“Sara and I can discuss changing that up,” Tony said and glanced at her. But her attention was on the two girls who shared a conspiratorial look.
“We can definitely discuss it,” Sara said, wondering what was up with the two teens.
“And think about what’s missing! Something...salty,” Samantha said, earning a rebuke from Bridget who had joined them for the taste testing.
“Mija, Sara made this just like I do, and you’ve never complained before,” her mother chimed in.
“No problem, Dolores. There’s always room for improvement,” Sara said, unfazed by her niece’s comments. If anything, it made her take another taste to see if Samantha was being accurate in her assessment. A little more salt was a definite maybe, she thought.
After they had finished the tasting of the picadillo, they moved on to the avocado salad that Tony had prepared. Sara loved the play of the olive oil powder against the avocado, watercress, and balsamic vinegar. But as they had with the appetizer, the girls had “suggestions” about the salad.
“Balsamic isn’t very Cuban is it?” Angelica said, but before Samantha could say anything, Tony jumped in with, “No it isn’t. Sara and I will work on it.”
The porchetta faced a similar fate, prompting both sets of parents and Bridget to chastise the girls for being rude.
Sara held her hands up to keep the parents from exacting punishment. “It’s okay. Tony and I are open to suggestions. We want everything to be the best it can be for the quinceañera. Right, Tony?” And of course, fixing up the recipes meant time with Tony which was a win-win as far as she was concerned. She’d have to thank the girls for their thoughtfulness because she was sure that was what they had intended with their comments. Judging from the way they’d cleaned their plates she didn’t think they were actually unhappy with the food.
“Of course, Sara. We can work on it this week and hopefully have everything ready for the party next weekend,” Tony confirmed and eyed Sara, a friendly glitter in his gaze.
“And you need to think about some hors d’oeuvres for the cocktail hour too,” Angelica said.
“Anything else?” Tony asked, arching a brow at his niece who shook her head.
“I think that’s everything, Tio Tony. I know you and Sara will be able to work everything out together,” she said deadpan. Too deadpan, Sara thought, confirming to her that the two girls were up to something.
Tony shot her a knowing look, apparently having reached the same conclusion.
“Sara and I will work together to address all your...suggestions,” he said calmly.
Sara did a quick assessment of everyone at the table and said, “I assume you trust us to get everything fixed and make the right choices without another tasting session, because time is tight.”
“Of course, we do, Sara,” Dolores answered and at Matt’s glare, Samantha remained quiet. Bridget sat there silently, but the pleased smile on her face said she had seen through the girls’ ruse, unlike their seemingly oblivious parents.
Sylvia and Esteban likewise stared Angelica into silence. “We’re grateful for anything that you and Tony will prepare for us,” Sylvia said.
With a warning smile at the two girls, Sara said, “Then I guess Tony and I have our work cut out for us.”
Chapter 23
Tony commandeered his parents’ kitchen so that he and Sara could address the girls’ plethora of suggestions.
Much like Sara, he was of a mind that the two were scheming, probably throwing Sara and him together in the hopes their relationship might be rekindled. He wasn’t opposed to making time to work on recipes with her, despite being used to top dog status in his own kitchen, especially since it meant more time with Sara and a chance to move their relationship along.
“Mijo, Sarita is here,” his mother called out in a too pleasant singsong. His mother would like nothing better than for him to be involved with a woman who might bring him home to Miami permanently. She’d apparently be even more pleased if that woman was Sara.
“Sara, mami,” he corrected, knowing the childish endearment no longer applied. There was nothing little about Sara anymore.
Sara stepped into the room and his spirit lightened. Her outfit wasn’t fancy, just serviceable jeans and a pale pink T-shirt, likely in deference to the heat that was bound to build in the kitchen. To him, she looked perfect.
“Thank you for coming,” he said and glared at his mother as she stood there, waiting expectantly. “Mami,” he warned and with a face wreathed with indignity and a flip of her hand, she left the kitchen.
