Page 2 of Over and Above
“Good.” Magnus winked at me, and I needed another gulp of tequila. Yep, this had been a bad, bad decision, yet it would be rude to leave before the food arrived. Luckily, Magnus was busy for a bit with a patron at the far end of the bar and then speaking with one of his servers, leaving me to my tequila and brooding. Though my thoughts were dark and cloudy enough that I was almost grateful when Magnus returned to place three little plates in front of me.
“Congrats, you get to try three of our new small plates.” Magnus gestured with a flourish as he also set down another flute of tequila. “You’re looking at smashed potatoes with local cheese and chives, stuffed artichoke with house-made lemon-garlic aioli, and steak bites with a burgundy reduction. I’ve paired them with a reposado tequila to complement. Enjoy.”
“I will say your food here is always top-notch.” I went right for the potatoes with their crisp edges and fluffy centers to soak up some of the first shot before I even thought about sipping the new drink. “Do you come up with the menu yourself?”
“Some.” Magnus’s tone was humble, but The Heist had a growing following among locals and tourist foodies. Since opening, the place had gained a reputation as a welcoming, inclusive space, but recently, its additions to the thriving Mount Hope food scene kept diners returning. “I’ve got a pretty good kitchen crew, finally, and I like letting them experiment, bring me fresh ideas. Other dishes, like the steak tips, are inspired by past travels. I drew flavors from a dish I had in Dijon, France.”
“It’s amazing.” The meat was meltingly tender with a dark sauce rich with wine and onions with a hint of brightness. I took a small sip of the new tequila, letting it warm the back of my throat. Magnus undoubtedly had more important things to do than chat with me, and letting him drift away again would be the smarter move. But my mouth opened anyway. “Maren said Diesel spent part of the year after graduation backpacking through Europe?”
“Yep. He’s got the travel bug like me.” There was that fatherly pride again, an emotion I recognized well, even if I would have been a nervous wreck sending an eighteen-year-old off to find his way through another continent.
“I’ve never been outside of the West Coast.” Why that admission sprang from my throat, I had no clue. It wasn’t something I ever dwelled on. I’d been as far south as Arizona and as north as Seattle, all for practical travel reasons, but Magnus’s obvious gusto for travel gave me pause.
“Well, I’m glad I can bring you a taste of France then.” Magnus offered another of those impish smiles. “And you’re about to have an empty nest. Maybe you can travel more then?”
“Maybe.” I frowned, taking a minute to sample the artichoke, which was spicy enough to be something I couldn’t get away with serving the kids or Montgomery, but addictive, like my favorite guilty-pleasure sweet-chili chips. “John still has another year of high school. He’s hoping for a football scholarship. Wren will be a freshman, but they’re looking at some early-college STEM programs that would replace the last part of high school.”
“Smart kids. And see, you’ll have the house to yourself in no time?—”
I gestured with my fork to cut off that happy thought. “Don’t remind me.”
“And you’ll have your roommates.” Magnus switched to a soothing tone. Likely, the gossip about how my roommates kept pairing up and moving on hadn’t reached him yet, and it wasn’t a topic I wanted to bring up. Tonight was for escape, not deep thoughts. Magnus leaned forward against the bar. “But you could get out. Travel. Come on, what’s one place on your bucket list?”
I took another slow sip of tequila. If I wanted an escape, it wouldn’t hurt to indulge the question, let myself remember for a second who I’d been before Montgomery and the adoptions of the kids. “It’s silly, but I’ve always wanted to visit an island. Like Hawaii or maybe Tahiti if I get crazy.”
“Get crazy,” Magnus urged. His deep, husky voice could tempt even the straightest of dudes, which I most definitely was not. “Dream big.”
“Okay.” For the first time, I grinned back. I liked this game. Not that I was ever traveling to any of these places, but it was fun to dream for a second about leaving Oregon with only a passport and a carry-on. “Thailand might be cool. I love Thai food, and I hear the street-food culture there is amazing.”
“It is.” Magnus gave an erotic moan. “If you like fried chicken, you’d die for the Hat Yai.And I found the most amazing teeny coconut pancakes I’m still trying to duplicate twenty years later.”
“Wow.” I smiled at his obvious joy, then shook my head. “But I shouldn’t even think like that. I’ll likely be paying college bills forever.”
“Nah. Pinch some pennies.” Magnus shrugged like world travel was simply that easy. “Make room for you.”
He met my gaze, hazel eyes more intense than ever. And for the first time, I looked back. Like reallylooked.The air in the bar shifted, a crisp, cool wind whipping through, or maybe that was simply the sizzle racing up my spine. I glanced away, searching the nearly empty dining room for any convenient distraction as Magnus cleared the small plates.
“The food was really good.” I reached for my wallet. Leaving would be the best idea. “Thank you.”
“You’ll stay for dessert.” His stern tone didn’t leave much room for argument, especially when the server arrived with a small, round flan drizzled with an amber sauce and centered on a square plate. And naturally, Magnus had a third flute of tequila ready to go as well.
“Another tequila?” I decided not to argue with the dessert because I wasn’t used to taking orders and because it looked divine.
“The extra añejo goes with the salted caramel flan. That’s a new menu item, so you’re doing me a solid by testing it out.”
“Uh-huh.” I didn’t buy that reasoning for a minute, but I couldn’t resist taking a taste. “Wow. Yes. That’s good.”
“Any feedback for the chef?” Magnus bent closer to the bar top like my answer actually mattered.
“More of that flaky salt,” I said slowly. Honestly, I was hard-pressed to find constructive criticism on the wonderfully creamy, rich dessert. “The salt tastes expensive, but it’s the perfect complement to the dark caramel.”
“You’ve got a good palate.”
“Nah.” I shrugged off the praise. “I’m small-town Oregon through and through.”
“Doesn’t mean you can’t have an adventurous…appetite.” Magnus made the wordappetitesound downright filthy. My skin heated, and I occupied myself with my dessert and tequila while Magnus drifted away to speak with a server wiping down tables. Another was stacking chairs. How was it closing time already?
My chest was pleasantly warm and my head was heavy. I had a definite buzz, but I wasn’t drunk. I fished out my wallet again, summoning one of the servers since Magnus didn’t seem inclined to take my money.
