“Mind if I step in?”
Amelia did a fine job of acting as if this was the first time she’d seen him today. She smiled at him. “Oh, hello, Flynn. You’re more than welcome to come in. Would you like to see what’s on the menu for tonight?”
“Sure.” He walked around and greeted everyone, tasted a few things then went back to Amelia.
“I was thinking of trying out a dish. I actually stopped at the market to buy some things. Mind if I cook in here tonight?”
“Not at all. What would you like to fix?”
“Pan-seared sea bass with lobster risotto. And maybe snap peas.”
She grinned and nodded. “That sounds amazing. Do you need some help?”
“No, I think I know what I’m doing, but you’ll be the first person I yell to for help if I screw it up.”
She laughed. “Sure. You can work over on the left side burners near where I cook.”
“So you can keep an eye on me and make sure I don’t burn your kitchen down?”
She fought a smile. “Something like that.”
“Thanks.”
Flynn washed up and got started with the risotto. It wasn’t long before he got into a rhythm. He’d had the dish in his head for the past week. Now he just had to put it all together.
Amelia was busy, so she didn’t stop by to check on him until he had the entire meal plated. Only then did she come over and lean in to inspect it. He could tell she was giving it her critical chef’s eye, which was what he expected from her. It had to pass not only the taste test but the visual one as well. A dish had to look appetizing before the guests would want to eat it.
“Visually, it’s stunning,” she said as she waited for his approval. When he nodded at her, she reached for a fork and slid it into the fish, taking a small bite. He’d made extra so he could taste everything while he was cooking. He knew it was good. The question was—would Amelia think so, too?
He realized as he waited while she sampled the sea bass, the risotto and the snap peas that he was actually nervous. He knew what he was doing on the football field. No question there. Here, he was a novice, so there was a chance he could screw up.
Amelia chewed thoughtfully, but hadn’t said anything.
“Stefanie, come over here, please.”
Well, hell. Now she was asking for a second opinion. Maybe she hated it but she wanted someone else to back her up.
Her assistant chef came over. “Yes, boss.”
“Taste this, please. It’s pan-seared sea bass with lobster risotto and snap peas.”
She handed the plate to Stefanie, who did the same thing. She slid her fork gingerly into the fish, then tasted the rice and the peas.
Stefanie nodded at Amelia. “It’s outstanding. Did you make this?”
“I did not,” Amelia said with a smile. “Our owner did.”
“No shit. I mean, no kidding. Mr. Cassidy, this is amazing.”
Flynn finally expelled the breath he’d been holding. “So, you both like it?”
Amelia laid her hand on his biceps. “Flynn, it’s really good. Like, really good.”
Amelia turned to Stefanie. “Flynn has wanted to make a signature dish for the restaurant. Something he can put his name on.”
“I’d eat it. Like every day,” Stefanie said. “The sea bass is moist and flaky, the risotto is filled with flavor. The lobster is tender and the peas are crisp. Perfectly balanced. I think our clients will go crazy for it.”
“I agree,” Amelia said. “Thank you, Stefanie.”
Stefanie nodded and went back to her station. Amelia turned to Flynn and finally grinned. “It really is outstanding. I think we can safely put the Cassidy dish on our menu.”
Flynn sighed. “I’m really glad. I’d been pondering this idea for a while, and I thought it tasted good when I sampled everything. But man, it was nerve-racking watching both of you taste it.”
She nodded. “It’s always hard introducing new dishes. And I don’t always succeed with them. But I want you to know that Stefanie is extremely tough. If she doesn’t like something, she is brutally honest about it. She takes her job very seriously and she will not let anything leave this kitchen unless it’s perfect. So I trust her judgment implicitly.”
“Good to know. And thanks for letting me cook here. It really did make a difference. I don’t know that I would have worked as hard on it if I’d done this at home.”
“Of course you wouldn’t have because you wouldn’t have had the added pressure of Stefanie and me to judge you.”
He laughed. “Well, thanks for that. I think I’ll get out of your way now so you can get back to work.”
“Yes. Get out of my kitchen, please.”
He leaned in close so only she could hear. “I’ll see you later.”
“Yes, you’ll see a lot of me later.”
With that vision in his head, he headed out of the restaurant with a giant grin on his face.
So far, it had been a really great night.
TWENTY-THREE
Flynn was always at ease with people. One of the reasons he liked having the restaurant was that he was comfortable around strangers. Meeting his restaurant guests and talking to them? No problem. Doing interviews with the media after games? Never an issue, even if the Sabers lost. Nerves never came into play. He was a rock.
Until tonight. Tonight he was meeting Amelia’s best friend, Laura, and Laura’s husband, Jon. After he’d cooked at the restaurant yesterday, Amelia had told him that Laura was dying to meet him, so they’d planned a very informal dinner at Laura and Jon’s house for tonight.