As he got closer, Eliza looked up and waved. Her lips curved into one of her punch-him-in-the-chest smiles. Relief mixed with joy that she seemed happy to see him and his kids.
He tried for a casual smile as he slowed in front of her. “Fancy meeting you here,” he said.
She laughed. “It’s such a beautiful day, I thought I should get outside and make the most of it. I still feel like I’m walking through a postcard when I come down here. Jewell Rock really is pretty, as pretty as any place I’ve ever been.”
Not as pretty as you. But he managed not to voice this thought. “It really is,” he said instead, “but I have to admit, growing up here kinda makes you take it for granted.”
“I can understand that. Did you and your brothers and sisters spend a lot of time down here?”
He nodded. “Mom and Dad used to send us off in the morning with a packed lunch and we’d spend the day climbing the trees and swimming here. It wasn’t as touristy back then and the playground was much more basic.”
“Sounds blissful,” she said.
“D-dad.” Hamish tugged his hand. “Can we get an ice cream?”
“Yes. Please!” Hallie jumped up and down, her moodiness from earlier seemingly forgotten now that she had her hand in Eliza’s. Eliza chuckled and smiled down at her.
The sight of them together made his heart squeeze—a little girl who desperately wanted a mother who cared, a woman who had lost her child and her way.
“Would you like to get an ice cream with us?” he asked Eliza.
“Ooh, yes, please do,” Hallie said, another little jiggle accompanying her words.
Lachlan predicted Eliza would say no, offer some excuse because hanging out with his family was definitely outside of their arrangement, so he almost couldn’t believe his ears when she said yes. Maybe she simply didn’t want to disappoint his kids, but whatever the reason, he was happy for the chance to spend some time with her outside the restaurant and with their clothes on.
“Right this way, then,” he said.
The ice-cream truck was parked in the lot and close enough that he could see the picnic blanket and their bikes, so they walked over without packing up.
Hamish went for his usual choice of triple chocolate and peanut butter, but Hallie deliberated for what felt like hours, until Eliza asked for a caramel ice cream and Hallie decided she’d have the same. Lachlan didn’t get anything, explaining that he usually had to finish one if not both of the kids’ cones, and then the four of them walked back to the picnic blanket and sat down to eat.
It was surprising Hallie managed to eat hers at all because she spoke incessantly, which at least meant there were no awkward pauses in conversation.
Eliza listened earnestly as she licked her ice cream and Lachlan had to admit he liked watching her do so. Occasionally she’d ask Hamish a question, but before long, Hallie always took control of the discussion again. Lachlan tried to contribute as well, but he kept trying to work out if Eliza was really enjoying hanging out with them or biding time until she could retreat.
“Can you braid?” Hallie asked Eliza as she handed Lachlan her half-eaten cone.
Eliza blinked. “You mean braid hair?”
Hallie nodded excitedly. “Yes. Stacey at school always has pretty braids and Daddy only ever does bunches for me. Can you braid my hair now?”
Holding his daughter’s ice cream, Lachlan was about to tell Hallie to leave Eliza alone, but Eliza popped the last bit of her cone in her mouth and nodded.
“Sure I can,” she said, repositioning herself onto her knees and patting the space in front of her. “Come, sit here.”
Hallie didn’t need to be asked twice and as Eliza did his daughter’s hair, Lachlan and Hamish ate the rest of the ice creams and watched.
“You make that look easy,” he said with a chuckle when she’d finished.
She shrugged. “I find doing hair quite therapeutic. Happy to do it whenever you want me to, Hallie.”
“Thank you.” Hallie gave Eliza a big hug, then looked to Lachlan. “Can I go play now, Daddy?”
“Sure, but wait for your brother,” he said, reaching across for Hamish’s crutches. Not only did Hallie wait, but she gave her brother her hand to help him up and then kept close to him as they headed off to conquer the playground together. It warmed his heart to see her happy and caring again.
“She sure can talk, can’t she?” Eliza said with a chuckle.
