Home For June

by Juliet Madison

  He didn’t seem to mind. ‘Squeeze away, Mrs Delaney. Though my brother usually gives them a disgusting big kiss.’

  ‘Shall I do that tonight during my speech?’

  ‘Don’t you dare!’ Stefan pointed his finger at Luca’s chest, then raised his face for Kathleen to give his cheeks a squeeze.

  ‘I’m getting so much female attention today from two lovely women, how lucky am I?’ He stretched his arms out to the side.

  Doug simply shook Stefan’s hand. ‘Don’t mind her,’ he said, ‘I must have accidentally put some vodka in her afternoon cup of tea.’ He winked.

  Stefan chuckled, and Hannah tried to usher them towards the stairs to put an end her warm cheeks.

  ‘Okay peoples, the fun all starts upstairs, I need to greet some more people so up you go and we’ll be up there shortly. Our team up there will take good care of you.’

  They nodded and had a glance around as they went. ‘Looks absolutely gorgeous,’ said her mum on the way up. ‘And that scent... oh my it smells like home.’

  Hannah caught Luca’s eyes and they smiled a knowing smile.

  They welcomed several more people in, a few Hannah recognised and knew, including Jonah DeRae and his parents from Café Lagoon, Nancy Dillinger who sometimes bought eggs at the markets arriving with a happy-looking older man attached to her elbow, plus some new faces. And then Nathan entered with a couple of friends.

  ‘Hey, roomie,’ said Luca.

  ‘Not for long,’ he replied. They shook hands.

  ‘Hannah.’ He gave a polite nod.

  ‘Nathan. Welcome, thanks for coming.’

  ‘Wouldn’t miss it.’ He looked around. ‘This looks bloody amazing. You’ve both done a great job.’

  ‘Thanks, mate. Mostly Hannah’s hard work.’ Luca gestured his open palm towards her.

  She appreciated him playing her up, especially in front of Nathan. But funnily enough, as she shook the hands of Nathan’s friends and more remarks were made about the place, she didn’t feel as awkward as she thought she might. Perhaps it had dissolved and been replaced by her feelings for Luca, but now she would be left with that awkwardness after tonight’s event. Would every scenario with a male leave her with an uncomfortable sense of failure and incompleteness?

  It seemed almost everyone was arriving as a couple... Olivia from Mrs May’s Bookstore and April from April’s Glow entered the restaurant with their men by their side, both incredibly toned and muscular. If superstar singer Drew Williams had been able to make it with his gorgeous wife Chrissie they may have had to roll out some red carpet.

  But the red seat cushions on each chair, and on the armchairs and bench seats upstairs, would have to do.

  ‘Hi, Dr Greene, welcome,’ Hannah smiled softly at her GP as she arrived with her husband Mark, and they made their way upstairs. It was always a bit awkward to see the health professional who did your pap smears and breast checks in a personal context, but that was what you got from being in a small town. And she would see her next week for an appointment to check up on everything and get a summary letter to take to a new doctor before she moved to Sydney in two weeks.

  As others arrived and were greeted, the ambient chatter of voices echoed from above, a good sign that people were settling in.

  ‘Is that everyone?’ Luca asked.

  Hannah checked her list having done a mental headcount. ‘I think there’s still...’

  ‘Sorry we’re late,’ a woman said as she entered, a man by her side.

  ‘Emma, isn’t it?’ Hannah asked. She recognised her from around town, and had seen her at the beach and caravan park on occasion when she’d been there for walks with Scarlett.

  ‘Yes, hi, and this is James.’ Her partner, or husband she realised on noticing their rings, shook both her and Luca’s hands. ‘We would have been earlier but our son decided last minute he really wanted to come along. So we ah, had a bit of difficulty settling him down with the grandparents.’

  ‘Oh not a problem at all, plenty of time to mingle and enjoy some appetisers upstairs. Shall we?’ she held out her hand with a flat open palm like she’d been taught, towards the stairs.

  ‘Looking forwards to it, haven’t been out for dinner for ages.’ Emma smiled widely.

  With each step she took, the sounds of chatter increased, and the scent of delicious hors d’oeuvres enticed her, although she was more interested in making sure everyone had a good time.

