***
I sat around the table with Luke and Colton. It was interesting to see Luke with his friend. He was someone else that Luke could actually let his guard down around. There was no one at work he could do that with, and besides me, I’d only seen him relaxed with Emery. And with her, he was in dad mode.
Tonight, he seemed to fall back into the old rhythms of their friendship, talking shit to each other and laughing. It was a lot of fun.
Colton was just finishing up his fish. “Damn, Amber. You outdid yourself. What kind of acid did you use on the fish?”
“Lemon,” I said, meaning to keep it simple. Then I remembered that he was a chef too. I didn’t have to dumb it down. “Actually, it was a lemon shallot butter.”
“Real nice,” he said. “And did I taste ginger in there?”
I grinned. “Nice palate. Yes, just a touch.”
Colton shook his massive head. “I’m going to have to steal this recipe.”
“It’s all yours. I’m just glad you like it.” I looked at Luke. “You’re being awfully quiet. Did you like it?”
Luke grinned. “I was just thinking we should add this to the menu.”
“You don’t have Chilean sea bass on the menu?” Colton asked. “You’re missing out. You could charge thirty bucks a pop for a plate like this.” He lifted his wine glass in a toast. “Here’s to the guy who renamed it.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“Ahh,” Colton said. “This delicious little fish used to be impossible to sell when it was called the Patagonian Toothfish. Some marketing genius changed the name, and now it’s the height of fine dining.”
“Huh,” I said. “I had no idea.” I raised my own glass of wine. So did Luke. “Here’s to that guy.”
We all took a drink and settled back into our chairs. Now that the meal was over, we lapsed into conversation.
“So how did you two meet?” I asked.
Luke looked over at Colton. “You want to tell or should I?”
Colton gestured for Luke to go ahead. “It’s your house. Go for it.”
Luke nodded. “When I got my first restaurant job, Colton was my boss.”
Colton groaned. “Fuck, man. You’re already telling it all wrong. I’m a line cook in this dingy little shithole that somehow managed to pump out good food. One day, this little piss ant shows up, and it’s my job to train him. From scratch, mind you.”
“You didn’t have any training before you started cooking?” I asked Luke.
“Not a day. I learned in the kitchen.”
“No wonder you made fun of me for going to culinary school.” I stuck out my tongue at him.
He shrugged. “Nothing beats real world experience. I still believe that.”
Colton laughed. “He says that now. But let me tell you, he struggled when he first started. I told the head chef to get rid of him like five times. But I guess the old man saw something in him that I didn’t.”
“What I lacked in skill, I made up for with pure stubbornness. Hey, it worked!”
Colton nodded. “Yeah, after I whipped your ass into shape. I figured if I couldn’t get rid of you, I might as well make you useful. Anyway, we worked in that kitchen for, what? Five years?”
“Almost six,” Luke said. “We parted ways about a year after Emery was born.”
Colton smiled. “Yeah, I got an offer to start a restaurant down in Pacifica and I jumped at the chance.”
“Pacifica?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Colton said. “It’s just outside of San Francisco. Most beautiful place you’ll ever see. You should drag Luke down there and come to my place. Then he can see what a good restaurant is like.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “I’m not traveling eight hundred miles just to get food poisoning.”
We all laughed.
Luke stood up and started gathering plates. I got up to help him, but he gestured for me to sit down.
“You cooked,” he said. “The least I can do is clear the dishes. Relax. Finish your wine.”
Luke disappeared into the kitchen. Since he was gone, I took the opportunity to ask Colton something that I didn’t dare ask in front of Luke.
“So, you were around here when Emery was born?” I asked.
He nodded heartily. “I was there at the hospital and everything.”
“So, you knew Emery’s mother?”
Colton’s expression darkened. “I did. Yeah.”
“What was she like? What happened to her?”
He grimaced at the questions. “Since you’re asking me, I guess Luke hasn’t told you about her.”
“He never talks about her. Every time I’ve tried to bring her up, he shuts down.”
“Yeah, that sounds about right. Listen, it’s not my place to tell you all that. It’s not my story to tell. You understand.”
I sank down in my chair and sighed. “Yeah, I get it. You’re just being a good friend. Can you at least tell me one thing? Did she pass away?”
“She’s alive, as far as I know. And that’s all I’m gonna say.”