Alice looked over at her class. All were in their striped aprons tonight, eager and ready to learn to cook. They had been so supportive to her since Sean’s accident, and it was such a huge relief to her that if all went well then Sean was on track to return home next week. She couldn’t wait to have him back here with her.
‘Before we begin, I would like to thank you all for your amazing support over the past few weeks. It has been a difficult time for all of my family, but your messages and texts and lovely flowers and cards were all very much appreciated. Thank you for bearing with me.’ They all gave her a clap, and Alice had to restrain herself from going and hugging each and every one of them.
‘I hope that you have all been doing a bit of practising in the meantime!’
‘I made a brilliant dinner for my boyfriend.’ Lucy grinned.
‘I had a dinner party for six, and the sea bass turned out amazingly well,’ added Emmet. ‘I impressed them all with it.’
‘I managed to cook dinner for my mother-in-law, who is cordon bleu trained, and nothing disastrous happened.’ Kerrie beamed. ‘In fact, Alice, everything turned out perfectly. I still can’t believe it!’
‘I’m glad to hear it!’ Alice laughed, delighted. ‘And hopefully tonight’s dishes will also turn out equally perfect. We are starting with monkfish with a salsa and stuffed red peppers, followed by a French favourite of mine, a delicious cherry tart, for dessert.
‘Now, let’s get started,’ she said as she showed them how to prepare the sweet pastry tart and bake it blind before filling it with the frangipane and topping with the pitted and halved cherries, then baking again before serving. The monkfish was easy and she showed them how simple it was to poach it and then serve it with the salsa and the stuffed peppers.
As they all got on with their preparation and cooking she had to admit to a feeling of achievement at the level of calm and confidence that now permeated her cookery class. Most nerves had disappeared by now, and each member of the group was doing their very best to achieve perfection in serving food that was both enticing and tasty. How would her next group fare? she wondered. She had another ten people beginning next week!
After class Rob, Paul and Gemma sat around eating, and she joined them. She opened a bottle of red wine and they chatted easily as they finished off the evening’s meal. All were in raptures about the cherry tart. Usually she would have had Sean and Dara here, so it was good to have some company.
‘Alice, are you free next week to come to the cinema or for a drink with me?’ Rob asked as he got ready to leave. ‘You know I’ve missed our outings.’
She had been so tied up with hospital visits she’d had no time to see anyone for weeks, but with Sean home in a few days, and her new class starting, she really wouldn’t have time for cinema trips. Sean would need her at home, and that’s where she planned to be.
‘I’m sorry, Rob,’ she said, explaining about Sean. ‘He’s going to need to have his mum around for a while, and to tell the truth I’d be too nervous to leave him.’
She could see the disappointment on Rob’s face, but it was only fair to let him know where her priorities lay for the moment, and not to lead him to expect any more from her.