Not My Type Ch. 04

"Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive from thy bounty, through Christ, our Lord, Amen," Adam said with conviction and then crossed himself in a casual fashion while we all sat open-mouthed.

"Holy hell, he's Catholic," Joe muttered, digging into the mashed potatoes. Mum gasped, Vi giggled, and I blushed.

"Joe," Dad growled, shooting his eldest son a dirty look. "That's enough."

"Not a very good one, I'm afraid," Adam joked lightly, giving my leg another squeeze before dishing out roast beef onto my plate and then his. "No matter how many times the nuns gave me the strap most of it never sank in."

"You were taught by nuns, Dude?" Chuck laughed, Matt echoed it.

"They used corporal punishment?" Vi gasped at the same time.

"Yes to both questions," Adam laughed in his deep voice. "Don't worry Vi," he reassured my little sister, who was looking concerned. "That was a long time ago. They don't do that anymore."

"How oldareyou?" Vi asked with carefree curiosity. I almost interrupted to scold her for her rudeness, but stopped when I realized I wanted to hear the answer for myself, because I still had no idea what the answer was.

"Thirty-two," Adam said with a grin, passing my Mum the peas.

"Let the poor man eat," Mum admonished before Vi could fire off another question. I had a few of my own which I wanted to ask, but not with my family in the room. Adam sure as hell didn't look thirty-two.

The table fell to silence as we all dug into the huge and excellent meal. Mum had really outdone herself and everyone's enjoyment was evident as the piles of food grew continually smaller.

"S'good, Pat," my Dad said finally as he finished off the last of his meal. He gifted my mother with one of his rare smiles. "Thank you."

Mum beamed across the long table at Dad. "I had excellent help. Adam is a chef in town."

A glimmer of interest crossed Dad's stony face. "Really? Where?"

"AtLa Langoustine Fâchée," Adam said nonchalantly. We all stared wordlessly at him. Even my Dad had heard of it, probably becauseLa Langoustinewas not only the best restaurant on the island and specialized in catering to a very distinctly wealthy group of customers, but it was also ranked one of the best restaurants in Canada.

I sat quietly beside Adam and felt like an idiot. Oh, how Rhiannon and Adele would laugh; they'd wanted me to date someone less career-oriented than my usual type, someone less focussed on their job. What would they say when they found out I'd slept with a chef from the province's most celebrated restaurant? The Queen ate there the last time she'd visited, for cryin' out loud. They'd die laughing.

"Oh, isn't that nice?" Mum gushed. "You must really enjoy that, Adam dear." She rose and started clearing plates.

Adam nodded, standing to his feet and collecting empty dishes. Automatically I did the same. "It's been worth the move to the Island."

"You're not from here?" Vi asked quickly, before anyone else could have the privilege.

"Sorry, but no. Wish I was. I love it here," Adam said with a grin. He took my Dad's empty plate and balanced it easily on his arm before doing the same with Joe's, Chuck's, and Matt's. We all watched the balancing act with trepidation, but none more than Mum, who I suspect feared a great deal for her best china. "I grew up just outside of Toronto."

Joe snorted rudely into his beer, only to be treated to another of Dad's ice-cold glares.

"Chuck just graduated from school in Toronto, didn't you Chuck?" Mum prompted happily, beaming as she took dirty plates from Adam.

"U of T?" Adam asked with interest.

"Yeah," Chuck said sheepishly, ducking his auburn head and grinning. "Engineering."

"Good for you, Mate," Adam slapped Chuck's shoulder as he passed. Vi and I stared open-mouthed at the friendly gesture. Dad actually smiled.

"We'll have dessert later," Mum suggested, eyeing the dirty pots and pans with a small smile. "After the girls and I clean up."

"I can help," Adam offered, sounding sincere.

"Don't be silly, dear. You helped cook, and besides you must see a lot of dirty dishes at work." Mum pulled the apron out of Adam's hands and passed it to me. "Why don't you and the other boys go outside? I know they must be dying to take a look at the nice motorcycle of yours."

If Adam noticed or was bothered by being called a 'boy' he didn't reveal it. Vi and I smothered giggles and watched as Adam, Chuck, and Matt filed obediently from the kitchen with Dad trailing uncertainly behind. Joe left from the back door, heading in the opposite direction.

Once we had the dirty dish situation under control, Mum dismissed me and I wandered slowly out to the front yard, soaking in the quiet of the old farmhouse along the way. The large kitchen had been built as an add-on when I was a kid, but the rest of the building had stood on top of the breezy bluff for more than 150 years. A Tanner had been farming the same hectares of land since the island was settled in the late eighteenth century. There was a lot of history in my family and more than a great deal of pride. I desperately wanted Adam to see that.

Dad was sitting alone on the porch swing, watching as Adam, Chuck and Matt crowded around the motorcycle. Matt had his tools out and was under the bike fiddling with something while Adam crouched beside him talking and Matt watched with interest. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but the camaraderie between the three was obvious, even from where I stood.

A bank of threatening-looking clouds was rolling in off the sea and the darkness contained within them had me a little worried, it was a forty-five minute ride back to the city and I didn't think it would be as much fun in the rain. The wind picked up as well, whipping escaped tendrils of my ponytail across my face.

Dad patted the cushioned seat beside him and I sat; the groaning creak of the porch swing as familiar a sound as I'd ever heard. Dad slung his arm across the back of the seat and looked down at me. And then he smiled.

"He's a different sort of follow now isn't he?"

"That's an understatement, if I've ever heard one," I laughed loudly. Across the yard Adam's head swivelled at the sound and he winked at me before turning back to the boys.

Dad and I watched the three for a time, listening to the sound of their laughter over the ever-present rhythm of the waves slamming against the base of the bluff. The brisk breeze off the ocean was oddly warm for spring and I realized with a jolt that I'd missed home a lot more than I thought. I sighed happily.

"Think this one will stick around?" Dad asked gruffly, interrupting my thoughts.

I glanced up at the large man whose blue eyes were so like my own. "I hope so," I answered genuinely, a little surprised at the admission. I hadn't really thought about it, hadn't really had time, but that didn't make it less true.

"I hope so too," Dad said with a small grin. And that was the end of that.

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