Sara barely contained a laugh and humor glittered in her gaze. “She’s just being...a mom.”
“I don’t remember your mom being such a busybody,” he said, grabbing two clean aprons from a drawer and handing one to Sara.
“My mother put the mother in smother,” she said with a grin and unfurled the apron.
He did the same and they stood there staring at them for a second before breaking out into laughter. The aprons bore the images of television icons Lucy and Desi with two of their more memorable quotes.
Sara hugged the Lucy one to her body and said, “Eeeewwwww.”
“Lucy, you got some ‘splainin’ to do!” Tony said in an exaggerated Cuban accent and slipped on his own apron.
Sara smiled and as she put on her apron, she said, “And we’ve got some cooking to do according to the girls.”
Tony huffed indignantly and wagged his head. “Seriously? You do know it was all a ploy to get us working together, right?”
Sara laughed and nodded. “Definitely, but they were right about the rice.”
Tony couldn’t argue with that logic. It was one of the things he liked about Sara: her honesty and straightforwardness. “I could change it up for the entrée.”
Sara held up her hand. “Actually, I had an idea based on something new I tried out at Munch – a toston choriburger.”
“Let me guess,” Tony began while taking assorted pots and pans from his mother’s cabinets so they could get to work. “It’s a slider made with chorizo?”
Sara shook her head and took one of the larger pans from him to help. “Not just chorizo, but a mix of ground beef and dried chorizo served on two tostones instead of bread. I was thinking I could serve the picadillo over Cuban bread toast and we could do choriburger sliders as one of the hors d’oeuvres during the cocktail hour.”
Tony paused in his digging through the cabinets and pondered her suggestion. “I like that idea. I was also thinking about Samantha’s comment about the picadillo needing more salt. I know what I’m going to suggest isn’t traditional –”
“Nothing about these quinceañeras is traditional,” Sara said with a wrinkle of her nose.
Tony chuckled and ran a finger across the crinkle to smooth the creamy skin there. After, he cradled her cheek, needing the contact with her. He’d missed it so much. “True. How about adding some capers? It’ll juice up the briny flavor and give it some pop.”
Sara nodded, shrugged, and cupped his hand as it rested on her face. “I’m game. I was thinking maybe a citrusy vinaigrette at the base of your avocado salad instead of the balsamic. Maybe even grilling the lemons for the dressing to give it that smokiness to match the char on the avocados.”
Tony smiled and nodded. “I like that idea a lot. Let’s give it a try.” He was enjoying brainstorming with her. It was a welcome surprise given how he was used to being the one calling the shots. Sara had a quick and inventive mind and so far, her instincts had been on the money. He suspected that together they were going to make a meal that would be much better than the one they had originally planned.
In just a few minutes they were both busy chopping and working on their two dishes, implementing the changes they’d discussed. Once they were done, they made plates to take out to Tony’s parents in the living room. When they sat down
to try the new dishes, they found that the tweaks they’d done had totally lifted the dishes to a new level.
“This picadillo is da bomb,” Tony said as he ate a big forkful. “I hope you don’t mind if I add it to my menu.”
With a cheeky grin, Sara held her hand out to say sure. “As long as I can steal this avocado salad. I love the mix of flavors. Fruity, smoky, sharp. Perfect.”
“We’ve got two winners, three if you include the choriburger sliders.” More if they include the way things seemed to be improving between them.
“Four because you have to do your famous Cuban sandwich. Mind sharing what the secret is?” she said as she swirled her last cube of grilled avocado around in the vinaigrette.
“Sure, but you have to swear to keep it secret,” he teased.
His mother came into the kitchen not a minute later with their empty plates. As Tony held up one of the nearly licked clean plates for Sara to see, he said, “I guess we do have some winners.”
“Everything was delicioso, Mijo. Sarita,” she said with a wink at Sara before leaving the room.
