carrying hints of beef and lamb and pork with them as they went.
Regularly Jen wiped the metal work surfaces down, cleaned plates and chopping boards and cutlery, stocked and restocked the fridge, and filled and boiled the kettle, and refilled and boiled it again, over and over.
Soon enough, working fluidly together, yet also, Geoff thought, with slight apprehension in the air, the two of them delved into the sudden rush of orders that came flurrying through to them. Between tasks he frequently glanced over to Jen, admittedly a little concerned.
After a couple of hours they were graced with a slight lull in demand, and Jen automatically set about fixing Clare’s sweet.
Today it was chocolate cake, and Jen cut a generous slice for her older sister and decorated it with drizzles of sauce and various other vibrant dressings.
Within minutes it found its way into the fridge, with the customary note of course, and Jen attended to the starter orders that had just come in.
Geoff looked over again as she worked, and this time his gaze lingered for rather a lot longer as he watched her write the note. His eyes looked troubled and he pulled a slight grimace of a face.
“Are you meeting Clare after work?” He asked Jen then, simply unable to stand the silence any longer.
“Yes…” Jen only replied at first, stuffing some mushrooms. “We’re walking home together…”
“Ah…I see…” Geoff replied. “How is she?” He asked then.
“She’s fine, thank you.” Jen responded, her tone level, still concentrating on her mushrooms. Though, Geoff got the distinct impression that the mushrooms weren’t entirely the reason she was avoiding giving him much more than those simple, unenlightening answers to his questions.
He drew breath again, preparing to take the plunge: something he would never usually have done, but things were just getting far too out of hand. However, right at that moment, Laura came racing in, wearing a green jumper today, and waving a handful of order tickets in the air.
“Party of fifteen!” She exclaimed, smiling joyously, for how she loved to work. “Mains to follow!” And she pinned the tickets to the board and swept out of the kitchen again like a hurricane, leaving destruction in her wake.
Geoff sighed.
The moment was lost.
He wouldn’t question Jen now.
And so began the waltz.
Day wore into dusk, and dusk laboured into night, and Geoff and Jen pushed on.
Eventually the night drew to a close and Jen finished up the last of her jobs before leaving to meet her sister. She hung her apron and grabbed her bag, bid goodbye briefly to Geoff and Laura, and headed immediately for the door, pulling her hair from its ponytail with great relief, and running her hands quickly through it.
It was still damp, but she wasn’t really all that bothered.
They both watched her go with worry in their eyes, for, as always nowadays, she seemed so disheartened.
However, as she opened the heavy wooden door to leave, not really concentrating on what she was doing, Jen didn’t see the distorted figure approaching through the glass on the other side. Just as she looped her bag onto her shoulder, pulling the door open with her free hand, she stepped out and ploughed directly into the man stood beneath the archway on the doorstep.
Her bag slipped from her arm and fell to the floor with a dull thud, and Jen almost went careering backwards, for she had been hastening with some
Regularly Jen wiped the metal work surfaces down, cleaned plates and chopping boards and cutlery, stocked and restocked the fridge, and filled and boiled the kettle, and refilled and boiled it again, over and over.
Soon enough, working fluidly together, yet also, Geoff thought, with slight apprehension in the air, the two of them delved into the sudden rush of orders that came flurrying through to them. Between tasks he frequently glanced over to Jen, admittedly a little concerned.
After a couple of hours they were graced with a slight lull in demand, and Jen automatically set about fixing Clare’s sweet.
Today it was chocolate cake, and Jen cut a generous slice for her older sister and decorated it with drizzles of sauce and various other vibrant dressings.
Within minutes it found its way into the fridge, with the customary note of course, and Jen attended to the starter orders that had just come in.
Geoff looked over again as she worked, and this time his gaze lingered for rather a lot longer as he watched her write the note. His eyes looked troubled and he pulled a slight grimace of a face.
“Are you meeting Clare after work?” He asked Jen then, simply unable to stand the silence any longer.
“Yes…” Jen only replied at first, stuffing some mushrooms. “We’re walking home together…”
“Ah…I see…” Geoff replied. “How is she?” He asked then.
“She’s fine, thank you.” Jen responded, her tone level, still concentrating on her mushrooms. Though, Geoff got the distinct impression that the mushrooms weren’t entirely the reason she was avoiding giving him much more than those simple, unenlightening answers to his questions.
He drew breath again, preparing to take the plunge: something he would never usually have done, but things were just getting far too out of hand. However, right at that moment, Laura came racing in, wearing a green jumper today, and waving a handful of order tickets in the air.
“Party of fifteen!” She exclaimed, smiling joyously, for how she loved to work. “Mains to follow!” And she pinned the tickets to the board and swept out of the kitchen again like a hurricane, leaving destruction in her wake.
Geoff sighed.
The moment was lost.
He wouldn’t question Jen now.
And so began the waltz.
Day wore into dusk, and dusk laboured into night, and Geoff and Jen pushed on.
Eventually the night drew to a close and Jen finished up the last of her jobs before leaving to meet her sister. She hung her apron and grabbed her bag, bid goodbye briefly to Geoff and Laura, and headed immediately for the door, pulling her hair from its ponytail with great relief, and running her hands quickly through it.
It was still damp, but she wasn’t really all that bothered.
They both watched her go with worry in their eyes, for, as always nowadays, she seemed so disheartened.
However, as she opened the heavy wooden door to leave, not really concentrating on what she was doing, Jen didn’t see the distorted figure approaching through the glass on the other side. Just as she looped her bag onto her shoulder, pulling the door open with her free hand, she stepped out and ploughed directly into the man stood beneath the archway on the doorstep.
Her bag slipped from her arm and fell to the floor with a dull thud, and Jen almost went careering backwards, for she had been hastening with some
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