  ‘Great food, bro.’ Stefan clapped Luca on the back. ‘Why don’t you make this stuff for me?’

  ‘I just did, man.’

  ‘I mean like, on a regular basis, say... a few times a week?’ He winked.

  ‘You’ll have to come down for regular visits then.’

  ‘Me too,’ said Karen. ‘Maybe a monthly “Home” cooked dinner.’

  ‘I’d be honoured to accompany you.’ Stefan winked at Karen, and she blushed.

  So she was moving away, and now everyone wanted to come visit?

  Anyway, back to the purpose of the night...

  Hannah mingled and chatted with the guests. It was a great distraction to the conflicting emotions pushed deep inside now for later retrieval.

  After a while, the sound of high-pitched tapping took Hannah’s attention away from Nancy Dillinger’s discussion of her twilight-years love life and towards Luca, who stood in the corner near the outdoor deck, a view of the rising moon behind him through the window. He tapped a wine glass with a spoon, and the chatter gradually lessened as everyone’s attention turned to him.

  With a microphone in hand, he spoke...

  ***

  ‘Welcome everyone... welcome to Home. Or should I say, welcome Home.’ He smiled, and a few in the crowd called out ‘thank you’.

  ‘Wow, what a turn out. I’m so grateful to have you all here for the opening night of my brand-new restaurant. I hope it’ll become a popular and well-respected part of the Tarrin’s Bay community, as I start my new beginning here in this beautiful town I’ve been so lucky to be able to return to.’

  He took a small sip of wine, only one allowed tonight as he was technically working, and scanned the people in the crowd. How he’d love to see his parents’ faces among the smiles. His eyes searched, as though by some bizarre occurrence they would appear, or at least his mother, and he’d realise that she hadn’t really died, it had all been a big mistake or a bad dream. But the only part of his mother that was visible was one of her dresses. It was displayed on a mannequin in the corner opposite to him, protected between two slightly touching armchairs and a small round side table, the moonlight reflecting sparkles off the bodice and hem.

  And in memory of his father, apart from his chef knives in a framed box in the kitchen... on the wall near the wedding dress was a framed old painting of a garden that they had received from Romanian relatives on their wedding day. A sign of the abundant blossoming and growth that would occur through their union over the years.

  It wouldn’t be a restaurant without some part of their presence.

  ‘Some of you may know that I lived here for a couple of years in my...’ he put on his best teenage swagger impersonation, ‘wayward youth.’ Some chuckles sounded in the crowd. ‘It was a fresh start then, but, well, not everything always turns out as planned.’ He lowered his gaze a moment. ‘My memories of the two years spent here will always be with me, and it seems, they have drawn me back, to start fresh again.’

  He smiled and caught eyes with Hannah, standing a couple of metres away from him to his left.

  ‘My parents had planned to start a restaurant in town, but it was cut short unfortunately when my father...’ he hated saying it, ‘passed away.’ He swallowed a lump in his throat. ‘So back to Sydney we went, where I trained as a chef, like my dad, and where my mother became an award-winning wedding-dress designer...’ He gestured to the corner. ‘One of her Teadora designs is over there.’

  A few ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ sounded from the crowd, and a few photos snapped. He also
noticed the newspaper photographer taking a few photos of him and of the crowd.

  ‘So when my mother recently passed on to join my father, I knew it was now or never to honour their dream and create my own by starting a restaurant.’ His hand trembled slightly on the microphone, and he brought his other hand up to steady it. ‘The premises here becoming available made it a no-brainer for me. I mean, how lucky are we to be here tonight with this amazing view, huh?’ He gestured outside and people clapped. The older lady he was introduced to as Nancy blew him a kiss, and he pretended to catch it.

  ‘So not only did I want to create a restaurant in the town they’d wanted to call home, I wanted to create a sort of... second home, a place where people can feel comfortable and know that they are welcome, no matter who they are, where they come from, or what their food preferences or requirements might be. I wanted to be able to cater for everyone and provide a tantalising array of multicultural food, including modern Australian, using fresh local produce wherever possible.’

