27. Leo
LEO
Ensuring Eliza was okay, and giving her hand a squeeze under the table, I turned my attention back to the conversation.
Or rather, the multiple conversations happening at the table now that everyone had prepared their plates.
Mark had grilled burgers, hot dogs, and vegetables, and there were different sides on the table, including pasta salad, potato salad, and coleslaw.
Jules, Lily and Eliza were trying to convince Cooper to adopt a dog from the shelter he was considering.
Hal, Gabe, and Mark were talking about the incubator storefront Lily and Gabe were getting ready to open.
And then Marnie and Laura were trying to get hints on the next Lake Ridge menu while Wes and I kept our mouths shut.
“Not even one hint?” Marnie asked.
I looked over at the older woman, a grin on my face as I shook my head. “You’ll have to come in and check it out for yourself, but I do think there’s one thing I can share.” I looked over at Wes, who nodded with a smile. There was already a fondness as he looked at his mom to see her reaction.
I turned toward Laura. “Wes, Ray, and I were talking, and we wanted to add something special to the summer menu to highlight all that you and Mark have done for Lake Ridge and for this town.”
Laura didn’t know what I was going to say but already she pressed a hand to her cheek.
“There’s going to be Mark’s burger, which will have American cheese, pickles, aioli, and slaw on a brioche bun. And then there’s going to be Laura’s shrimp tacos with slaw, queso fresco, corn salsa, and cilantro.”
“Those sound amazing!” Laura exclaimed, looking between Wes and me. “I absolutely love shrimp tacos.”
While creating a burger named after Mark had been easy—since it was one of his favorite things to cook and eat—figuring something out for Laura had been a little more challenging.
Mark did most of the cooking while Laura did the baking, so I asked Wes if there was a food his mom enjoyed that she didn’t get to eat as often.
He said her meal of choice on vacation was shrimp tacos with a good margarita—so we were going to make that happen.
Laura stood up, giving Wes a hug and then coming over to do the same to me. “That’s so thoughtful, Leo. Thank you,” she said with a warm smile as she pulled back.
“Did I hear that right? I’m getting my very own burger named after me?” Mark asked with a grin.
“Sure are, Dad. You’ll have to come in and try it. Menu launches next weekend,” Wes told him.
“Well, damn.” Mark cleared his throat, getting chocked up, which he tried to hide by taking a sip of his beer.
“Thank you. And thank you, Leo, for joining us tonight. We’re really happy to have you—at dinner and in town.
You just got here and are already making an impact on this town.
Changing it for the better. Just goes to show the type of man you are.
” Mark raised his glass toward the center of the table, and everyone followed.
“Cheers. To good food and even better company. Now, let’s eat. ”
I couldn’t shake Mark’s words or the sense of pride and belonging that followed. I’d never expected to care so much while in Golden Falls—about the town, the people, the friends I’d made. I thought this would simply be a stop for me, but it had turned into so much more.
Eliza knocked her knee into mine, and when I looked at her, the smile on her face nearly stole the breath from my lungs. I could’ve sworn she looked proud, too.
Within a matter of seconds, the conversation died down, and we were all digging in. One of the things I loved about food was how it brought people together, whether it was eating together or sharing your favorite food with someone. Dinner at the Richards house was a perfect example of that.
It’d been a while since I’d been at a bigger dinner like this. It happened frequently growing up when we’d get together with either my mom’s side of the family or my dad’s. In culinary school, my friends and I would all come together, each bringing a dish we were working on perfecting.
I’d hoped that Mark and Laura would be happy with our summer menu additions, but I hadn’t expected such an emotional reaction from them.
From chatting with them, it was easy to tell how much this town and bar meant to them, but it was something else to see the raw appreciation over something that maybe seemed rather simple.
But it hadn’t been simple to them. The joy and appreciation they exuded—and the look of love they shared across the table afterward—had left a heaviness in my chest. One that wouldn’t go away no matter how many times I rubbed over the spot.
Because I wanted that, too.
I wanted to have a partner who believed in my dreams as much as I believed in theirs. I wanted to go through life with someone seeing what we could accomplish together.
And maybe I wanted that more than a head chef title at a prestigious restaurant.
While my previous positions hadn’t had the head chef title, they’d been prestigious in their own way, and I thought that was what I wanted.
But I didn’t remember feeling as fulfilled and proud as I had at Lake Ridge talking with residents about what they enjoyed about their meal or hearing their excitement for the next menu.
Or hearing about how because of the food I’d created, they tried something different—and loved it.
It was easy to get stuck in your own ways with cooking and food. Everyone had their favorite meals. But there was so much more out there.
I thought that was one of the many reasons why I was in awe of Eliza. She was willing to try anything—whether that was food or in life. And while there was one thing she was set on not trying, I couldn’t fault her for it. She had her reasons for not wanting to be in a relationship.
But I wondered if she saw it, too.
If she saw how good we could be together.
That I would happily go on any and every hike she invited me on to see the spots that mattered most to her and to discover new ones. Or make whatever she wanted for dinner if it meant seeing that sparkle in her eye.
A lump formed in the back of my throat, and I washed it down with a swig of water.
I thought friends with benefits with Eliza would help me get her out of my thoughts. Get whatever attraction was brewing between us out of my system.
Instead, it solidified how there was no getting her out of my system. How the connection we’d tried to avoid and ignore wasn’t a fluke.
I wasn’t sure how I’d move on from that.