Chapter 9
A s usual, the Heathrow arrival terminal was packed.
Zoe and Nicki rushed out, luggage in hands, to avoid getting stuck behind a group of high school kids.
The trip to Italy had been a success. The ambassador, who had hired Zoe for a gala he was giving at his house in Milan, was extremely happy with the subtle yet simple menu Zoe had planned for the evening.
The brunch next day had also been a hit, with Zoe’s special eggs benedict stealing the spotlight.
The event in Florence had been very relaxed: a private evening at a concert hall with a world-renowned cellist. Buffet events were easier to plan and execute.
She had taken note of some of the most popular items on the menu she offered - salmon en cro?te and eggplant lasagna - and decided that she would serve those for the event at the racetrack before Yasmine’s wedding.
Both Nicki and Zoe were exhausted. Travelling abroad meant a lot of planning and coordination, especially since Zoe always hired and worked with local staff and caterers, but it was worth it.
Catering season was a huge chunk of her business and the fees people were ready to pay to have a celebrity chef sometimes felt unreal to Zoe.
Though it made sense in a way - her role was not limited to catering, she was also there to entertain the guests and bring forward her vision of cuisine.
“I’ll go get a taxi.” Nicki stepped forward and waved at a car.
Once again, Nicki had been a trooper and taken care of everything in Italy.
She’d even picked up some Italian, which had saved their lives a couple of times.
Zoe was much too tired and looked at Nicki walking back with a man, pointing at their luggage.
He picked them up as if they didn’t weigh anything and headed for his taxi.
Nicki gently took Zoe by the sleeve of her jacket and led her in the passenger’s backseat.
She gave Zoe’s address to the driver and the car rumbled before taking the road.
Zoe didn’t know if it was such a good idea to go Belgium without Nicki.
But she’d already made her decision and gave her assistant three weeks off, starting tomorrow.
Thankfully, Nicki had already contacted and shortlisted the best caterers in the area and they settled on a company based in Antwerp that had experience working fancy weddings.
The drive home felt much shorter than usual, in part because traffic was good, in part because they had been travelling for six hours already.
Zoe was relieved; she was so ready to shower, change her clothes and pass out for the rest of the afternoon.
The car swiftly pulled over in front of Zoe’s house.
Once they got inside, a familiar voice came from the living room.
“Zoe? Is that you?” Tom barged into the entrance hall. “Welcome home, love!” He pulled her into a hug and kissed her.
Zoe didn’t react much. “Hi Tom. Sorry, I’m wiped from this trip.”
“No worries, I know how it is.” He patted her on the shoulders. “Hi Nicki! Don’t stay here like that, come on! Sit down, do you want something to drink?”
“Hi Tom. I would love a coffee. Or five.”
“I’ll get the espresso machine going. Zo’, do you fancy one as well?”
“Sure.” She followed him in the kitchen, sitting at a bar stool at the island. Nicki sat next to her.
Clunking and vibrating sounds reverberated in the kitchen. Tom grabbed two cups and two saucers from the cabinets, with a towel on his shoulder like a proper barista.
“This espresso machine is the best thing I’ve ever bought.” His energy was tiring Zoe out even more.
It took him another five minutes to get the machine running before he finally brought the two cups of coffee over. “There you go! Two Italian espressos!”
“Thanks, Tom.” Nicki grabbed her cup like her life depended on it.
“You’re very welcome. I’ve got an important phone call right now so I’ll let you two enjoy your coffee.” He disappeared upstairs as soon as his sentence ended.
“How does he have so much energy?” Nicki was baffled.
“I’ve no idea. It’s so tiring when he’s like that and I’m exhausted.” Zoe grimaced. “I shouldn’t say that. He’s very nice.”
“Of course he is, but I’m with you on this one. It’s tiring.”
Zoe smiled as she sipped her coffee. “Do you have any big plans for your holidays?”
“My main plan is to spend a lot of time with my girlfriend. She’s becoming jealous of you.”
“Really?” That was one of Zoe’s biggest fears - that she was asking too much of Nicki.
“Oh sorry, Zoe.” She put a hand on her arm.
“I was joking. My girlfriend is one of your biggest fans. She has a busy job as well so we don’t spend as much quality time together as we should, but we’ve planned to go to Switzerland for two weeks.
