by Olivia Burke
“What’s, like, the one ingredient you don’t like?” Aubrey asked.
The question made him pause. “Hmm, I don’t know if I have a least favorite–”
“Liar,” she said with a laugh. “Everyone has that one food they hate.”
“Okay, okay.” Tom ran a hand through his hair, scanning the table before them for inspiration. Then he saw them. “Cranberries.”
“Cranberries?” Her cute little nose wrinkled. “Too tart?”
“Yep. I’ve never cared for them,” he said honestly. “Cranberry juice, the weird jelly from a can, none of it has ever been appealing.”
“You know, I never noticed you avoiding it at Friendsgiving,” she said, referring to the LUSH family holiday meal held at Dinah’s house every year. “But I’ll be paying attention from now on.”
“What’s your most-hated food?”
She didn’t have to think it over. “Mushrooms.”
“Oh no,” Tom moaned. “Mushrooms are the best.”
“They are fungi and I will not be convinced of their flavors otherwise.” Aubrey shrugged, completely unapologetic. “I’ve never liked them.”
Tom put a hand over his heart, but laughed. “Okay, okay, I’ll never cook you anything with mushrooms in them. I won’t even try to sneak them in, I promise.”
A smile broke out across her face, making his heart beat a little faster. Neither of them spoke, and the second turned into a moment. Tom couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe with her looking at him like that, and he wondered if she felt it, too. She seemed to catch herself, looking down at the baskets of fruit in front of them. Clearing her throat, she lifted a huge peach to his nose.
“Are peaches okay in the fall?”
“Absolutely.” He breathed in deeply, its sweet scent briefly enveloping him. “Yeah, that’s perfect. Grab a few of those and some apples, too.”
“What’re those for?”
“I’m thinking about a pie.”
Aubrey grinned at him. “You make pie?”
“I’ve made you pie before,” he said, but she shook her head.
“Nope. I’ve had plenty of cake, and your brownies are to die for, but you’ve handled the sides at the last three Friendsgivings, remember?”
Tom’s eyes crinkled as he laughed. “Of course, because Rachel’s pies are always weird. There’s always like this one big, wrong thing with them.”
“Remember a couple years ago when she nearly burned her house down?”
“I just remember the pie she made without any sugar,” Tom said, his mouth watering a little at the memory of her sour apple pie.
Aubrey laughed so hard tears sprang to her eyes, and she used the back of her hand to wipe them away. Tom paid for their fruit, and they went over to the next vendor, which turned out to be a local coffee producer handing out samples. Tom and Aubrey both recognized one of the two guys behind the table–Adam, a server at LUSH.
“Adam,” Aubrey said, surprised. “Hey, I didn’t know you worked for these guys.”
“Oh, I’m just helping my boy–er, my friend out today,” Adam said, greeting them both with a small sample of hot coffee.
Aubrey grinned at the other guy, who was currently busy with a customer. “A friend, huh?”
Adam shrugged, but couldn’t hide the smile that played on his lips. “For now. We’ll see. It’s all very new.”
They chatted for a few minutes, and Tom expressed his appreciation for the flavor of the beans. Adam shared a few facts about the business, which impressed him. With the weight of their produce on his arms, Tom decided he was about ready to go, and Aubrey agreed.
They’d barely taken two steps when Aubrey stopped so suddenly, he nearly tripped over her. She cursed under her breath and he shot her a quizzical look.
“What’s wrong?”
“My sister’s here.”
“Has she spotted you?” Tom gave a furtive look around, but without having met her sister, he had no idea what he was looking for.
“Not yet, but we’ll never get past her without her seeing us.”
“What do we do?”
“Put your arm around me,” Aubrey hissed.
Tom threw his left arm around her before she could change her mind. He pulled her in close, not at all minding the order. She tucked into him, her smaller frame a perfect fit for his larger one. Against his better judgment, he couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his face as he enjoyed the moment.
Adam shot them a strange look, opening his mouth, but before he could ask, Aubrey’s sister spotted them.
