her hands together and out aloud she said, “I love it! Beautiful things and beautiful food!”
Rob, always the analytical thinker, turned to Sam. “Okay, what are you imagining? To be honest mate, we thought that it would take some time for you to come up with something, so we probably haven’t discussed exactly what it is you want.”
It was not hard to catch some of Sam’s enthusiasm. His brown eyes shone, his hands were animated and the excitement and emotion for his trade poured out. “Right well, I know it sounds ambitious to have something this big, but I’ve listened to you saying, ‘best to crawl before you walk’, so I don’t think I will start with evenings until I get established and even then I think I will only do special occasions, functions and the like.” He spoke quickly. “My plan is to open early in the morning and do fabulous breakfasts and lunches. I want it to be a place where you can come and have a coffee and something to eat and read the newspaper, or buy a gift, or take home something already prepared, or meet friends for lunch and purchase something for your home. I don’t want it to just be a cafe or a restaurant; I want it to be an experience. You know, I think a mix of modern and traditional. I want a fabulous, modern, open kitchen, where I can see everyone and they can see me and my staff, and I want people to have food that gives them raptures, using the absolute freshest, seasonal produce.”
“Well you sound like you have been giving this heaps of thought,” Chilli said, liking what she heard.
“You sound like your mother!” Rob commented dryly.
Sam laughed. “I want a blackboard menu, where we are inspired everyday by what is fresh, so we constantly change people’s experiences. I want to serve mouth-watering desserts, so that people find it impossible to choose just one. Tarte tatins with seasonal fruits, toffee glazed coffee custard eclairs, gateau au chocolate with a chocolate mousse filling, desserts that scream comfort.
“And I want to have totally different breakfast ideas. Probably my version of a bircher muesli, and also a huge bowl of stewed fruit with organic yogurt and bush honey and prunes stuffed with mascarpone. And lunches tapas style, with a good soup in winter and different salads every day. Fantastic combinations like beetroot and walnut salad; chicken, celery heart and tarragon. Or witlof, pear, blue cheese and hazelnut, and even a couple of warm salads. Perhaps saffron mussels, pipis and prawns with rouill or white beans and duck confit. You know the type of things I like!”
Both of his parents nodded their heads in agreement. Sam wandered around imagining, as he continued on with mouth-watering excitement. “We must have great coffee, dark syrupy espressos, milky breakfast bowls of cafe lattes, and tiny, bite size sweets to have with it. Great cheeses too!” He paused for a minute and then added, “And I am hoping to do take home style meals and even take home canapés.”
Rob waved his hands at him. “Slow down mate! What happened to crawling first?” He patted his son on the back. “Listen, I’m pleased you’re this excited, but we need to do a business plan first. Let’s do our homework.” He nodded his head. “Personally, I think you may be on to a good thing.” Turning to Chilli he asked, “What are your thoughts Chill?”
She had been quietly taking it all in. Her mind was buzzing a million miles an hour. A business with her son!
“To be honest, I think going back into business scares me a little, particularly with the hours we would have to open.” Chilli narrowed her eyes. “Are you thinking seven days a week?”
Sam sat down at the table opposite her. “I was, but the beauty of us doing this together is that we would always have staff on board and you can call the shots for whatever hours you want. I know any business needs a huge amount of work, I’m just saying that you could make it as big or as small as you’d like. I’ll be happy with whatever you want Mum. I know for me it will be huge hours, but as you say Dad, I am young and this is the time for me to do it.”
Rob scratched his head. “I seem to have been saying a lot of things. To be honest mate, I didn’t think you had been listening.” He caught Chilli’s eye. The pride they felt for Sam at that moment was reflected on each of their faces. For the first time they realised Sam had been like a sponge, absorbing every little thing they had said. Chilli’s strict regime of always eating dinner as a family and discussing their day had obviously paid off. Rob continued, “Now, I seem to remember you mentioning Miranda?”
Leaning forward, Sam put his hands on the table. “What do you think about somewhere you could buy fresh flowers as well? Working at her mother’s florist was meant to be for pocket money but Miranda’s found she really loves the creative side of things. She also wants to put her business and marketing degrees into action and has some sensational ideas. I can’t do justice to it, so I’ll let her explain it to you. It would be another business inside of this business.” He looked between his parents, thoughtfully touching his upper lip with his index finger.
His parents exchanged a glance. Then Chilli spoke, “Darling...” she paused to gather her thoughts. “I know you two have been together for a couple of years, but having a business together is a whole other thing for a couple so young.”
“Right, so what you are saying is,” Sam glanced between his parents again, “What if we break up? We thought you might ask that and we want, actually, I want you to know, I don’t think that is going to happen. Mum, I think she is the one.”
Although not exactly surprised, Chilli raised her eyebrows at his honesty, but Sam continued on. “We want to go on this adventure together. We will cross any disasters when and if they happen. We can’t not attempt something because of the what ifs.”
Rob tried his best at a bit of smoothing over. “That’s all well and good and romantic mate, but that is not how businesses are run. You have to have a good business plan that takes into account every party here. Maybe Miranda could lease her space and operate that way. Give me a bit of time to think about it.”
A cheery voice from the doorway startled them. “That’s exactly what my mother just said.”
Miranda walked in and stood beside Sam’s chair. She kissed him on the forehead and ran her fingers through his hair.
“Sounds like both of our parents are thinking along the same lines Sammy.” Standing behind him, Miranda reached forward and put her hands down onto Sam’s chest. His hands grasped hers and then he kissed one of them.
Once again, Chilli and Rob shared a meaningful glance. And then Rob tried to explain, “Miranda, I wasn’t attempting to be cynical or disrespectful.”
“I know you weren’t Rob. I’ve already said to Sam that I knew you would work it out perfectly for us and I would be very happy whichever way it went. You haven’t been in business all these years for nothing, and we need every bit of advice you can give us. I just see both of us achieving this wonderful dream together, with the help of you and Chilli. Isn’t that right Sammy?” Miranda looked at Sam as if the whole world started and finished right there. At that moment Chilli looked at Miranda and fell in love with her as well.
Miranda had been a delight to them from the moment Sam had first brought her home. If they could have handpicked a girlfriend for Sam, Miranda would have been it. She possessed the most beautiful qualities inside and out. She wasn’t tall but had a curvy little figure and long, dark, wavy hair. Sometimes in the middle of talking to them, she would absentmindedly pile her hair up on top of her head and secure it with some obscure thing like a chopstick or a pen, making her look simply amazing. She had a beautiful, dreamy face, but underneath was a sharply intelligent mind. She always had a special knack of looking at the happy side of things and seeing beauty in everything.
