The Secret Ingredient

by Dianne Blacklock

  He couldn’t just leave that hanging in the air. To Andie’s surprise, he didn’t.

  ‘My father was a QC,’ Dominic went on. ‘I was expected to follow the same path. So I took law at university, but I wasn’t very good at it, so I dropped out.’

  ‘You hated it,’ said Elliot.

  ‘But I wasn’t doing well.’

  ‘Because you hated it,’ he repeated.

  ‘Did you always want to be a chef?’ Andie asked Dominic.

  Elliot laughed at that. ‘He needed a job once he got kicked out of home.’

  ‘They didn’t kick me out,’ Dominic chided. ‘My father just gave me some ultimatums that I chose not to meet.’

  ‘Now who’s being diplomatic,’ Elliot muttered.

  ‘It’s the truth. Besides, they were going back to England, and I wanted to stay . . .’

  ‘I was an apprentice chef at the time,’ Elliot explained, ‘and Dom was sleeping on my couch. I got him a job as a kitchenhand so at least he could pay for his own food.’

  ‘That’s how you got started?’

  Dominic nodded, with a faint, almost sheepish smile.

  Andie was amazed. He was not some elite, cordon bleu career chef, he was almost an accidental chef. ‘So then you fell in love with it?’

  Dominic and Elliot exchanged a glance.

  ‘It was a job,’ Dominic shrugged, ‘no better or worse than anything else I could have got at the time. I needed to support myself.’

  ‘He worked really hard,’ Elliot broke in. ‘Never complained, did every shitty job that was given to him, which was impressive for a boy with blue blood running through his veins. My boss ended up putting him on as an apprentice, and the rest,’ he said grandly, ‘as they say, is history.’

  ‘Thank you for a wonderful meal, I had such a great time,’ said Andie as Elliot saw them out the side door.

  They agreed to finally call it a night when they noticed it was past eleven. They all had to work tomorrow, and Dominic had to do the round trip across the bridge and back to take Andie home.

  ‘Thank you for getting this guy to finally come to my restaurant,’ said Elliot.

  ‘It had nothing to do with me.’

  ‘Oh, I think it might have,’ he said cryptically, giving Dominic a thump on the arm. ‘So, Sal will give you a call, Dom, we’ll make a night at our place. I’ll look forward to seeing you again then, Andie.’

  He stood in the doorway as they walked down the side of the building towards the street where the car was parked.

  ‘And I’ll be in touch about that apartment,’ he called after them.

  ‘Thank you, I appreciate it.’

  ‘He’s great,’ Andie said after they drove away.

  Dominic nodded. ‘I thought you’d like him. He’s been a good friend to me, the best.’

  ‘I could see that.’

  He glanced at her. ‘I hope you didn’t mind sharing the date with him?’

  ‘No, of course not.’

  Sharing the date with Elliot in fact had been a revelation. Dominic was the most relaxed she’d ever seen him, and she was certain she wouldn’t have learned so much about his background if Elliot hadn’t been there, goading him along and filling in the gaps. It was so different to the Christmas lunch where he couldn’t, or wouldn’t, answer a straight question. Now she knew a lot more about him, and she found herself wanting to know even more.

  ‘Do you mind if I ask you a question?’ she said as they joined the expressway that would take them to the bridge.

  He glanced at her. ‘Go ahead.’

  ‘Do you have a problem with drinking?’

  Now he turned his head fully to look at her.

  Andie winced. ‘Sorry, that sounded like I was asking if you’re a problem drinker.’

  ‘I don’t have a problem with drinking,’ he said with a sigh. ‘Though I think this country might have a problem with drinking. It seems that if you’re moderate, you’re immediately suspect.’

  ‘I’m sorry, you’re right. I shouldn’t have brought it up.’

  ‘It’s okay,’ he said kindly. ‘I don’t mind telling you that in my deep dark past, I made some stupid mistakes that I’m lucky to have lived through. Nowadays I just don’t like that feeling of being out of control, I suppose it brings back too many bad memories, those that I can remember, at least.’

  ‘You have a deep dark past?’ Andie raised an eyebrow.

  He gave her a cryptic smile. ‘Did I say that?’

