Page 43 of The Orchard at Rosevale
Kyle hesitated, as if he wanted to say more but didn’t know how Cruz would react. ‘He told me he only ever ordered takeaway because you two didn’t always see eye to eye, and he didn’t want to disturb you at your workplace.’
‘How magnanimous of him.’
‘I know you two didn’t get on, mate, but he was proud of you. He talked about you every time he got back from Melbourne, how he’d had the best feed yet again. Your crispy-skinned salmon was his favourite.’
That salmon was one of the most popular dishes on the menu at Tiles, so Mac hadn’t been lying, trying to make himself out to be a good guy to his farm manager; he’d actually sampled Cruz’s cooking.
Cruz couldn’t believe it. Mac had enjoyed his food. The thought of his father tasting his food but not being man enough to tell Cruz what he thought was classic Mac. Then again, would Cruz have listened if his father had reached out?
There’d been too much bad blood between them, too many years of Mac treating Cruz like a burden rather than a son, not to mention the way Mac had been dismissive of Ferne.
No, he didn’t blame his father for not dining in, for not praising him, but knowing that Mac felt he couldn’t talk to him about his cooking hurt more than Cruz could’ve thought possible.
‘Hey, mate, I didn’t mean to bring you down.’ Kyle slapped him on the back. ‘Let’s talk about more interesting things, like you and El practically running out of the pub last night. Have a good evening?’
‘I did once I left you bozos behind.’
Kyle guffawed. ‘Come on, admit it. You had a good time.’
‘An average parma, stupid trivia questions and reminiscing with a bunch of people who didn’t give a shit about me in high school?’ Cruz snorted. ‘Yeah, I had a ball.’
‘You sound like Mac when you’re sarcastic like that.’
Cruz frowned, not liking being compared to his father, but Kyle didn’t take the hint.
‘Robbo, Thommo and Bindi said it was great to see you. And they loved El.’
Cruz bit back his first response—Only Elora’s friends call her El—because he had no right to say who she socialised with or who she considered friends.
Besides, he’d seen firsthand how the gang had flocked to her last night. Even when Thommo had been giving her a hard time, Elora had held her own. He admired her ability to fit in, something he’d never been able to do. Heck, she even made him smile, and that was no mean feat.
‘You know, if you’re planning on sticking around for the next twelve months, it probably pays to be civil to people. You can’t spend all your time hiding away here, no matter how beautiful the place is.’
To Cruz, Kinstead Avocados had never been beautiful. He had once thought of it as a prison—one he couldn’t wait to escape from. But as he looked across the pristine orchards heavy with fruit, the rolling plains in the distance and the cloudless sky, he had to admit this place held a certain charm.
‘Maybe I’m growing soft now that I’ve turned thirty, but this place is pretty special.’
‘Says the man who can’t wait to offload it.’
He glared at Kyle. ‘My future isn’t here. I’m a chef who wants to own a restaurant one day rather than working for others.’
‘From what you told me yesterday, isn’t that what you plan on doing here, opening your own restaurant?’
‘It’s not the same,’ Cruz muttered, knowing a small, pop-up eatery highlighting the farm’s produce couldn’t compare to the buzz of a bustling, fine-dining restaurant that he wanted to open in Melbourne.
‘Hey, it’s not my place to tell you what to do.’ Kyle held up his hands, backing off. ‘Just pointing out that it’ll be good for you to hang out with the gang more often while you’re here.’
Cruz would rather hang out with El, but with her leaving all too soon, Kyle could be right. Having mates to spread the word about his restaurant would be smart business.
‘Last night wasn’t too bad,’ he said, and Kyle laughed at his begrudging admission.
‘I was hoping you’d say that, because there’s a bush dance this Friday to raise funds for drought relief, and I’ve put your name down on our table.’
‘That’s presumptuous.’ He never danced. Ever. Music was for motivation while whipping up a seven-course degustation menu, not for shuffling his feet to.
‘Guess I assumed you’d want to come, what with El already saying yes.’ Kyle grinned. ‘But, hey, if you’d rather I take your name off our table, I can do it—’
‘I’ll be there, bozo.’ Just because he didn’t dance, didn’t mean he couldn’t watch El move her lithe body to the music. In fact, he was already looking forward to it.