“That’s an understatement,” he replied. “But actually she’s been uncharacteristically quiet since I told her about Linda. I’d hoped bringing her out today would help her out of her shell again.”
“And it looks like it has.”
He nodded, choosing not to tell Eliza that this hadn’t been the case until she’d shown up. He didn’t want to put that kind of pressure on her but he couldn’t help noticing how his little girl adored his employee. And he couldn’t blame her—Eliza was easy to like and actually listened when Hallie talked, unlike her own mother. Perhaps Eliza was simply a good actress but she genuinely seemed to be enjoying hanging out with them.
He couldn’t help imagining how different their lives could be if Hallie and Hamish had a mother like Eliza instead.
But the moment that thought entered his head, he berated himself for it. Was that why he liked her so much? Because secretly he was looking for a substitute mother for his children? He didn’t think that was the case, but even so, fantasies like that were asking for trouble because, even before she’d told him about Jack, Eliza had made her position crystal clear.
“She’s really good with Hamish, too, isn’t she?”
Eliza’s observation broke Lachlan’s thoughts and he followed her gaze to see Hallie staying close to her brother as he climbed one of the structures. “Most of the time, yeah.”
“He’s pretty amazing, though,” she continued. “He doesn’t seem to let his condition keep him back. You should be really proud of your kids.”
“I am.”
They spent a few more minutes talking easily about Hallie and Hamish and as they chatted, Eliza planted her hands on the blanket and leaned back as if she was settling in for the long haul. Not wanting to monopolize the conversation with his kids, he asked after her grandmother and her father, whom she’d spoken a little about during their stolen moments together.
Her eyes lit up when talking about her grandmother in a way he’d only ever seen them do on rare occasions. “Grammy’s such a character,” she said and he laughed as she told him about her dating escapades.
And then a little boy toddled toward them, chasing a bright blue plastic ball that had got away from him and Eliza’s relaxed expression vanished as the ball rolled onto the blanket. As the toddler got closer, she picked up the ball and held it out to him.
His chubby little fingers closed around it just as his dad arrived beside them. “Sorry,” he said, slightly breathless. “This little guy has suddenly got fast. Thanks.”
Eliza seemed lost for words, so Lachlan smiled back and said, “You’re welcome. Have a great day.”
“Thanks.” As the man scooped up the kid and jogged away again, Lachlan looked back to Eliza. She’d gone pale, as if she’d seen a ghost.
“Did Jack liking playing with balls?” he asked. His heart pounded in his chest as he did so but he believed here in the park with his kids only a short distance away, she couldn’t change the subject in the manner she usually did.
Seconds ticked by. Eliza’s mouth opened as if she were about to open up to him, but then she glanced at her watch and sprang to her feet. “I’ve just remembered something I have to do. Thanks for the ice cream. Say goodbye to Hallie and Hamish for me.”
And then she turned and fled in the opposite direction of the playground. As Lachlan watched her run, he cursed under his breath and punched his fist into the ground. He’d pushed her
too far. Hadn’t she told him she didn’t want to talk about her son? Why couldn’t he just respect those boundaries and be patient like his mom had advised him?
Chapter Fourteen
“Oh, my goodness! What are you guys doing here?” Eliza shrieked in a most unprofessional manner as she looked up and saw her dad and Grammy Louise coming through the restaurant entrance. She almost tripped over her feet in her rush to get to them and she didn’t know who to embrace first. So she threw her arms around both of them and pulled them into a group hug.
“Careful, dear, you’ll ruin my hair,” Grammy said.
She laughed and let them go to take a good, hard look at them. It was only a month since she’d last seen them but it felt like years. “Your hair looks fabulous, Grammy. And you look great, too, Dad. Nice shirt.” She reached a finger out to touch it and found herself grinning uncontrollably. “I’ve missed you guys.”
“We’ve missed you, too, sugar,” her dad replied.
Grammy grabbed hold of Eliza’s hands. “You’re looking gorgeous, darling. This mountain air obviously agrees with you.”