“Busybody,” Tony said under his breath and returned to the table to chat about the entrée.
“Did you like the porchetta?” he asked, truly interested in what Sara’s experienced palate thought of the dish. It was nice to have a chef with whom he could chat so comfortably. Not like his ex who had always been trying to outdo him. Even despite the competition they’d been forced into, he had sensed that cooking with Sara would be totally different and he hadn’t been wrong. It had been fun and inspiring today.
“I really liked it, but when I was working with Dolores, she shared an old family secret from her dad that you’ll have to keep secret as well. He put grapefruit juice in with the other citrus. You wouldn’t think it, but it really made a difference in the sweet-sour of the marinade,” she explained and mimicked juicing the fruits with her long, elegant fingers.
He couldn’t resist reaching out to take hold of her hands and was grateful when she didn’t pull away. He playfully swung her hands and said, “I’m game, but we’ll have to let the pork marinate overnight.”
With obvious reluctance and a gentle squeeze of his hands, Sara glanced at the clock on the wall. “I can stay and help with the marinade, but then I’ve got to get back to the restaurant for the dinner service. I’m sorry.”
“No problem. Can you come back tomorrow so we can work on the menu some more?” he asked, eager to spend more time with her.
Sara grinned and then dipped her head. “I’ll talk to Jeri. She’s been great about this, but I have to make sure she doesn’t have to do anything with Sophie.”
“If she does, maybe Rick can help out again,” he suggested. Maybe this would be what it took for Rick and Jeri to finally take the next step.
Sara laughed. “I guess you noticed Jeri has a thing for Rick.”
Tony barely contained his laughter. “Actually, I noticed Rick has a thing for Jeri. And he cares about her little girl as well. Anyway, whatever you need, Sara. I truly mean that. I really liked working with you today.”
Sara hesitated, making him worry that he’d pushed too fast, but then she nodded and said, “I liked it too. A lot. I’m glad we got to do this, and I’d love to do it again. Schedule permitting.”
Inside of him something broke free that he hadn’t even known was imprisoned. “I hope you can make it work.”
“I hope so too,” she said and surprised him by brushing a quick kiss across his cheek before dashing out of the kitchen.
He stood there, smiling, as she walked out the door. Reaching up, he ran a hand across the spot where she had kissed him, imagining that the warmth of her lips lingered there. Recalling how nice it had been and thinking about how he’d like for it to happen again. A lot, he thought with a chuckle.
His mother walked in then, a smile on her face that brightened as it landed on him. “Mijo, it looks like you had a nice time.”
Since it would be impossible to deny it, he swept his mother into a big bear hug. “I had a fabulous time, mami.” He knew the words would give his mother hope that his relationship with Sara would become more, but since he was feeling the same way, he let her and himself believe.
Angelica squirmed on the platform as Dolores finished pinning an adjustment on the hem.
“Niña, por favor. ¡Quietate!” Dolores said around the pins in her mouth.
“Maybe she can’t hold still because she’s got a guilty conscience,” Angelica’s mom said and walked around, examining the dress.
Dolores peered up at Angelica and past her to Samantha, who was perched on a stool by her worktable. Pulling the pins from her mouth, she said, “I’m surprised Samantha can be so calm after the mentiras she told.”
Both girls immediately protested, their cries vehement.
“I’m not feeling guilty.”
“I didn’t lie about anything.”
Her mother pointed a finger in Angelica’s face. “First of all, you’re Cuban, which means you can never have too much rice.”
“Amen,” Dolores said and resumed tacking the hem and checking its length.
“And you,” her mother said, rounding on a still-seated Samantha. “Tony is an award-winning chef and you challenged him on his dish.”
“But balsamic is so not Cuban,” Samantha almost whined.
With a shrug, her mother said, “Okay, I have to give you that.”
“We weren’t doing it to be mean. And anyway, carbs are evil,” Angelica said in defense of their actions.
