It was unnerving how hot he looked in it, the sleeves pushed up to reveal strong tanned forearms with a light dusting of dark hair. Perils of the job, Lou supposed, that chef’s whites were a major turn-on. She wondered idly if Orla felt the same way about Garda uniforms.
When the children came back with the ingredients, Aidan got everyone else togged out with aprons – thanks to Bo he had children’s ones. He also had goggles and child-friendly knives for Bo and Jack, and he gave them a job chopping herbs.
‘This is the coriander,’ Bo said to Jack, holding out a large bunch for him to sniff.
Jack bent his head and inhaled. ‘Mmm. Nice.’
Lou was impressed with how knowledgeable Bo was, familiar with the different herbs and spices, and helping Aidan make mayonnaise, drizzling the oil in at the perfect speed. She was envious of Aidan, being able to teach his child so much about food – where it came from and what it was good for. Jack probably thought herbs only came in plastic packs from supermarkets, and he was clearly amazed to discover that mayonnaise was something you could make from scratch with a few basic ingredients. But that was all going to change. She was looking forward to planting her vegetable patch and teaching him about growing food.
When it was time to show Lou how to prepare the fish, Aidan lifted Bo and Jack onto the worktop to watch. First she had toscale it, which was a much messier job than she’d imagined, the scales flying in all directions and sticking to her clothes.
‘I didn’t think this through,’ she said, laughing. ‘I think I have scales in my hair.’
‘Yeah, you do.’ Aidan grinned, picking one out.
‘I’m going to stink of fish!’
‘You should have time to go home and change once everything’s prepped. If not, I’ll finish off with my helpers.’
‘Oh, thanks. I’m going to have to take you up on that.’
She was very aware of Aidan so close beside her, looking over her shoulder as he showed her how to fillet the sea bass, putting his hand over hers occasionally to guide the knife. She was glad the children were there, chattering and asking questions. It would have felt too intimate and intense otherwise.
When all the food was prepped, they went into the dining room and Lou helped Aidan push tables together. He laid tablecloths and placed candles down the centre, while Lou polished silverware and glasses for Bo and Jack to place around. She left Aidan and the children to finish setting the table while she ran home for a quick shower and a change of clothes.
She returned to the restaurant as people were starting to arrive. The dining room looked beautiful with the candles lit, the lambent light sparkling off the glass and silverware and lending everything a golden glow. Lou was impressed that Aidan was going to so much trouble for his staff. Unfortunately, it only fuelled her growing crush on him. It was easier when he was being an asshole. She went to the kitchen and took over the cooking of the main course, while Shane helped Aidan with the starters and side dishes.
There were about twenty of them as they all sat down at the long table, including evening shift staff who Lou had never met before. It was nice to see her colleagues dressed up in their civvies and relaxing.
‘This fish is yummy, Mum,’ Jack said to her when they’d moved on to main courses. He was sitting opposite her beside Bo.
‘Sogood,’ Bo agreed.
‘Your mother is a brilliant cook,’ Shane said to Jack. ‘This really is fantastic, Lou.’ He raised a glass to her. ‘Well done.’
‘Thank you.’
‘We should screw up more often if this is how we get rewarded,’ Mark joked.
‘Don’t get any ideas,’ Aidan said with mock severity. ‘I’m only pushing the boat out because I was desperate to make Lou stay.’
Lou felt her cheeks flush. She glanced across at Aidan and there was a warmth in his brown eyes that sent tingles down her spine. She looked away quickly, turning to Shane. But he was distracted, his gaze flicking from her to Aidan, a small furrow between his brows.
‘Anyway, here’s to Lou joining the brigade,’ Aidan said, raising a glass to her, and they all joined him in the toast.
‘We’re going to miss you out front, though,’ Ingrid said to her.
‘We will.’ Annie, the front of house manager, smiled at her.
Lou was pleased and a little surprised because she’d never been sure if Annie liked her.
‘Well, she’s ours now,’ Shane said smugly, ‘so suck it up.’
Lou grinned, chuffed that everyone wanted her on their team. She’d always prided herself on being a hard worker and a team player, but the external validation felt good.
It was a lovely evening with beautiful food, lots of laughter and great company.
‘Who’s going to do the clean-down?’ Ian asked towards the end of the evening, as people started to gather their things.
