Once Upon a Summertime (27 page)

1

Tia D
'
Amico was sick of pasta.
Not sick of consuming it—no self-respecting member of an Italian family would admit to as much. She was tired of making it. Whether it was fettuccine, tortellini, rigatoni, cannelloni, or even today's special—ravioli filled with spinach, ricotta, and morel mushrooms—she'd grown weary of the process. And that was embarrassing to admit. Especially when she used to love the sweet simplicity of mixing semolina and eggs, then watching the shiny machine do its magic until the dough was just right, followed by the process of rolling, pressing, molding, cutting, drying, and finally serving it up to the restaurant's appreciative guests. Pasta used to make her happy.

“This is not why I went to culinary arts school,” she told her uncle as he carried a crate of seafood into the kitchen. Tony was her father's brother as well as her boss and favorite uncle. Her short-term plan, after graduating, had been to work at his restaurant for a while. Long enough to build up her résumé, and then she'd move on to something bigger and better. Unfortunately, nothing bigger or better had surfaced
in the two years she'd been here. But, to be fair, with all the hours she was putting in D'Amico's Fine Italian Restaurant, she had little time to job hunt—or have a life.

“Why
did
you go to cooking school?” Tony dropped the crate onto the maple butcher block with a loud thud. “You were on your way to becoming a perfectly good chef before you went off to that fancy-dancy school in Seattle. What you didn't know, I was happy to teach you. If you ask me,
mia
cara
, you just wasted a bunch of your papa's hard-earned money on a silly pedigree.”

“It's not a pedigree.” She wrinkled her nose at him as she rolled the cutter across the pasta dough. “I'm not a poodle.”

“Getting generous with your filling there.” He poked a puffy ravioli square. “Trying to make me go broke? Put me out of business?”

“Yeah, right.” She laughed. “Like that's going to happen.” It was no secret that D'Amico's was the most popular restaurant in the small town in northern Washington. Tia's great-grandparents had started it with only eight small tables shortly before World War II. Since that time it had more than quadrupled in size, and when Tony retired next year and his son Marcus took his place, it would become a fourth-generation business.

“Phone for Tia,” Marcus called from the dining room. “It's Aunt Julie on line two.”

“Aunt Julie?” Tony frowned as Tia reached for the kitchen phone. “My baby sister is calling to talk to
you
, not her big brother?”

Tia made a face at her uncle as she greeted her aunt. “Uncle Tony is about to throw a knife at me if you don't at least say hello.”

“Tell big bro hey for me. Tell him I love him. And tell him I called to talk to
you
.”

Tia paused to relay this information. “What's up?”

“Well, Roland's father passed on a couple months ago.”

“Oh, I'm sorry,” Tia told her. “I hadn't heard. Give Roland my love.”

“Thank you. But it's not like we were surprised. Roland's dad was pretty old. He'd enjoyed a good full life. Really, that's not why I'm calling you, Tia. Here's the deal. Roland's dad left us a boat.”

“A boat?” Tia felt puzzled as she used her free hand to run the roller cutter between the ravioli squares. Julie had called to talk about a boat?

“Not just any boat. It's this beautiful luxury yacht. Well, actually it's a luxury yacht in need of some TLC, but that's another subject. The real reason I'm calling you is because Roland has given the yacht to me, and I would like to turn it into a restaurant.”

“A restaurant?” Tia stopped cutting raviolis.

“A very upscale restaurant with sunset dinner cruises and birthday parties and anniversaries and weddings and all sorts of fun events.”

Tia felt her interest rise. “You'd run this floating restaurant in San Francisco? In the bay?”

“That's my plan.”

“Wow, that sounds really fun.”

“I know! I got to thinking I'd need a top-notch chef, and I remembered how you graduated from that culinary school last year. I got to thinking you might be just the ticket.”

“Seriously? You'd consider me for a position like that?”

Tony stopped sorting the shrimp, pausing to scowl at Tia.

“Absolutely. The thing is, I need more than just a chef, Tia. At least to start with. I need someone with youth and ideas and lots of energy. Someone to help me to get things going, to assist me in getting the boat set up as a lovely restaurant. Do you think you'd be interested?”

“Of course!”

“When can you come down here?”

“I don't know.” Tia covered the mouthpiece on the phone. “Julie is offering me a job. She's starting a restaurant. She wants to know when I can start.”

Tony just shook his head in a defeated way. “When does she need you?”

“When do you need me?” Tia asked.

“Is
now
too soon?” Julie giggled. “Tony will kill me.”

Tia looked at Tony. “She says ‘now.'”

Tony rolled his eyes. “My baby sister knows I could never say no to her. Better go home and pack your bags,
mia
cara
.”

“Tony is telling me to go home and pack!” Tia exclaimed.

“Fabulous! Call me back when you get home, and we'll go over the details. I'll start looking for flights. Do you really think you can leave right away?”

“No reason I can't.”

“Great! My goal is to get the restaurant running by midsummer. Roland thinks I'm crazy, but I think it could happen. Anyway, you better let me talk to my big brother before you hang up. I have a feeling I owe him big-time.”

Tia handed the phone to Tony. As she continued to happily cut the raviolis, she listened to her uncle making a huge pretense of grumbling and complaining, acting like Julie was stealing the best cook he'd ever had and it would ruin his business. All of it was baloney, but he seemed to be enjoying
it. And maybe it took leaving a job to get the appreciation you deserved. Tia wasn't even sure she cared right now. The good news was that she was getting out of this little podunk town. She'd only been to San Francisco once before, but she had fallen in love with the unique city on the bay. Life was suddenly good!