“Thanks,” she said, thinking that it wasn’t the mountains that had put the glow in her cheeks. “I still can’t believe you’re both here.” Tears sprang to her eyes as the emotion of seeing them again got to her.
Her father reached out and brushed his thumb over her cheek. “You didn’t think we’d miss this, did you?” he asked, glancing around at the rapidly filling restaurant.
There was a local band playing in the corner and the drinks were already flowing as her waitstaff seated and welcomed the patrons. She wanted this night to be perfect for Lachlan. At that thought, her heart squeezed and she asked her father, “Are you here in a professional or personal capacity?”
“Can’t I be both?” he joked.
As more people came in the door behind them, Eliza decided she didn’t have time to worry about the prospect of him writing a bad review. Besides, she had a more pressing issue. Like where to seat her family? Her mind scrambled as she searched for a solution. The restaurant was fully booked for opening night but she couldn’t possibly turn them away when they’d come all this way.
As if reading her mind, her grandmother leaned closer and whispered, “We’re booked under a false name. Your lovely boss called me last weekend and asked if we would like to come and we cooked up the aliases Mr. and Mrs. Brown so you wouldn’t find out.”
Lachlan had arranged for her dad and grandmother to come? Her heart bumped against her ribs at this news. How did he even get Grammy’s number? Immediately she remembered that she’d listed her grandmother as next of kin on her employment forms because her father was always so hard to pin down. Grammy wasn’t much better but at least she stayed in New York and had a landline to contact her on.
Although she’d changed her name back to her maiden one, long before that her mother had changed both of theirs back to her maiden name, so she and her father didn’t share the same surname and Eliza realized she’d never actually told Lachlan exactly who her father was. A restaurant reviewer, yes, but not the restaurant reviewer with his own column in the New York Times. Which meant Lachlan had no idea that he’d invited one of America’s most famous restaurant reviewers into his world.
“Splendid,” she said, telling her nerves to take a hike. Unless something went terribly wrong in the kitchen, it was much more likely her father would write a glowing review as Lachlan’s food was unlike anything she’d ever tasted before. And that would put McKinnel’s on the map. “Come right this way, then.”
Eliza led them to a table by the window, which looked out onto a gorgeous view of the lake at dusk. And just happened to be next door to the long table crowded with McKinnels. Nora was there with her children, their partners and her grandchildren, including Annabel’s hunky new man, whom she’d introduced on the way in. Apparently he was a colleague at the fire station who’d swiped right on Annabel when he came across her on the infamous dating app.
“Grammy, Dad, I’d like you to meet the McKinnels,” she said and then quickly introduced them individually. They all shook hands and Eliza couldn’t help but notice her dad held Nora’s hand a fraction longer than necessary. He had a bit of a reputation as a Casanova and she hoped he’d behave but she didn’t have time to worry about that either as more patrons arrived.
“Stella, your waitress for the night, will be with you in moment,” she said before kissing Grammy on the cheek, then turning and heading back to do her job.
The rest of the evening passed in a blur. Eliza didn’t get the chance to talk to her family, but at one stage, she glanced across to see that the McKinnels had made room for Grammy and Dad at their table. Grammy was in her element, sipping whiskey and holding court, everyone looked to be hanging on to her every word, all except her father and Nora McKinnel, who appeared lost in a conversation of their own.
She was happy her family was being looked after and couldn’t wait to spend some time with them herself. Couldn’t wait to sit down and slip off her heels once most of the patrons had gone home. Her feet were aching from overuse but the only time she got five seconds’ reprieve was when Lachlan came out of the kitchen when all the entrées had been served.
The musicians quieted as he borrowed the singer’s microphone and Eliza leaned back against the bar to listen. Even before Lachlan spoke, the crowd erupted in applause, which wasn’t surprising, considering the compliments to the chef she and the waiters had been receiving all night.