“Aubrey,” said a very pretty woman, kitten heels clicking on the pavement as she walked up to them. She looked a lot like Aubrey, though without the tattoos. Her fashionably styled hair was much shorter and she wore trendy black frames. Her stiff attire couldn’t have been more opposite of Aubrey, in ripped jeans, loose flannel, and Vans, her long hair in a loose braid.
“Chloe,” Aubrey said brightly. Tom could swear her hand around his waist clenched his shirt a little tighter. “What are you doing on this side of town?”
“Oh, I grabbed a coffee with Victoria first thing,” Chloe said, motioning with the to-go cup in her hand.
“Her event planner,” Aubrey explained to Tom, who nodded in understanding.
“And you must be Thomas Flanagan,” Chloe said, setting her sights on him. “Aubrey’s new boyfriend.”
“That’s me,” he said with an awkward laugh. He adjusted his bags to shake her hand, noting her strong grip, not unlike Aubrey’s. He tried not to gulp and give them away.
Adam chimed in from behind his table, shock crossing his bearded face. “You two are dating?”
Tom froze, but Aubrey didn’t even appear fazed. She chuckled at their friend. “Yes, can you believe it?”
Adam considered the idea for a second. “Yes, actually. Makes total sense now that I think about it.”
Tom had never liked Adam more than at that very moment.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” Chloe said, interrupting them. “Aubrey has been hiding you away, apparently.”
Tom shrugged. “We wanted to keep it to ourselves for a little while.”
“That’s so romantic.” Chloe raised an eyebrow at them. “You two have been friends for a long time, right?”
“Since my first day at LUSH,” Aubrey replied, smiling up at Tom.
“And what made you finally fall for my sister?”
“Only everything about her,” Tom said, hiding the increasing panic behind a chuckle. Talking in theory about his “fake” feelings for Aubrey was one thing; having to confess the real deal, if even hidden behind their lie, made him completely uncomfortable.
“What, you aren’t going to ask what made me fall for him?” Aubrey joked. Tom tightened his arm around her shoulders.
Chloe’s right shoulder came up. “Oh, I don’t know, I just figured someone of Chef Flanagan’s talents and looks had plenty of girls waiting in line.”
Tom’s ears flamed red. “Nope, no line here. Aubrey’s always been the only one for me.”
He could’ve kicked himself; Adam’s “aww” behind them did not help matters.
Courtney leaned in, a conspiratorial look on her face. “So Tom, where did you two go for your first date?”
Panic briefly passed over Aubrey’s face as she glanced at Tom, eyes wide. But he had it already prepared on the tip of his tongue, having given a lot of thought to this question. Not just recently, when he knew people might ask, but because it was exactly how he’d always wanted the first date with Aubrey to go.
“Well, like you said, we’ve been friends for years, right? I knew it had to be something really special to get her attention and let her know I was serious about being more than friends,” Tom said, staying focused on Chloe. He couldn’t look at Aubrey, not when she’d never know how serious he truly was.
Chloe nodded. “So what’d you do?”
“I gave her an adventure with a neighborhood scavenger hunt,” To
m said, letting his smile grow wider. “It started with her favorite chocolate chip scone on the front porch with a note that sent her down to the park where a bouquet of wildflowers waited. Next was the movie theater, where I’d gotten tickets for her and our friend Natalie to see some rom-com they’d talked about.”
“That’s obviously so you and Seth didn’t have to go,” Aubrey said, making Tom chuckle.
“I plead the fifth. In any case, after the movie, Natalie gave her a card that took her to the ice cream shop, where she had to pick up a pint of moose tracks before heading into LUSH.”
Chloe blinked in surprise. “Your restaurant? But why?”
“Our first date was on a Monday, of course, given our schedules, so no one was there. She walked in to find me finishing up in the kitchen. I made and served a special dinner just for her,” Tom finished. “The entire restaurant, all to ourselves, some candlelight, good music, and a five-star meal without any distractions.”
