“Mornin’, Hamish.” I nod in his direction and then dry my hands before checking the onions.
“Everything prepped for lunch?” he asks, looking into the saucepan from the other side of the cooktop.
“Aye, and I got a head start on the sauce for dinner.”
Thank goodness Angus already had an incredible team when I got here. It was like walking into a well-oiled machine. I’m sure it would have been rewarding to build a restaurant from the ground up like my mother and father did, but it’s been one less stress to have the support of both Angus and Hamish.
“Aye, perfect. I’ll take over for a bit if you’ve got anything you need to do before the lunch rush.”
My phone buzzes in the back pocket of my jeans, giving me a timely excuse, and I take him up on his offer. “Okay. Come get me if you need anything,” I say, pulling it out and seeing Lennox’s name on a banner across the screen.
At that moment, Angus pushes through the door with a smile on his face. “Ah, he’s got me now. Go talk to your wee laddie.” He points his chin at my phone.
“You’re not supposed to be cooking.” I level him with a glare before feeling a second buzz in my hand. “Hamish, don’t let him lift a finger.”
“You’re no fun, you know that?” Angus says back. He squeezes my bicep when he passes and then sits heavily in the chair behind his desk. “There, you happy?”
His mock scowl makes me laugh, because not even that look on his face hides the jovial man he is underneath. The bags under his eyes say he’s tired, but you’d never know it with the way he acts. But just because he pretends well doesn’t mean I don’t see it. “Very. Now you better still be right there when I get back or I’ll tell Aileen.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” he says, feigning outrage.
“Don’t test me.” I smile at him and then give Hamish a lift of my eyebrow to let him know I’m not messing around.
Unlocking my screen, I see the texts from Lennox.
Lennox
You busy?
Mum?
Ah, the impatience of a ten-year-old.
Me
What’s up, bud?
Lennox
Can I go to the movies with Lachlan tonight?
Me
What did your grandparents say?
Lennox
To ask you.
Me
Lachlan’s beingnice to you?
Lennox
(eyeroll emoji) Aye
Me