“You're still here?” Tony feigned surprise as he hung up the phone. “I thought you'd be on your way to the airport by now.”

“You don't really want me to quit today, do you?” She peered curiously at his gruff, unshaven face. Her uncle was like a lobster—hard and crusty on the outside but a real softy underneath.

He shrugged. “Maybe finish the raviolis first.”

“Seriously? This is my last day?”

“Sure. It sounds like Julie really needs you. Roland is having some health issues, going into early retirement. She thinks this restaurant boat idea is just what they need.” He shook his head. “But I'm guessing it'll sink them.”

“Sink them?” She laid down another sheet of waxed paper and set the freshly cut raviolis on it.

“You remember when I had my boat. Thirty-two-foot beauty, inboard-outboard, cabin that slept six. My big plan was to take it on the Sound during my free time.” He sighed. “Free time—ha!”

“I do remember that boat. It was really nice, but I never got to go out on it.”

“No, it was
not
really nice. It was a hole in the water that I threw money into. I only took that stinking boat out once. The rest of the time it was in the boat shop getting fixed.”

“Oh.”

“They say the two happiest days in a boat owner's life are
one”—he held up a finger—“the day you buy the boat, and two”—he held up a second finger—“the day you sell it.”

“Really?”

“Trust me, I don't make this stuff up.”

“Well, Julie didn't buy her boat—it was a gift. So maybe that's different.”

“She may not have bought the boat, Tia, but she will end up paying for it. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about. I know you're determined to go down there to help her with this crazy plan, but I'm warning you, it could turn into a big fat mess.”

Tia considered this as she continued cutting raviolis. “Are you saying I shouldn't go?”

He closed the freezer door with a loud bang. “No. I think you should go.” He came over to the pasta station with a somewhat sly smile. “It will be a learning experience for you.”

She held the pasta cutter up in the air. “You mean like the school of hard knocks?”

“Maybe a little. But I can tell that Julie really needs you.”

“
You
don't need me?” She frowned at him.

“Of course I need you,
mia
cara
. You are irreplaceable. But it's June and kids are home from college. I've already turned several job hunters away. I can find someone to cover for you.” He winked. “Until you learn your lesson and come back to me.”

She laughed. “You seem awfully sure of yourself.”

“Time will tell.” Tony grabbed her head, planting a kiss on her forehead. “I hope you have a great adventure,
mia
cara
. You deserve it.”

“Thanks.”

“Just don't do anything I wouldn't do.” He winked as he headed for the door.

“For sure!” She laughed as he left, then returned to putting generous dollops of filling on the ravioli dough. She knew D'Amico's would continue on just fine without her, but to her surprise she felt a tiny wave of sadness to think she was leaving. Since she was a little girl she'd always loved this place—the smells, the sounds, the sights—but most of all she had loved the feeling of family and heritage, being a part of something.

Even so, it would be exciting to be part of her aunt's new venture—and to be part of San Francisco too. The change would definitely do her good. As she pressed the top layer of thin dough around the mounds of fillings, her favorite memory of San Francisco started to flash through her mind. She sighed happily as she let it play out like a movie.

It had been her last day of sailing camp, a camp that Julie had insisted she attend, despite Tia's adolescent reluctance. At almost sixteen, she'd felt too old for camp. Fortunately, she'd been wrong. It was no ordinary camp. The campers turned out to be the crew of a forty-foot sailboat. The captain and first mate, a twentysomething couple, taught the teens how to handle the boat, use sailing terminology, and essentially keep things running smoothly for a whole week.

Although most of Tia's time was spent in the galley (they quickly discovered she was a good cook), she was forced out on deck for that last day. It had been a purely magical day. No trace of fog, and just a gentle breeze. The bay was topaz blue and smooth as glass, the sky was azure and cloudless. But best of all was the boy she got partnered with for the day. Leo Parker. Tall and well-built, Leo had sandy blond hair and ocean-blue eyes—and all the girls had been drooling over him for the whole week.

As the day progressed and Leo helped her with the ropes and sails, patiently explaining some of the training she'd missed while cooking down below, Tia had felt a real connection. When the day was over and the boat was docked with their duffle bags all piled on deck, the two of them had stood together in the bow, just looking out over the water and other boats. Totally out of the blue, Leo had leaned over and kissed her. She still got slightly dizzy just thinking of her first kiss. But as quickly as it had come, it was over. Suddenly everyone was grabbing their bags, saying good-bye, and disembarking to go home.

“Tia!” Marcus exclaimed as he burst into the kitchen. “Is it true? You're really leaving us?”

She smiled at her favorite cousin. “Afraid so. Think you can get by without me?”

He frowned. “I doubt it.”

“Sorry, but Aunt Julie needs me just now.” She put the last ravioli on the tray. “But if your dad's right, her project will sink even before it starts, and I'll be back here older and wiser.” She untied her apron, hanging it on the rack by the door.

“Well, have fun anyway. And give Julie my love.” He hugged her and wished her luck, then returned to the dining area. Tia removed the red bandana she'd tied around her hair this morning, got her bag from her locker, and finally gave the large, well-equipped kitchen one long last look before she quietly let herself out the back door. She felt a strange twist of melancholy as she left, but as soon as she stepped out into the summer sunshine, she broke into a dance. Life was waiting for her!

Melody Carlson
is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, including
The Christmas
Pony
,
A Simple Christmas Wish
, and
The Christmas Cat
. Melody recently received a
Romantic Times
Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books. She and her husband live in central Oregon. For more information about Melody, visit her website at
www.melodycarlson.com
.