  ‘So far so good,’ Stefan called out.

  ‘That charming chap there is my brother, Stefan,’ Luca pointed out. ‘And I’d like to thank him for his contribution to helping make this a reality, and to putting up with me over the years.’ He raised his glass to Stefan who raised it back. ‘Love you bro.’

  ‘Aww,’ people said, and Stefan covered his grinning face.

  ‘I’d like to thank everyone, all of you, for being here and helping me kickstart my dream. And I hope to see many of you in the coming weeks. We’ll be open for lunch seven days a week, and dinner Wednesday to Sunday. I plan to have regular themed nights as well, where we’ll have a specific set menu, a bit like tonight, but with different themes such as a specific culture, local seafood nights, special holidays, or even old-fashioned nights to step back in time to different eras like the nineteen-twenties... costumes essential.’ He winked.

  ‘I’d like to thank my new team of staff who have been working hard to prepare for tonight, some as we speak and who won’t even hear my speech, but I’ll thank them later. And to all the local businesses who’ve contributed to the restaurant in some way, providing décor, furniture, and candles,’ he smiled at April whose arm was firmly entwined with Zac’s. ‘Each business is listed on the back of your keepsake menu booklets, which are on each table downstairs.’

  Luca glanced back at Hannah. ‘And lastly, I have someone very special I’d like to thank. Without her help, I probably wouldn’t be standing here tonight giving this speech. She’s worked tirelessly to plan not only tonight’s launch but my whole business plan for beyond this day, and all within six short weeks. Seriously, she’s amazing, and I couldn’t have done it without her. So I’d like you all to raise your glass to Hannah Delaney.’ He held up his glass, and smiled as she flashed a proud yet humble smile, and her dad lifted up her arm suddenly and called out, ‘That’s my daughter!’

  He chuckled, also grateful for them and their indirect contribution in not only raising the amazing Hannah, but also creating the beauty of Iona, which he hoped to do justice to from this day on. ‘Doug, Kathleen, cheers to you too,’ Luca said, raising his glass higher.

  Everyone clapped, and Hannah glowed under the praise. She looked at him and mouthed ‘thank you’. Then, she walked up to him and took the microphone from him.

  This hadn’t been in her plan, and she hadn’t warned him about this. Could she actually be doing something spontaneous?

  ‘Thank you everyone. It’s been a pleasure working on the launch of Home. And I’d like to thank Luca for his vision, his patience, and his... persistence.’ She cleared her throat. ‘He lives and breathes what he does for a living, it’s his passion, and I promise you, you’ll be well looked after when you come to eat here. So let’s all give a round of applause to the man who, without him, I wouldn’t be standing here tonight either.’ She held the microphone out to him and clapped it with her free hand, creating an amplified sound as the crowd applauded.

  A warm flush rose throughout his body, and pooled in his heart. He was glad he’d stuck with his determination to follow through, to give it a good hard shot. Now the real work would begin, in maintaining Hannah’s hard work and keeping the place running, but it would be exciting, fun, and rewarding. He loved nothing more than to see people happy, and if just one person left his restaurant with a smile it would be worth it.

  He accepted the microphone back again. ‘Thank you, thank you. Now, I hope you’ve been enjoying your appetisers and drinks, but I also hope you’ve got enough room left in your stomachs for our main meal followed by our dessert platter. I figured why should you have to choose between one dessert when you can have all of them?’

  ‘Hear, hear!’ someone called out.

  ‘And you’ll get to taste my aunt’s traditional Romanian gogosi. If you’re a fan of doughnuts, you won’t know what hit you when you taste these, believe me.’ He patted his stomach. ‘Okay folks, enough talking. Before we head downstairs to take our seats, I have a little show for you all.’ He gestured for Hannah to start the projector. ‘We used to have family slide nights when we were younger, and I know some of you may do or have done the same thing, so let’s get a bit nostalgic, as I share with you some of my roots and make a little tribute to my parents.’

  Hannah switched it on and ushered some of the crowd to the side, so that the far wall lit up with the first slide... a photo of him as a baby, devouring gogosi, sugar and crumbs all over his face and hands. ‘This, my friends, is how it all began...’