  When he pulled up outside her house, he jumped out of the car so quickly he was opening the door for her before she’d picked up her handbag. Andie wondered if he was hoping to be invited inside, but he seemed too . . . reserved, or gentlemanly, or something, to be expecting to bed her at the first opportunity. Whatever Jess had to say about getting laid, it really would complicate things. Because he was her boss. Andie decided she was going to have to say something. He was standing holding the door now, offering her his hand. Andie took it as she stepped out of the car, but as soon as she was on her own two feet, he released her hand again.

  ‘I had a really nice time tonight, Dominic,’ she said.

  ‘Me too.’ He had that nervous look about him again; maybe he was the kind of guy who wanted to jump into bed on the first date?

  ‘So, I was wondering . . . well —’

  ‘I would ask you in,’ Andie said quickly, ‘but it’s my parents’ house and —’

  ‘No, no.’ He looked almost shocked. ‘I wasn’t suggesting, I wouldn’t suggest . . .’

  ‘Okay,’ said Andie.

  ‘I was only wondering if you would like to do this again,’ he said. ‘Go out, again . . . sometime.’

  She hesitated. ‘Oh.’

  He was watching her. ‘I see. I’m sorry, I thought it was going well.’

  ‘No, it is,’ she assured him. ‘I really did have a nice time.’

  ‘But?’ he prompted.

  Just say it. ‘You’re my boss, Dominic. I still feel uncomfortable about this.’

  He nodded. ‘I don’t want to make light of your feelings, Andie, but I just don’t think it’s an issue. You got the job through your own persistence and determination, and you’ve earned it on your own merits. Keeping it isn’t reliant on you making nice with the boss.’

  Andie was thinking. ‘All right. But what if you decide, well, that you don’t want to see me any more, or I don’t want to see you, or it just ends . . . for whatever reason. We work together, it’d be awkward.’

  ‘Well, then you would have to leave.’

  Her eyes widened, but he was smiling down at her.

  ‘I’m kidding,’ he said. ‘Andie, do you think, before we worry about messy break-ups and things getting awkward at work, that perhaps we could go out on a second date?’

  She gave him a coy smile.

  ‘Are you usually given to such negative thought patterns?’ he asked.

  ‘I don’t know, I’ve been told I have a tendency to overthink things.’

  ‘Well, I’d like to assure you, right now, that I wouldn’t let anything that happens between us, away from work, compromise your position at Viande.’ He paused. ‘Okay?’

  She nodded. ‘Okay.’

  They stood there, facing each other. Andie sensed an air of expectation. What now? Was he going to kiss her? Probably. It was a first date, and they’d just decided on a second, it was customary . . .

  ‘Would you like me to walk you to the door?’ Dominic said, breaking the silence.

  ‘It’s okay, it’s just there,’ she said. ‘I can find my way.’

  His face dropped. ‘All right then.’

  Oh, blast, that was part of the etiquette, wasn’t it? He had to walk her to the door to kiss her goodnight, and she’d more or less turned him down. Andie was so out of practice she had no idea. But she could hardly turn around now and say, yes, okay, walk me to the door.

  ‘Well, I best get going then,’ he said.

  ‘Thank you, again,’ said
Andie. And then impulsively she took a step closer and reached up to kiss him. She had been aiming for his cheek but he turned his head slightly and their mouths met. It seemed to surprise them both and they hesitated, allowing their lips just to linger against each other, as his hand felt for hers. It was really a bare whisper of a kiss, but it still made Andie feel light-headed. After a few moments, she drew back again, and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it. ‘Goodnight, Andie.’

  ‘Goodnight.’ She turned to walk up the path. When she got to the door she looked back, and he was standing in the same spot, watching her. He hadn’t moved. Andie raised her hand in a wave, he waved back, and she opened the door. He still hadn’t moved when she closed the door behind her.

  The next day

  Andie was finishing a cup of coffee as she pottered around, getting ready to leave for work, when her phone rang. It would be Jess, no doubt, calling for a debrief. But when she looked at the screen, she didn’t recognise the number.

  ‘Hello?’ she asked.

  ‘Hi, Andie? It’s Elliot.’

  ‘Oh hello, Elliot, how are you?’