“Welcome, everyone,” he said, grinning out at the patrons. “I want to thank you all for joining us tonight for the grand opening of McKinnel’s. It’s good to see some new faces and also some familiar ones, people who have been friends and supporters of the distillery since my father and his brother first opened. I wish Dad was here today to see us working hard to expand his legacy and I want to thank my brother Callum for believing in me to open a restaurant to complement the amazing things he, Blair, Quinn and Sophie are already doing with the distillery.”
He smiled in the direction of his family table and then lifted an arm and gestured around him. “And thanks to Mac and his craftsmanship for taking my and Callum’s ideas and creating this amazing building. To Mom, for keeping us all from killing each other as we continue to grow the distillery and to Annabel, who is always on hand in case of an emergency.”
Everyone laughed and Lachlan continued, his voice getting a little choked, “McKinnel’s truly is a family affair and there are two other people who also deserve a special mention. Thank you, Hallie and Hamish, for putting up with me working ridiculous hours. One day, you’ll know that everything I do is for you guys.”
Eliza sniffed as a tear slid down her cheek. If Lachlan went on much longer like this, she didn’t think there’d be a dry eye in the house. As she listened to him thank his assistant chef, their talented kitchen hands and the enthusiastic front-of-house team, she felt so proud and happy for his success. Not only was he a very good-looking man and a generous lover, but he was a hardworking, kind man and a dedicated father. He’d told her he thought Tyler a fool for leaving her. Well, she thought exactly the same about his ex-wife.
Lost in these thoughts, it took a second for her to realize people were turning to look at her and that Lachlan was no longer smiling at his family but at her. She’d thought he included her when thanking his front-of-house team but...apparently not.
“Without Eliza, this last month would have been harder and nowhere near as much fun.”
Her tummy flipped as their gazes met and as he spoke, she felt as if they were the only two people in the room. She knew the fun he was referring to and felt her cheeks heating but couldn’t do anything to stop them. Later she would tell him off for singling her out like that and then she would show him her gratitude.
As he continued singing her praise, she felt her cheeks getting redder by the second. Just when it was get
ting really embarrassing, he finally wrapped up, “You’ve been my right-hand gal in every decision and I count my blessings for the day you walked into this building.”
Thank you, she mouthed back.
“I think that just about wraps up my thanks. Those who know me know I don’t like public speaking, so now that I’ve said what needed to be said, I will leave you all to order and enjoy dessert. Thanks again for coming and, if you’ve enjoyed your meal tonight, please tell your friends and share on social media. And don’t forget to tag McKinnel’s.”
As everyone applauded at his final words, Lachlan stepped away from the microphone and began circling the tables, chatting to the patrons individually. Eliza wanted to go and congratulate him and also introduce him to her family but, too busy with diners herself, she didn’t get the chance to do so. She did see Lachlan shake hands with her dad, kiss Grammy and embark on what looked to be a deep and meaningful conversation before he headed back into the kitchen.
If possible, dessert service was even more of a success than the entrées. It wasn’t until everyone was on to coffees or whiskeys that Eliza finally slipped into the kitchen to take a breath.
Lachlan immediately came across to her and touched a hand to her arm. “Why didn’t you tell me your dad was Raymond Starr?”
She shrugged a shoulder and answered with a question of her own. “Why didn’t you tell me you invited my family?”
He gave her a coy smile. “Are you mad at me?”
“Are you kidding?” she whispered, leaning perhaps a little close when they had the eyes of the kitchen staff on them. “Later, when we’re alone, I’ll show you exactly how grateful I am.”
“As amazing and tempting as that sounds, I wouldn’t want to monopolize your time tonight when your grandmother and father are here. Rain check?”
Her heart sank. As delighted as she was to see her family, she’d been looking forward to a private celebration with Lachlan when all the patrons and staff had gone home. “Do you know how long they’re staying? Or where?” It suddenly crossed her mind that she’d been so startled by their arrival, she’d failed to ask either of these questions. Perhaps they’d want to stay with her?
The Single Dad's Family Recipe Page 14