  And as he watched the slide show along with everyone else, background music playing, the scent of jasmine in the air... he knew that somehow, somewhere, his parents were watching too.

  Chapter 27

  ‘Food was superb,’ Hannah said to the chefs as they finished up their late dinner after everyone had left. ‘I for one will definitely be back at some stage in future.’

  They thanked her and filtered out together, tired and yawning, checking their phones after a full-on few days of work.

  Hannah closed the window blinds and switched off some of the lights, blew out the candles. The only light remaining was the one over the reception counter and by the table in the corner where Luca sat, as still as a statue. ‘What a success it was,’ she said, walking over to him. He didn’t move, except to run a hand through his hair.

  ‘It’s done. We did it.’

  ‘We did.’ Hannah smiled, and as she sat, Luca covered his eyes with one of his hands as his elbow rested on the table. ‘Luca?’

  A small sound emerged, and his upper body trembled a little.

  ‘Luca?’ she placed a hand on his shoulder.

  He wiped away a couple of tears and sniffed. ‘I’m sorry.’

  ‘Hey, it’s okay. What for?’

  ‘For getting emotional. We should be on a high.’

  ‘It’s normal to be emotional after a night like tonight. After the past six weeks.’ She gave his shoulder a light rub.

  ‘It’s just...’ He looked up, his eyes slightly red and glossy. ‘It’s all finally happened, you know. It’s all real to me now. Up until tonight I was working towards something, making preparations, and distracting myself from my grief.’

  She nodded.

  ‘I just miss her, that’s all.’ He lowered his face again against his hand and sobbed. ‘I know she’s still with me, I feel it sometimes. But it doesn’t make it any easier.’ He exhaled and shook his head.

  ‘I know, I know. It’s hard as hell, but you’ll get through it. Day by day. One step at a time. And you’ve taken a lot of steps already. You’re doing great, Luca.’

  He looked up at her. ‘Thank you.’ He curved his hand around hers. ‘For everything.’

  ‘My pleasure.’ She smiled, and offered him a tissue.

  He chuckled. ‘Always prepared,’ he said.

  ‘Of course. Tissues are an essential item for functions. There’s usually some kind of emotion going round.’

  He took the tissue and dabb
ed at his eyes. ‘I can’t seem to hide anything from you. You make it so easy to... to just be real. Raw. Honest.’

  ‘That’s the best way to be.’ She shifted her position and crossed one leg over the other, knowing she’d soon have to practise what she preached. Seeing him like this just made everything so much more difficult.

  She bit her lower lip. ‘It’s getting late, so maybe it’s time for a good night’s sleep, huh?’ She patted his shoulder. He nodded.

  They both stood, and glanced around the room.

  ‘This is it. My restaurant.’ A small smile appeared. ‘I can hardly believe it.’

  ‘Well, believe it, because right here is the vision you had and the one we planned for. Dreams become reality when you work at them and don’t give up.’

  ‘I’ve learned so much from you,’ he said, turning to face her. He collected her hands in his. ‘I’ve enjoyed this time so, so much.’

  She smiled. ‘Me too.’

  ‘And it got me thinking... maybe there’s a way we can still enjoy this, see what happens. Make some effort to give things a shot.’

  Hannah’s stomach plummeted. ‘Luca, you’ve just started a business. You’re going to be super busy, I’m going to be super busy, and we’ll be two hours away from each other... it’s not like we can just pop in to see each other after work. It would mean four hours travel each time.’

  ‘I know, but... there’s gotta be a way,’ he said, and she’d never seen him so insistent about something, least of all about her.

  ‘I just can’t see one,’ she said. ‘And believe me, it’s in my job description to see how things are going to work logistically. I just can’t see it here.’

  He lowered his head again and kicked gently at something non-existent with his shoe. ‘It’s gotta be worth a shot.’

  It took all her willpower to resist him, she steeled her nerves and stood strong. ‘I can’t do shots, I need certainty. I’m all or nothing, remember?’

  ‘I know.’ He looked her deep in her eyes. ‘Hannah. Oh, Hannah. How can I be so happy yet so heartbroken at the same time?’