Page 97 of The Chef

Cliff gestures with a finger for me to come over. “Bay, I need you.”

I nod at the plate I’m currently serving up. “I’m busy.”

Cliff smiles. “The interview’s here.”

Oh, right. The interview.

Can’t miss that.

“I’ll be out in a second,” I say, rushing over to the sink to wash my greasy hands.

I follow Cliff into the manager’s office. Sitting in front of the desk is a young woman, around twenty. Blonde hair and a sweet smile. Her eyes flicker between Cliff and me, clearly nervous.

“Hi, I’m Bay,” I say, shaking her hand as I enter. I double-check there’s no leftover grease from the kitchen still on my fingers before I touch her.

“I’m Opal,” she replies.

“Let’s get started then, shall we?” Cliff says, sitting down in the manager’s chair, commanding the room like he’s some Mafia boss. I roll my eyes at him and he winks back at me. He thinks he’s so cool. “So, you want to be a waitress here at Rockpool. Why?”

The girl seems alarmed by his intense interrogation.

“Ignore him,” I whisper to the girl. “He’s a brute.”

“Don’t worry,” she replies with a flash of her white teeth. “I’ve dealt with some brutes in my time.”

I laugh, and Cliff’s cheeks go red.

“I like her already,” I say to him.

I know right then we’re gonna hire her. I know this new girl will fit in well here at Rockpool. If she’s able to fight back against Cliff like she’s just done, then she’s exactly the type we’re looking for.

I take in a deep breath before I launch into the interview proper.

And I know everything’s going to be good.

Epilogue

“They’re cute, aren’t they?” Ripley asks me, nodding towards the men playing with Pearl and Davy in the surf.

“Who? The guys or the kids?” I joke.

Ripley and Sandy giggle at my comment as we stand on the sand, enjoying the setting sun over the waves.

“Both,” Sandy replies.

We turn back to watching Cove, Skipper, and Cliff playing with Pearl and Davy in the ocean. The kids scream in mock terror as Cliff tackles them in the surf as the waves crash around them. Cove’s holding a surfboard above his head. The men had tried teaching my niece and nephew to surf, but it’s descended into pure chaos. Pearl was more keen to splash Cove and Skipper with water than to bother standing on the surfboard, and Davy was eager to wrestle with Cliff, thinking that he might be stronger than the six-foot-something man. He was very wrong.

They all are cute.

My heart beats stronger in my chest as I stare out at them all playing together. One big happy family.

Pearl and Davy may have sadly lost a mother, but they’ve gained a family.

The last few weeks have been life-changing for them. Sandy, as head of Poseidon’s Academy, has been able to enroll them on a full scholarship to the elite private school. No doubt helped by Skipper’s influence on the school’s board. My niece and nephew are going to get the education they deserve. Fisher was overcome with emotion when he heard the news. He disappeared from the house for a whole evening when I told him. I knew where he went, though. I know that he was talking to his wife at the cemetery, telling her the good news.

She would be proud of her brother. She would be proud of her kids.

The group heads onto dry land, away from the ocean, and towards us girls on the beach. The men are topless. Perfect examples of finely toned abs and wet firm torsos. Cliff’s carrying Pearl under one arm effortlessly. He’s so strong. My niece giggles as she’s carried in.