“Carbs are totally evil,” Samantha offered in agreement. She shared a look with Angelica and said, “We did it so Aunt Sara and Tony would have to work together.”
“We thought that it might help them get together again the way they were before this while crazy competition got started,” Angelica said and looked down, shamefaced.
Dolores rose slowly, slipped the pins from between her lips, and stuck them into a pincushion strapped to her wrist. Her mother walked around to stand beside Dolores and crossed her arms as both women stared at them.
Samantha slipped from the stool to stand beside Angelica, clearly intending to have her back for whatever additional scolding was coming their way.
“Your abuelita says that Tony and Sara made some excellent food for them yesterday. Your comments seem to have inspired them,” her mother said.
“And?” Angelica said, sensing there was more to the story.
Dolores and her mother shared a look. “Your abuelita also said that by the time they finished they were laughing and joking and your Tío Tony was very happy,” her mother said.
Dolores clapped her hands and with utter glee said, “Do you know what that means?”
Angelica frowned, not sure what to say except the obvious. “That mi abuelita is a terrible chismosa?”
Her mother, Dolores, and Samantha all burst out guffawing. Wiping away tears of laughter, her mother said, “She truly is a gossip.”
“And you girls were truly... I want to say devious, but I can’t because there was some truth to what you said,” Dolores added.
Samantha piped up with, “How about inspired? We really wanted to make things right with Aunt Sara and Tony.”
“Totally inspired,” Angelica agreed.
The two moms exchanged a quick look and then shook their heads.
Her mother said, “I guess if it works –”
“When it works,” Angelica insisted and hopped off the platform.
Her mom walked over and linked her arm around Angelica’s. “When it works, we’ll hopefully see more of Tio Tony.”
“Tio Tony and Aunt Sara, together—like, in a couple together,” Samantha said and walked to stand beside her mom.
“And who knows, maybe new little—” Dolores began, but Sylvia shot up her hand to keep her from cont
inuing.
“Don’t press your luck, amiga. For now, let’s just hope this little plan our daughters cooked up works.”
Chapter 24
Tony popped the piece of crispy pork belly skin into Sara’s mouth and she chuckled as she ate the chicharrón. The creamy heaviness of the fat was a wonderful foil to the crunchiness of the skin. “People will love this.”
“Thank you,” Tony said as he sat across from her, sampling the porchetta as well. It was so easy to sit with him. Work with him. The time together had been filled with laughter and smiles.
She stabbed a piece of the interior pork. The fresh flavor of citrus was chased by the earthiness of herbs and a hint of warmth. “They’ll love this even more.”
Tony nodded, picked up a piece, and ate it. After he swallowed, he said, “I can taste that hint of grapefruit. It makes a subtle and really positive difference in the marinade.”
“Thank Dolores for that family secret.” Sara quickly speared another piece, enjoying the entrée, but as she ate something else came to mind. With a surprised huff, she pointed to the pork with her fork and said, “This herb rub is your Cuban sandwich secret isn’t it?”
Tony grinned and that smile warmed her. “That’s the secret you have to keep,” he teased, dragging another chuckle from her. “Yes, I rub the pork when I roast it and then put a little bit of the rub directly on the pork when it goes into the sandwich.”
“That explains the brightness of the flavor. We’re going to do Cuban sandwiches for the hors d’oeuvres, right?” she asked.
“If you’re okay with it,” he said and she was glad that he was so agreeable. That things between them were progressing nicely. Maybe they were even back to where they had been before Roberta and all her nastiness.
“Totally okay with it. We can make them into smaller bites, like finger sandwiches. And Dolores makes these tasty deviled ham sandwiches, too.”
“Maybe the two of us can come up with our own version?” he asked, his tone inviting.
She would have loved to keep on cooking all day with him, but unfortunately, she couldn’t. “I’d love to, but I’m also out of time for today,” she said regretfully.
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