“Does it matter if you do?” I asked, twisting our hands slightly so our fingers were interlocked and I could hold him steady. As if my body was trying to tell him I wasn’t going anywhere.
“I guess not.”
“Food is made to be enjoyed, so enjoy it. And I’m going to make you my favourite spicy, crispy pork and rice too.”
“That sounds amazing. I can offer an apple crumble if you’re interested?”
“With custard?”
“Obviously.” He grinned. “Unless you’re desperate for ice cream.”
“Sorry, custard wins every time. Apple crumble with custard is probably the one thing I miss most when I’m travelling. That and sticky toffee pudding, also drowning in custard. Sometimes I have to give in and make it with whatever I can find, because even if it’s not perfect it’s something. Plus, I’m happy to spread the cult of sticky toffee across the world.”
“As you should! But I can definitely make you both of those,” he said, a lightness to his expression I’d rarely seen before. “And you can make me all the recipes you’ve collected.”
“And then you can colour in my tattoos.”
“And if we haven’t fallen asleep in front of the TV after that, maybe you can fuck me?”
“Absolutely, angel.” I leant over the table and kissed him, drawing it out until everything in my body relaxed. “It’s a date.”
Chapter Thirteen
Darcy
“Well, what do you think?”I asked, trying not to hold my breath as I watched Alfie, Milo, and Ellie scoop up heaped spoonfuls of the, hopefully, perfected tiramisu ice cream.
It had become my obsession over the last two weeks, with Owen and me making endless batches, tweaking and adjusting the recipe over and over until it was everything we wanted it to be.
We’d found a delicious local mascarpone made by a nearby dairy, swapped the coffee liqueur for marsala and properly balanced it so the flavour wasn’t overpowering and the sponge fingers didn’t disintegrate, created a divine coffee custard, and worked out exactly the right way to swirl the two flavours together with the pieces of soaked sponge to produce the rich, soft, and decadent ice cream we wanted.
It was my new favourite flavour, which usually happened with the one I was developing, and I was very happy with the way it had turned out. But it wouldn’t be perfect until it was signed off by my meticulous panel of judges.
Milo, in true to character form, had even turned up in what he’d dubbed his judging shirt, which had a picture of Gordon Ramsey on the front. Where he’d gotten it, I had no idea, but it was what he always wore when I asked him to try new flavours.
Alfie and Ellie meanwhile were in the brand-new Lick It! T-shirts Alfie had ordered for us, which had arrived a lot faster than I’d anticipated. Milo had designed three versions in hot pink, teal, and black, each with the Lick It! logo on the chest and the slogan on the back, and I had to admit I didn’t know why I’d put them off for so long because they looked amazing.
He’d also designed some simple ones for me and Owen to wear in the kitchen with just the logo on the chest, which we’d gotten in both black and white.
I hadn’t been sure about switching to a T-shirt permanently, but it had been a lot more comfortable and practical. Although the looks Milo and Alfie had given me the first day I’d arrived in one, after my breakfast date with Owen, made it seem like I was either naked or wearing something like Lady Gaga’s iconic meat dress.
“Fuck me, Darcy, this is incredible,” Milo said, taking the container from Alfie so he could help himself to another enormous spoonful. “Except don’t fuck me, give me half a ton of this instead. Just keep it coming until I’m dead and then bury me in a coffin of it.”
I laughed fondly, watching as Milo shovelled ice cream into his face like a hamster, taking half a second to wave his spoon vaguely threateningly at Alfie when he tried to get another scoop. Luckily, I had a second tub. “You like it then?”
“Like it? I fucking love it,” Milo said, his voice slightly muffled where his mouth was full. Alfie sighed at him pointedly. “What?”
“Don’t talk with your mouth full. It’s gross,” Alfie said as I handed him the second, smaller, container I’d been saving forme and Owen to split. Not that we needed more, we’d been eating it virtually every day while developing it.
“I was only giving my opinion. Besides, if I stop eating, you might steal my ice cream.”
“I’m not that desperate,” Alfie said, holding out the second tub to Ellie so she could have some more.
“Good.”
I rolled my eyes, but at least Milo had said yes so that was a start. He could be quite difficult to win over, but once he liked something, he was all in and I knew if the tiramisu ended up on the counter, he’d be extolling its virtues to everyone.
I made a mental note to make sure I doubled the quantity I’d been planning to make for the launch, otherwise we’d likely run out in a day or two. And when I glanced up at Owen, he seemed to be thinking the same thing judging by his expression.