Chloe’s eyes had gotten wider as he continued. Adam had completely forgotten about the customers waiting for coffee samples, his full attention on Tom and Aubrey. He put a hand over his heart, and Tom had to bite back an eye roll. But when he glanced down at Aubrey, her eyes shone so bright that all cynical thoughts went out of his head, and he hoped she found it as romantic as her sister did.
“That is such a wonderful first date, you are so thoughtful, Tom!” Chloe said, glancing back to Aubrey as if seeing her in a new light. Tom’s stomach clenched, hating that Aubrey would of course notice it, too.
“So, Tom, do you–” Chloe started to ask, but was cut off.
“Enough with the inquisition,” Aubrey said, rolling her eyes at her sister. “We’ve gotta get our groceries home, can we chat later?”
“No inquisition,” Chloe trilled, putting her manicured hands up in apology. “Just curious to hear all about it. You must be quite special to keep Aubrey’s interest for longer than a few weeks, Tom.”
“All right, time for us to go,” Aubrey said, looping her arm inside Tom’s. He got her hint immediately, taking half a step back.
Chloe seemed disappointed, but waved her coffee at them. “Okay, then. See you two at dinner next week. Our parents can’t wait to meet you, Tom.”
“Oh, I bet,” Aubrey mumbled.
“Bye!” Chloe turned on her heel and hurried away, pulling her bag back up onto her shoulder. “So great seeing you!”
“Nice to see you too, Chlo,” Aubrey called after her.
“Wow, she sure is something.” Tom shook his head, seeing Aubrey in another light. “Is she always like that?”
“Pretty much.”
Aubrey has to take that kind of talk from her sister all the time? Tom couldn’t imagine. His father had always been strict, but at the very least, his critiques had been reasonable. Kinder than to Chef Flanagan Senior’s culinary students, admittedly, but Patrick had always been encouraging. Maybe because Tom was his son and it gave them a bond, or maybe because he’d always truly believed in Tom’s talents, but in any case, he’d never been like Aubrey’s family. Patrick Flanagan didn’t give backhanded compliments or rude insinuations; you always knew where you stood with him, and Tom was suddenly very aware–and grateful–of that fact.
“You guys are so cute together,” Adam said, jarring him from his thoughts. He whipped out his phone, fingers flying across the screen.
He’s probably already got a group text going with the servers. Tom withheld a grimace–not because of their gossiping, but because he hated being the subject of it.
“Thanks,” Aubrey said, lighting up again.
She still had her arm wrapped around Tom’s, and they said their goodbyes to Adam. They’d see him for Saturday night’s shift, where by then presumably half the neighborhood would know about Aubrey and Tom’s blossoming romance.
“By the way, what did Chloe mean when she mentioned dinner next week with your parents?”
Aubrey suddenly appeared very interested in the vendor table next to them. “Oh, um, just a family dinner. A pre-wedding gathering, if you will.”
Tom paid close attention to the tight lines around her eyes. She didn’t want to go any more than he did, which made him a little sad. Instead of arguing, he heaved a dramatic sigh to make her laugh. “Guess that’s another night off I need to ask Dan.”
Aubrey did laugh, relief rolling off her. “Thanks, Tommy. I owe you.”
“He’s going to think I’ve been taken over by pod people, asking for all these vacation hours all of a sudden,” Tom joked.
“By the way, where’d you come up with that brilliant idea about the first date?” Aubrey asked.
“Oh, um … I knew we’d have to have a story for when people asked, so I thought about it long and hard, and that’s what I would’ve done for our first date,” Tom said, shrugging nonchalantly.
“Is what what you do for every girl you take out on a first date?” she teased.
“No,” he said, the voice inside his head screaming obscenities at him to be quiet. “Just the first date with you.”
“Oh.” She blinked in surprise, not having any comeback. The lines around her eyes softened. “How did you know about the wildflowers?”
His brow crinkled. “What do you mean?”
“They’re my favorite.”
“Oh, um, good guess, I suppose,” he lied. He’d heard her tell Natalie the other week while they’d been chatting about her sister’s florist, but he was afraid saying that out loud would make him appear stalkerish.
Neither of them spoke for a moment, and Tom swallowed hard, worried he’d freaked her out.
