by Olivia Burke
Aubrey got in her car as fast as humanly possible, taking care not to peel out of her space like some kind of mad getaway. Although that’s what it feels like right now.
She took deep, calming breaths as she drove, but it did nothing to will away the knots in her stomach as she thought of having to face Tom at the reception. Would he even want to stand next to her, much less wear a smile and pretend they were still together?
Tom couldn’t stop thinking about Aubrey; it’d been a miserable week, avoiding her the way he had, but he just couldn’t work up the nerve to talk to her after he’d embarrassed himself at the wedding. He’d forced himself to keep his eyes on his station, proud of himself for somehow dodging her for the last few days to avoid becoming a complete mess in front of her – again.
On the morning of the awards reception, Tom woke up with his stomach in knots. Things had not improved as the day went on, quickly turning time to get ready. Seth and Natalie, of course, were at LUSH, about to start a busy night of food and drink. Tom had just finished the neat little knot in his tie when his father knocked on the door twice before entering.
“Hello?”
“Be right down.” Tom took one last look at himself in the mirror, grimacing at his sour expression. My face might get stuck like this if I’m not careful.
He grabbed his suit jacket and hurried downstairs, nodding at his dad. “Hey.”
“I ran into Aubrey outside,” Patrick said. “She isn’t riding with us?”
“Uh, no,” Tom said lamely.
“I see.”
The odd way he said it made Tom sit up and pay attention. “What?”
“Nothing,” Patrick said, shrugging nonchalantly.
“I’ve known you my entire life, Pop, and never has it been ‘nothing.’ What’s going on?”
“I’ve thought about it a lot. You and her, I mean.”
“Pop, we’re not–”
“You love her, that much is obvious,” Patrick said. He looked down at his hands, burned and scarred just like his son’s. “You should explore that.”
Tom could hardly believe his ears. “Are you the same guy who, just the other day, told me I had to focus on my career and forget about her?”
His father had the decency to look shamed. “I am sorry, Thomas. You were right – I don’t control your life. You’ve … done quite well for yourself here. I’m proud of you.”
“You’ve paid me more compliments this month than you have in my entire life,” Tom said, his mouth twisting. “You sure you’re okay?”
Patrick chuckled, although his hands fluttered across his collar, his sleeves, as though uncomfortable. “I am fine, Thomas. I suppose your Australian beauty got to me with what she said.”
“What she said?” Tom repeated. He sank into a nearby chair, and his father sat on the couch across from him.
“Well yes,” Patrick replied. “Not that I was supposed to tell you, but here we are.”
“What did she say?”
He cleared his throat. “That you deserve the chance to do things your own way, without my unwarranted advice. That I should let you build your own reputation instead of worrying about how you build on mine.”
“Audrey told you all that?” Tom asked in astonishment. “Wh-when did this happen?”
“Only a few minutes ago,” Patrick said, gesturing a thumb outside. “She was on her way to the party.”
Tom almost wished he’d been standing across the street on his porch to see it, the young bartender telling the renowned chef off. And she did it for me. Not only that, but she’d done it moments ago; she had nothing to gain by standing up to his father, and still she’d done it.
“Yes, she did, and she was right. She may perhaps be one of the boldest women I’ve ever met.”
Tom couldn’t hide his chuckle. “That’s one way to describe her. She doesn’t back down from a challenge. She even–”
He stopped, having almost slipped about Aubrey’s convincing him to get his tattoo. Patrick, however, raised an eyebrow.
“What?”
Tom swallowed hard and sucked it up, unbuttoning his shirt sleeve to pull it back and wordlessly show off his chef’s knife tattoo on his forearm. Patrick stared at his arm, expressionless.
“Aubrey made you get a tattoo?”
“I wouldn’t say ‘made me,’ seeing as I’m a grown man nearly twice her size, but she was part of the equation, yes,” Tom said, smiling a little. “I always wanted this one, since the day you put the knife in my hand.”
Patrick reached out to brush his thumb across the ink, still raised as it healed on Tom’s skin.
