Read Online Cathy Hopkins - [Mates, Dates 07] by Dates Mates, Pulling Power (Html) - Free Book Online Page A

attractive would that be? Not. I put my hand back over my mouth just
in case.
    ‘Can you cook?’ I
asked.
    ‘I’m Italian. Course I
can.’
    ‘I’m half Italian,’ I
said. ‘I can half cook.’ Actually that’s a lie, I can’t cook to save my life,
but it made him laugh.
    ‘So you know what it’s
like then. Life revolves round the kitchen.’
    ‘Er, yeah. Round the
kitchen. Curries, pasta, you name it,’ I said. ‘I can produce a great meal at
the drop of a hat.’ Not a complete lie, I thought. All it takes is a quick
phone call to the takeaway place and hey presto,
voila
, il supperoni.
    Just at that moment,
Tony came in so I introduced them along with my quick explanation as to why we
look so different. ‘Same dad, different mothers,’ I said. ‘Dad’s where we get
the Italian genes from.’
    ‘And she doesn’t mean
Armani jeans,’ smiled Tony, then started laughing at his own joke.
    Luke slid out of his
seat to let him sit down. ‘And the gift of cooking, I hear,’ he said.
    Tony looked at me
quizzically.
    ‘Well, no. Mum can
cook as well,’ I said. ‘She’s from Jamaica and does a mean curry.’
    ‘Sounds good,’ said
Luke turning to Tony. ‘Your sister was just telling me what a great cook she
is.’
    Tony looked surprised.
‘She
was
?’ I could see that he was about to laugh, but I kicked him
under the table and he straightened his face. ‘I mean. Yeah. She is. Always
cooking stuff up is our Nesta.’
    Another customer
caught Luke’s eye. ‘Won’t be a mo,’ he said as he went to take the man’s order.
    ‘So what do you
think?’ asked Tony looking round after he’d gone. ‘Romantic or what? Do you
think Lucy will like it?’
    ‘She’ll feel very at
home here. It’s kind of a cosy mess, just like the kitchen at her house.’ I
looked over at Luke and sighed. ‘And it is possibly the most romantic place
I’ve ever been in my whole life…’
    Tony glanced over at
Luke. ‘Ah. The waiter. That was quick.’
    ‘Luca De Biasi,’ I
said. ‘His dad owns the restaurant. He’s doing the acting course I’m doing…’
    Tony nodded. ‘Ah, he’s
the guy you fell in love with on Wednesday…’
    I nodded back. ‘Fate
has given me a second chance.’
    ‘And maybe she’ll even
give you a third.’ Tony smiled mischievously as Luke came back and handed us
menus.
    ‘The lasagne is good
tonight,’ said Luke.
    Tony glanced at the
menu. ‘Hey, Nesta,’ he said. ‘Why don’t you invite Luke to come and try your
unbelievable
cookery skills.’
    Whadttt!
I thought, no way. But Luke was
looking at me to see my reaction and I didn’t want him to feel that I didn’t
want to see him again. Arrghhh. What to do? Um. I know! Agree to it but don’t
give a date. Be vague and hopefully he’ll forget about it.
    ‘Yeah sure,’ I said.
‘I’d love to cook for you sometime, Luke.’
    ‘Mum and Dad are out
tomorrow night,’ Tony said with a grin. ‘If you’re not busy, would you like to
come over then?’
    ‘Yeah. Cool,’ said
Luke. ‘I look forward to it.’
    Tony sniggered. ‘Yeah.
And I can assure you that it will be an experience you’ll never forget.’
    Tony Costello, you are
dead, I thought as I kicked him again under the table.
     
    Tony’s Top
Romantic Places
    •
Anywhere candlelit.
    •
Biasi’s Italian restaurant.
    •
Kenwood on Hampstead Heath on a hot summer’s night when there’s a concert on.
    • Back seat
of the movies (still a good one, particularly if it’s a horror movie as the
girl will need to hold your hand).
    • Any
funky cafe with big old sofas to sink into.
    • Tony’s
bedroom.
     
    Note
from Nesta: this
last one only works for Tony…
     
     
     
     
     
C h a p t e r   8
    Recipe
for Disaster
     
    Contents - Prev / Next
     
    Move over Nigella,
there’s a new domestic goddess in town I thought as I lay in a jasmine-scented
bath the following evening. Everything was sorted. The table was laid. My
chicken curry was cooking nicely in