“Come on,” Tom said, steering her around and to the exit. “Let’s get outta here before the rest of our staff shows up to interrogate us.”
She groaned. “Pretty sure that happens the moment we step into the kitchen tonight. Everyone will be talking about how we’re dating.”
Tom didn’t let her see the smile grow on his face as they walked home together.
Aubrey had barely clocked in when the barrage of questions started.
“When did you two start dating?”
“Why didn’t you tell anyone?”
“What’s Tom like in bed?”
Aubrey slammed her stuff on the counter, shooting Rachel an unamused look. Her friend put her hands up in apology, though it didn’t wipe the smirk off her pretty face.
“Just asking,” she said innocently.
“It’s like the Spanish inquisition around here,” Aubrey muttered.
“We can’t help it,” Katie said, leaning over the bar from her stool. “This is such amazing news!”
Aubrey’s eyebrows drew together. “Why?”
“The best chef and bartender in Crystal Springs, working together and falling in love?” Katie sighed, a hand going over her heart. “That’s like something out of a romance novel.”
Natalie, who hadn’t said a word, came out of the servers’ station with two cups of hot, black coffee, handing one to Aubrey, who gratefully accepted both the caffeine and her friend’s lack of participation.
Rachel and Katie folded napkins while Aubrey helped Natalie polish silverware. Adam, who’d come in late, was cleaning the bathrooms.
“Where’d he take you on the first date?” Rachel asked.
“Yes, Aubrey,” Natalie chimed in, a mischievous grin crossing her face. “What did you two do on your first date?”
“Well, you should know, since you were part of his plan, Nat,” Aubrey said between gritted teeth.
Natalie’s eyebrows shot up in surprise and even she leaned forward to hear the tale. As awkward as it had been that morning with Chloe, Aubrey was now glad it’d happened. Without hesitation, she repeated the story Tom told her sister,
Rachel and Katie practically had stars in their eyes by the end of the story, looking over at Tom with newfound interest.
“Wow,” Katie mused. “I mean, I always knew Tom was a nice guy, but I had no idea he was so … dreamy.”
<
br /> Aubrey laughed, but it faded off at the looks on the girls’ faces. They seemed downright smitten with Tom’s romanticism, and for some reason, it put her stomach in knots. Once the bargain with Tom was over, and they had their “amicable split,” she now had no doubt Katie or Rachel might show their own interest in Tom. What if he took one of them out for scavenger hunts and farmers market trips?
Who was she kidding? She was jealous. Undeniably, outrageously jealous at the thought. She berated herself–Tom was like her best friend, she could not be thinking about him like that. This entire thing was all for show, and she couldn’t start developing feelings for someone who didn’t love her back.
Daniel came in to go over a few things, breaking up the conversation. Aubrey shook her head, trying to clear the weird thoughts in her head. They got on with the shift, the evening turning busy with patrons. The rest of the night flew by, with the occasional peppering of additional questions from Rachel and Katie. They wanted to know every detail of the scavenger hunt, amongst other things that Aubrey waved off.
Despite that, Aubrey was glad to be distracted, not wanting to get caught constantly peering into the kitchen; not just by her friends, but by Tom. She didn’t want to freak him out or make him back out of their deal. It still didn’t stop her from sneaking a few peeks every now and again. She and Hunter were busy from the moment the doors opened, only catching a few breaks here and there between drink orders.
During a little lull, Aubrey snuck a peek at her phone. Only one text from her sister: Great meeting Tom today! Can’t wait for Mum and Dad to meet him. Aubrey bit back a groan, tossing her phone back into her purse. Her parents were either going to fawn all over Tom, or eat him alive. She wasn’t sure which was worse.
“I can’t believe I had to hear it from Rachel,” Hunter said out of the blue.
Aubrey blinked in confusion at him. “What?”
“You and Flanagan?” Hunter asked her as he poured beer from the tap.
“Oh. Um, yes, me and Tommy.”
“She said you guys have been dating for a couple of months,” he said, setting the full beer on the end of the bar for pickup. “How come you didn’t say anything sooner?”