the look on their faces, that the older two children were interested in the answer.

“Umm, we met on a flight some time back. We had a chat, didn’t we?” And Chilli turned to Jeff for confirmation, and then turned back to the young girl. “And lucky me, I am about to go on another flight, this time to Paris with my mother.”

“When are you going?” Coco asked, as if this would make a difference to her.

Chilli laughed. “I don’t know yet. We’re going to talk about it tonight. It was a surprise gift from my parents.” She smiled at the young girl and then turned back to Jeff. “Well I have definitely taken up enough of your time.”

“Nice to see you again Chilli, you’re looking well,” he extended his hand once more. “Enjoy Paris.”

“Thank you I will,” she smiled.