  ‘Great. I wanted to call straightaway,’ he said. ‘I’ve just talked to Stan, the kid I was telling you about, with the apartment?’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Well, he jumped at it. He said you should give him a call to organise a time to go see the place. I’ve got his number.’

  ‘Wow, that was quick.’

  ‘Yeah, well, like I told you, he’s desperate.’

  ‘This is fantastic, Elliot,’ said Andie. ‘You don’t know how much I’ve been dreading flat-hunting. I’ve heard nightmare stories about people lining up for inspections, bidding wars. I can’t believe I won’t have to go through any of that.’

  ‘Hey, maybe you shouldn’t count your chickens, you know, at least until you’ve seen the place,’ he warned. ‘I’ve never been there, but I told Stan that you’re a class act, and it better not be a dump. He assured me it’s in very good condition, and it’s in a great location, only a couple of blocks back from the beach.’

  ‘I’m so excited,’ said Andie. ‘I don’t know how to thank you.’

  ‘Aah, stop it, happy to help.’ He paused. ‘Though there is one thing.’

  ‘Oh?’

  ‘Promise me you’ll give Dom a chance,’ he said.

  Her heart skipped a beat. ‘I’m sorry?’

  ‘Look, I don’t know where things are between you two,’ said Elliot, ‘and I’m probably stepping way over the line, but I don’t know if you realise what a huge deal it was that he brought you to meet me last night.’

  ‘It was?’

  ‘Dom doesn’t date lightly . . . by that I mean he hardly dates at all. So it was such a relief to meet you, you seem so nice and normal,’ he said.

  ‘Thanks . . .’ Andie said warily.

  ‘Now I’ve freaked you out.’

  ‘No . . .’ Maybe a little.

  ‘Shit, I shouldn’t have said anything. Sal’ll kill me if I’ve stuffed it up. She’s worried about him.’

  Andie didn’t know what to say, or think. This was all a little perplexing.

  ‘And now I’ve got you thinking there’s something wrong with him,’ Elliot sighed. ‘There isn’t, I promise you. It’s only that he’s been burned in the past, haven’t we all?’

  She could hardly argue with that.

  ‘Dom is a great guy, Andie, the best. All I was really trying to say is give him a chance. He might take some time to crack, but it’ll be worth it.’

  A week later

  ‘Well, hello there, stranger,’ said Jess, when Andie walked in through the back of the shop just after opening, the following Monday.

  ‘I know, I deserve that. I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘Things have been crazy lately.’

  Andie went to see the apartment the morning after Elliot phoned. It was perfect. Although it was only a studio, it was roomier than Andie had imagined, though that might have been an optical illusion created by the large picture window that dominated the main wall, and looked out over the surrounding buildings to the ocean beyond. It was clean and well-kept, with a relatively new bathroom and kitchenette. That’s all you could really call the bank of cupboards that housed a sink, small oven and hotplates, with room for only a bar fridge under the bench. But that didn’t bother her; she worked in a kitchen every day, this would do for home. There was something right about the place, Andie felt immediately comfortable. Stan was as keen as she was to get the ball rolling, he was virtually living at his girlfriend’s already, so things went into overdrive. He notified the real estate agent, who, after a seeming mountain of paperwork, approved Andie to sublet the place until the lease was up, and then to have first dibs after that. Stan organised a mate with a ute to help him move the following weekend; he said Andie could start moving her stuff in as soon as she liked.

  ‘I’m sooo glad you’re here,’ Jess said in a rush. ‘We really need to go through some stuff . . . Oh, and while I think of it, that Spanish ham you asked me to order came in, and —’

  ‘I’ve found an apartment,’ Andie interrupted, she wanted to get it out before they got distracted by business.

  ‘Wow,’ Jess exclaimed. ‘Well, that’s great, I didn’t realise you’d even started looking.’

  ‘I didn’t have to, this one landed right in my lap, through a friend of a friend, of a friend, from work. It was too good to pass up. It’s in Bondi, it’s only a studio, but it’s really roomy, and clean and modern, it even has ocean glimpses.’

  Jess looked impressed. ‘That does sound too good to pass up. Well done you. So when do you move in?’