“I suppose it suits you.”
Tom almost couldn’t believe his ears. “You think so?”
Patrick shrugged. “If it’s what you’ve wanted, then yes. Aubrey was right – I should learn to embrace your modernism more, I think. You’re already doing good things, but I suppose if I stopped holding you back with my own ideas, you could truly revolutionize a new era of food.”
“That’s exactly what I want to do,” Tom said eagerly. “I have so many ideas, Pop.”
“Then I can’t wait to hear them, and I’ll do my best to listen rather than critique,” Patrick said, the corners of his mouth turning up. “She’s quite something, your girlfriend.”
Tom shook his head, disappointment whooshing in his ears like rushing water. He pushed his sleeve back down, buttoning the wrist closed again as he shoved out the words.
“We’re … not together anymore.”
The older man sighed, lacing his fingers together as he leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Yes, she mentioned that after her passionate speech. I wondered if that was really true.”
“We never really were together, honestly,” Tom confessed, hardly believe he was sitting here telling his father. “We each needed something, and had a mutual agreement to provide help until it was no longer needed. As of last week, I’m no longer needed.”
His father didn’t seem terribly surprised, nor deterred by the information. “But you’ve loved her since day one, am I correct?”
Tom’s eyes widened. “Uh, yeah, I mean, I guess so. How did you…?”
“The look on your face any time she’s within five feet of you is not unlike the way I looked at your mother,” Patrick said, looking down at the table. “You’ve loved her for much longer than a few weeks.”
Tom rubbed the back of his neck. “You could say that.”
“Then what’s the problem exactly?”
“She doesn’t love me, Pop,” Tom said, unable to keep the sadness out of his tone. “We’re just friends.”
“Thomas, I recognize how that girl looks at you. Your love is not one-sided here, believe me.”
“Since when did you become some kind of expert on love?”
“After I met your mother, but before I married her,” he responded, a little smile playing on his lips. “She was the one for me, Thomas.”
“And you’ve never considered … you know, stepping up to the plate again?”
Patrick shrugged. “I have my work. But you have your whole life ahead of you, and a girl with whom to spend it.”
“Pop–”
“You’ll see, my boy.” The two men stood up as his father offered him a gentle smile. “Just be patient as she figures it out.”
“All these years and I had no idea you were such an optimist,” Tom muttered.
“Come on, son,” Patrick said, wrapping an arm around Tom’s shoulders and steering him to the front door. “We’ve got a party to attend.”
Aubrey dragged herself to the venue, nervously smoothing down the bottom of her favorite little black dress every few seconds. She stepped inside and checked in with the staff at the door, stashing her coat with a volunteer. Walking in, she gasped at how pretty the room looked.
Up on the stage sat an oversized easel with a sheet over it, presumably hiding the magazine’s cover from everyone until the big reveal. Lights hung everywhere and tasteful ce
nterpieces sat on every linen-draped table. Food stations stood in every corner, offering enticing hors d’oeuvres, while several craft beers were available along one of the walls.
“Aubrey!”
She turned to see Courtney, the magazine writer, rushing to her.
“Hi, it’s so nice to see you! Your timing couldn’t be more perfect.”
“I’m happy to be here. This is beautiful,” Aubrey said.
Courtney clapped her hands in excitement. “Right? Thank you–though it’s all our event planner. Do you know Victoria Mitchell? She’s a genius.”
“Yes, actually,” Aubrey said, impressed. “Victoria just did my sister’s wedding last weekend, and it was perfect. She’s certainly making a name for herself.”
“Isn’t she?” Courtney raved. “I’ll have to hook her up with LUSH for event catering.”
“Absolutely,” Aubrey said honestly. “I can help bartend whenever for this fancy kind of thing.”
“Now, you’ll only need to come up for the cover reveal,” Courtney assured her, placing a hand on her arm. “That’s in about twenty minutes, so maybe stand near the stage to be ready.”
“Oh, sure.” Aubrey somehow resisted scanning the room for Tom, missing him being near her.
