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‘I wouldn’t dream of it. They fell in love and got married in real life, didn’t they? The two stars,’ Carrie asked, oiling the next tin. ‘Maybe it was something about the scene where he saves her from the crocodile.’
‘Maybe. I always liked the “That’s not a knife.That’s a knife,” scene,’ Rory chuckled, picking up a bread knife from the block they used in the kitchen and doing a quick impression.
‘Heroic,’ Carrie giggled. ‘What girl could resist?’
‘Exactly. A time when men were men.’ Rory shot her a little smile.
‘I think men have always been men, haven’t they? Unless I missed a memo somewhere,’ Carrie replied, archly. ‘We have moved on from the “my knife’s bigger than yours” model of masculinity nowadays though, haven’t we?’
‘I suppose we have. Bear in mind I spent a large part of my life doing boy’s own adventure stuff for a living. I lived in a very macho environment in the navy. Sometimes I forget the rest of the world’s not like that.’
‘Hmm. But you also likeGhost.’ Carrie picked up a new tin. ‘Not very macho.’
‘You can be a man’s man and a romantic as well, you know. Their love defies death!’ he protested.
‘Oh, I know.’ Carrie thought briefly about how Patrick Swayze’s character in the movie spoke to Whoopi Goldberg from beyond the grave.
Not unlike me,Claire quipped.Maybe I have unfinished business with you.
Carrie ignored her.
‘It’s nice to be a romantic,’ she added. ‘I never really found it worked out, though. All that… stuff…’ She trailed off.
‘What stuff?’
‘Love, I guess.’ She shrugged.
‘Hm. It’s a tricky beast,’ he said, dropping one kneaded ball of dough into a tin and picking up another.
Carrie liked the way that they seemed to be working in synergy with each other.
‘I never had much luck either,’ Rory continued. ‘Here and there, but…’ He trailed off. ‘You like to think it’s out there, don’t you? Like the movies kind of love? I do, anyway. Some days I believe it, some days, not so much.’
‘Hmm. Mostly I don’t,’ Carrie admitted. ‘I never found it.’ She sighed. ‘But, when I look back, I can see that I didn’t really allow myself to find it, either. My sister and I were always really close. We were kind of like a couple, in a way. She was my go-to. Probably I just never needed anyone else.’
‘You’re referring to her in the past tense.’ Rory frowned. ‘Did you… lose her? I remember you said you’d lost someone.’
‘I still don’t want to talk about it, if that’s okay.’ She looked away to collect herself, not wanting to get upset in front of Rory. ‘Can we go back to bread? Or eighties movies?’
‘Of course. I’m here if you need someone to talk to, though. I mean, I am a tough guy, obviously.’ He rolled his eyes, as if to indicate how ridiculous he knew it sounded to say such a thing about yourself. ‘But I think I’ve learnt how to listen, too, over the years.’
‘Thanks. That’s really kind.’ Carrie shot him a shy smile. ‘Tell me the rest of your top five movies. That’ll cheer me up. Presumably they’re all awful.’
‘They are absolutely NOT awful,’ he argued back, grinning. ‘Classics of cinema, more like.’
‘IncludingCrocodile Dundee?’ She shook her head.
‘Most definitelyCrocodile Dundee,’ he insisted, kneading the bread. ‘And in the kitchen, at least, I’m the boss. So, what I say, goes.’
‘Yes, Chef,’ Carrie replied, smartly, feeling a frisson of pleasure at Rory’s words:I’m the boss. She definitely wasn’t averse to the pleasant aura of alpha male that he gave off in the kitchen, giving orders and making sure every plate went out looking and tasting perfect. It wasn’t an unpleasant, shouty vibe at all – yes, Chef Rory gave orders, but only because that was his job. And he never raised his voice, just delivered everything in a calm, steady tone of voice. Carrie found that she liked knowing exactly what he wanted from her, and his praise when she did a good job. In fact, she found that there was a kind of erotic undertone to it all.
They both started laughing.
‘That’s more like it,’ he chuckled, raising an eyebrow playfully.
* * *
That night, when Carrie got home after work, she climbed tiredly into bed and opened Maud’s diary again. Rory was playing on her mind, and she needed not to think about him for a while. They’d had such a nice time together at work that evening. When the restaurant opened, Rory was all business, just like always, and she and Kathy made a good team, making sure everything happened when it needed to. But in those hours before opening, when they’d been making the bread together… that had felt both comfortable and exciting at the same time. And Carrie had never felt that way before.