  ‘Next weekend.’

  ‘I see what you mean about things being crazy.’

  ‘Right? Actually, I could have moved in yesterday,’ said Andie, ‘but you know, I wanted to clean it myself. The guy left it in really good shape, but —’

  ‘— it’s not the same,’ Jess agreed. ‘Okay, so when do I get to see it?’

  ‘Well, if you didn’t have to run the shop today, you could have come and helped me clean,’ Andie quipped. ‘As it is, you’ll have to wait till Saturday when I move, I’ll be at work all week.’

  ‘Oh bugger, I’m going away this weekend,’ said Jess. ‘I promised to help my friends – remember Rod and Alison? They have that restaurant in the Blue Mountains, and they’ve got a wedding Saturday.’

  ‘Don’t worry about it,’ said Andie. ‘Toby’s going to give me a hand, and I’m taking the whole weekend off work, so along with my regular day off on Monday, I’ll have three straight days to move and settle in.’

  ‘That’s great,’ Jess nodded. ‘So apart from missing my face, what brings you here today?’

  Andie smiled. ‘I’ve been a terrible slacker, I really need to get up to speed around here, catch up on some paperwork.’

  ‘You don’t have to worry, I’m keeping up with everything,’ Jess assured her.

  ‘I know, you’re a marvel, but it’s not fair to leave it all up to you,’ she said. ‘Besides, I also need to use the computer. I have a flat to furnish – I figure it might be quicker to do it online and have it delivered.’

  ‘You’re really not going to take anything from your apartment?’

  ‘Ross’s apartment,’ Andie corrected her.

  Jess went to protest but Andie spoke over the top of her. ‘The property settlement has been finalised, it’s going through the court – he can’t touch the shop or my inheritance, and I can’t touch anything of his. Okay?’

  In the midst of everything, papers had arrived by registered mail detailing the property settlement. The conditions had been accepted by Ross and his lawyers, and once Andie signed the papers, a consent order would be granted by the court, which carried the full weight of the law. Fortunately there was no need for either of them to attend the court in person.

  ‘So when do we celebrate?’ asked Jess.

  ‘I don’t know that it’s something to celebrate,�
� said Andie. ‘Maybe when I’m all moved in we can crack open a bottle and celebrate my independence?’

  ‘Absolutely.’ Jess leaned back against the bench, folding her arms. ‘How long do you think you’ll be at the new place today? I could pop round after I close up here.’

  Andie hesitated. Dominic was meeting her there later, they were going out to get a bite to eat if she felt up to it.

  Jess was watching her. ‘Why are you blushing?’

  ‘I’m not blushing.’

  ‘Are too.’

  The bell above the door sounded out in the shop. ‘You have a customer,’ said Andie.

  ‘Literally saved by the bell,’ Jess said wryly. ‘We’ll pick this up again in a minute,’ she added over her shoulder as she walked through to the shop.

  Andie sighed as she sat down in front of the computer. Jess wouldn’t let it go regardless, but it would be good to talk to her. They’d had a quick debrief about her date with Dominic last week, but Andie hadn’t told her much, because there wasn’t all that much to tell. She mainly talked about meeting Elliot, and the amazing meal . . . though she had admitted she’d agreed to a second date.

  She hadn’t told Jess about the cryptic phone call with Elliot, because she didn’t really know what to make of it herself. So, there was baggage, even skeletons, in Dominic’s closet; Andie was hardly in a position to be touchy about that, she didn’t have the room in her closet for all the skeletons and baggage from her past. But that was only part of what was bothering her.

  Her lawyer had mentioned that it was customary to process the divorce and property settlement together; however, you had to wait twelve months after the date of separation to file for divorce. Andie couldn’t help feeling guilty, or at least uneasy, that she wasn’t yet entitled to a divorce under the law and here she was gallivanting around with another man. Not that there had been much gallivanting to speak of. Although she saw Dominic every day at work, they were naturally being discreet. He’d walked her to her car a couple of nights, when they were both leaving at the same time and no one was around. However, there had definitely been no kissing, that would hardly be discreet in the staff carpark. But as the memory of that one kiss faded, Andie’s doubts and misgivings had rushed in, and she was driving herself dotty.