“We’re not going to make everyone come up and give speeches or anything,” Courtney said with a giggle.
Aubrey didn’t let the writer see her sigh of relief. Speaking in front of a crowd, unprepared? Might as well be naked in front of my entire class, too. She hadn’t even considered that particular nightmare.
“I mean, except Tom Flanagan,” Courtney corrected. “‘Favorite Local’ always talks, so at least he can get a plug in for the restaurant.”
Aubrey forced a smile on her face. “Great.”
“And then the magazine will hit newsstands next week,” Courtney carried on. “I bet your social media feeds blow up! The cover is amazing, isn’t it? Did you like the feature?”
“Yes,” Aubrey lied, faking a cheerful tone. “It was fantastic. You and the team did a great job.”
Courtney beamed at her. “Well, it’s easy when we have subjects like you two. You guys are so cute together. Where is Tom, by the way? I figured you two would be all over each other.”
“Uh, he’s bringing his dad, so we rode separately,” Aubrey said. It wasn’t entirely a lie, at least, but she hoped Courtney didn’t plan on stalking them all night to see if they were holding hands.
Courtney excused herself to attend to some last-minute details. Aubrey stood there alone, awkwardly glancing around the room and wondering if she could skip out without being noticed. Just as she turned to the entrance, Tom and his father walked in.
Tom looked terrific in his nice suit and tie. He’d combed his wavy red hair back, showing off his eyes more. Aubrey’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of him, watched him shake hands and graciously thank a few partygoers and sponsors as he made his way inside. He made it look effortless; probably years of meeting his father’s celebrity friends, and she couldn’t help but love that about him.
Patrick had excused himself to grab a drink. Aubrey practically tiptoed up to Tom, her stomach clenching more with every little step. She stood behind him, gently tapping his arm. He turned, his smile fading when he realized it was her.
“Hey,” she said quietly.
“Hey.” Tom stuck his hands in his pants pockets, not offering more.
“I-I wondered if you saw the magazine? I got my copy in the mail this afternoon.” She swallowed hard.
“Uh, I haven’t, actually,” Tom said stonily. “Seth brought the mail in today.”
“Okay, well, maybe that’s a good thing.” Aubrey hesitated. “Tommy–”
“Look, Aubrey, let’s not do this right now,” Tom said, glancing over his shoulder. “I know I’ve been a jerk this week, ignoring you and everything, but I’ll get over it. And eventually we can go back to being friends, just not right now, okay?”
“I don’t want to go back to being friends,” Aubrey said.
Tom blinked in surprise, a hurt look crossing his face. “You don’t?”
Aubrey realized how that sounded, and nearly tripped over her own tongue trying to correct herself. “No, that’s not what I mean … you’re more important to me than I ever realized …”
Aubrey searched around her as if she’d find the words she needed floating in mid-air. Tom shifted his weight to either foot, and she knew he was only seconds away from bolting.
“I’m an idiot,” she blurted out. “I let my fears get the best of me, and you got hurt because of it. That’s my fault and I’m really sorry.”
Tom softened a bit, but she continued to talk, worried if she paused even for a second, she’d chicken out. She had to get this off her chest as fast as possible.
“These last few weeks with you were amazing. It’s so easy to be with you and I kept telling myself it was all an act, that everything you said to that writer and my parents and your dad, was all just for show. That my feelings were a side effect of our time together. And then you went and said so many amazing things to me that night at the wedding, and made me realize it was all real. I was so dumb to pretend they didn’t mean anything. Because they did. They meant everything, I just didn’t understand it at the time.”
“Aubrey–”
“I think – no, I know – I love you.” Aubrey bit her lip, blinking hard against the tears threatening to test her waterproof mascara. “And I don’t just mean love you like my best friend, even though I do. I’m in love with you, and it scares me, but I want to face it with you, if you’ll let me, I mean–”
Tom cut her off with a kiss, swooping in so fast she didn’t see it coming until his lips were on hers. He put one gentle hand on her cheek, the other around her waist to pull her close to him. She lost herself in the kiss, sure her heart would explode right out of her chest from sheer joy.