She loves cheese and the mountains, so that was a no brainer. ”
“That sounds very nice. I’m so happy for you.” Zoe’s smile was tired, but genuine. Nicki was one of the most important people in her life. She only wanted the best for her.
“Are you gonna be alright in Belgium?”
“I’m heading to Brussels for Yasmine’s hen do later this week and then I’ll be off to the racetrack. It will be a nice break after our Italian adventure. I think it’s going to be quite fun.”
“Will Julie be there?”
“Surely.” The word sounded more eager than Zoe intended.
Nicki leaned towards Zoe, her voice low. “Are you excited to see her?”
Zoe found herself whispering back. “I am! I’m excited to know about her life, you know? Catching up and all. Where she lives, if she has a girlfriend or a wife.” Zoe’s heart tugged a little.
“That’s great.” Nicki paused. “Zoe, please know that if you ever need me, you can call me. Not necessarily for job reasons.” She looked intently into Zoe’s eyes, to show she meant it.
“I wouldn’t want to annoy you during your vacation.”
“Good to know. But if you really really need me, I’ll answer my phone.”
“I think I’ll be fine, Nicki. I don’t see what could go wrong.”
* * *
A loud noise woke Zoe up, followed by a hand pulling at the covers around her face.
“Hi love! I made you breakfast!” Tom was shifting the tray around on Zoe’s bedside table.
He took a cup of tea and sat on the bed, at the exact same spot Nicki had sat weeks ago while Zoe couldn’t stop the room from spinning.
Zoe propped herself up, still half asleep, her luscious dark brown hair a mess.
She didn’t even remember when she’d fallen asleep last night.
“Thanks, Tom. That’s so sweet.” Zoe said, her voice still hoarse from sleep. She leaned over and grabbed the other cup of tea. Toast and marmalade were neatly piled on the tray.
Zoe sipped her tea and looked back at Tom.
It was so easy to be with him, she thought.
How he was always in a good mood. How he was always fond of grand gestures.
How other women looked at her with envy when she was out in public with him.
She patted the spot next to her in bed, inviting him to come sit closer to her.
Tom immediately crawled to the spot and settled there, very pleased with himself. Zoe leaned against him.
“How long was I asleep for?”
“I think a good twelve hours? It’s 10 am now.” He planted a kiss on her head.
“I hope Nicki didn’t miss her flight to Switzerland.”
“I’m sure she’s fine.” Tom wrapped an arm around Zoe. She pulled away and angled back towards her bedside table, picking up a piece of toast. Being in Tom’s arms felt weirdly overwhelming this morning. Maybe because they hadn’t spent a lot of time together lately and this was all too much.
“Zoe, I thought about it while you were in Italy. Let’s do it.”
“Do what?” Zoe said, confusedly.
“Let’s get married. Next September.”
Zoe stared at him with wide eyes.
“You. Me. Our family. Some friends. A small wedding at my family house in the countryside, why don’t we?”
Zoe chewed on her piece of toast longer than she meant to.
But she was speechless. What was she supposed to answer?
She had no clue. She’d wanted this wedding to be planned for such a long time and now that it was happening, she had no idea what to say.
Tom’s pleading look was making it so hard.
She couldn’t say no. Why would she say no?
She wanted to marry him. He wanted to marry her.
“I have some events planned in September.” Zoe knew this wasn’t an answer.
“It’s alright, we’ll work around them. Small wedding, remember?”
Zoe nodded.
Tom took her hand. “I love you and I want to marry you. I know I haven’t been around much in the past few months, but now I feel like it’s the right time.”
“You’re right.” She swallowed. Let’s get this over with . The thought was lingering at the back of her head. It was so wrong, but she couldn’t help it.
“Brilliant! We don’t have to decide on the exact date now, I already contacted some wedding people to see their availability. I’ll send you everything. Maybe you can take a look at it when you have some down time in Belgium?”
“That’s a great idea.” And because she didn’t know what else to say, Zoe added: “Thanks, Tom. You’re wonderful.
” She leaned over and kissed him. Tom pulled her closer, his hands around her waist. As her hands stroked his face, she couldn’t help but think of the hen do in a few days, and who might be waiting for her in Belgium.