“So. Let's dive right in. What inspired your dishes?” Kathleen asked.
“Honestly, the pairing wasn't even my idea. Caroline had been working on a line of gin drinks for the bar. She realized that, while some women like it, Scotch is a predominantly male thing. The bar was missing one important demographic, if you know what I mean. I was approached with the idea and I dug in my heels a bit. My thoughts on the front of the house haven't changed all that much.”
At her nod, he went on. “I wasn't sure what to expect but when I sat down to try the drinks, I was blown away. Caroline has an incredibly refined palate. Gin, by itself, is pretty bloody awful in my opinion. It takes a truly great combination of flavors to downplay the somewhat caustic flavor and turn it into something good. She definitely succeeded in that. It made my job easy. She'd already chosen some great flavor profiles to work with.”
“That's a level of modesty we seldom hear from Magnus Corbett,” she commented, eyebrow raised.
Magnus shrugged. “I've been doing this for a long time. It's hard not to buy into the hype when people constantly tell you that you're doing something well. I definitely don't mind giving credit where credit is due, though.”
“The drinks were pretty fantastic,” Kathleen said. “Particularly the gin and thyme sparkler with the spritz of orange in it.”
Grinning, he said, “That was my sole contribution to the drink menu. The spritz of orange. It was an interesting experience for both of us, though. During the trial and error process, she gave helpful feedback on my dishes. The raspberry sauce that paired with the venison is much better than it was, based on her suggestions. It was collaborative, and... we know I don't normally play well with others. I feel as though I learned a bit.”
He had no idea why he was being so chatty this morning. Maybe it was a combination of knowing Kathleen or the way that she kept waving him on as she scribbled notes. It was hard to tell. After all that Caroline had accomplished, he wanted to make sure that the world understood how much a part of this endeavor she really was.
His phone rang, bringing him out of his reverie. Digging it out of his pocket, he saw Caroline's face. He looked apologetically at Kathleen and said, “I'm sorry. I should get this.”
Waving him on again, she continued to scribble.
“Good morning, love,” he answered.
“I missed our interview, didn't I? Why didn't you wake me up?”
“Because you looked so peaceful. I figured the least I could do was to handle the last interview.”
“You're a sweet man, Magnus,” she yawned. “I'm going to make some coffee and wait for you in our bed. Very naked.”
The mental image of her naked paired with the fact that she'd referred to it as their bed had him going rock hard. “I'd be happy to discuss that at length with you once I'm back upstairs.”
“I hope that's secret code for 'you're coming upstairs to fuck me until we both pass out',” she said, her voice hopeful.
“Count on it,” he promised. “I'll be up soon, Caroline. Love you.”
“Love you too,” she said. “Bye.”
He hung up the phone, and turned back to Kathleen, who was watching him openly. “Sorry about that. I'm back now.”
She raised an eyebrow. “It was hard not to overhear. It sounds like there's a collaboration of a more personal nature between you two.”
“Off the record?”
“Of course. This is about the food and drink. I don't do human interest stories.”
“Then yes,” he admitted. “It started with the menu and grew from there.”
She gave him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, and then said, “Just a few more questions and then I'll let you get back to your lady love.”
****
It was nearly an hour later when he finally made it up to his apartment. It had been nice to catch up with Kathleen, but he was glad to be back upstairs. He'd overdosed on the whole 'dealing with people' thing. Caroline probably would have liked her though. Then again, Caroline seemed to be able to find the good in almost everyone. Even a cranky, sometimes self-absorbed chef. And for that, he was truly grateful.
When he walked through the door, Caroline immediately raced over with her phone, wearing a long t-shirt. It wasn't nude. Nor was she in bed. He could work with that though.
“Guess what?” she said, her voice almost a squeal.
“What?” he asked, mimicking her squeal and then laughing.
She raised a middle finger and said, “We had a couple of reviews come in on the new menu!”