He pulled back just enough to look at her. She blinked, dazed, and met his brown eyes. “Tommy, I’m sorry.”
“No more apologies.” Tom shook his head, still holding her tight. “There is nothing to forgive.”
Aubrey’s eyes welled up again, and she drew in a shaky breath. “Okay. Trust me, these are happy tears.”
Tom squeezed her to him. “Aubrey, I lo–”
At some point during their reunion, Courtney and her editor stepped on stage, launching into the explanation of the event and the awards. Courtney scanned the crowd, brightening even more beneath the stage light when she spotted Tom.
“We are very pleased to award our ‘Local Favorite’ award this year to a young chef who has dedicated his time and talents to the community in a variety of ways,” the editor announced. “In addition, his award-winning restaurant makes significant contributions in our tourism and local economies. Everyone please give a round of applause for the head chef of LUSH, Mr. Thomas Flanagan!”
Aubrey smiled at Tom’s blush. “Right, so now you have to give a speech.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Like about why I’m crazy about you, or …?”
Aubrey giggled. “Nope – up there, in front of everyone, for your award.”
Tom’s head snapped to the stage and back to her, his eyes wide with worry. “I have to what now?”
On cue, Courtney appeared out of nowhere, grabbing Tom’s elbow. For such a petite woman, Aubrey surmised, she sure could strong-arm the larger chef and drag him to the stage with ease. Tom threw her panic eyes again, but she gave him a thumbs up and blew him a kiss.
“I see you two have repaired things,” a voice said behind her.
Aubrey turned to smile at Patrick, genuinely glad to see him. “I think Tommy is happy you’re here.”
Patrick laughed. “Believe me, he’s happy because you are here.”
She shrugged. “Maybe it’s a bit of both.”
“Yes,” he said, giving her a fond look, “I suppose it could be. But for what it is worth, I am glad you are here because you make my son very happy.
”
“He makes me happy, too. I think it just took me a while to figure that part out.”
“I’m sorry for what I said, about you being a distraction for him.” Patrick placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “It’s been a long time since I was in love, especially the early stages.”
“He knows you want the best for him,” Aubrey said.
“I do,” Patrick said, smiling down at her. “And I think you are superb for him.”
Aubrey surprised him with a hug in thanks. They stood close together and watched Tom accept his award from the magazine’s editor and take a minute at the mic. To his credit, Tom didn’t stammer or blush, instead coming off calm and confident.
“Thank you first to Dinah Edwards, the owner of LUSH, who, for some reason, pays me to do what I’ve always dreamed.” He paused, encouraged when the audience laughed. “To my dad, I’m so happy you’re here tonight to see this – he taught me everything I know; I still have a lot to learn, by the way, and I’m much better at criticism now than I was at fifteen, I promise.”
Patrick released a deep chuckle, and Aubrey wasn’t surprised to see his eyes shiny with a few unshed tears.
“To the community for opening their arms to me, to the LUSH staff for five-star food and service, and to the customers who take a chance on us – I sincerely thank you for this award.”
Tom paused, squinting into the stage lights to turn and look at her. He smiled. “Lastly, thank you to Aubrey Walker. It’s easy to go to work when I love my job, but having Aubrey there really makes it feel as if it’s the best job in the entire world. I’m a lucky man. I love you, Aubrey, and I want everyone to know it.”
Tom offered a sheepish grin as an “awww” went through the audience. “Which I guess they all will after seeing the magazine’s latest issue. Just thought I’d get it out there before someone else told you.”
The crowd laughed, applauding as Tom back away with another wave of thanks. Aubrey, who’d been completely happy to be included with Tom’s mention of the LUSH staff, thought her heart might burst. She wanted to kick herself for being so blind all this time, but instead, she’d focus on the future, of the amazing things he did for her, like announce his love for her in front of a fancy awards party. She was a lucky woman.