Disclaimer: Not mine – not fair :-(
Summary: When her sister arranges a meal for four at one of Alex's favourite restaurants as a 'thank you' for the surrogacy Alex is less than impressed to find herself landed with a blind date.
A/N: Please be patient with me on this one, it's definitely a WIP, so updates will be slower coming than previously.
Beth McAdam sat in Sal's Restaurant at a table for four with her husband, Sean, his colleague Mitchell 'Mitch' Riley, and her sister Alex Eames. This was supposed to be a pleasant evening out but, for all Beth's good intentions, tonight was turning into a disaster.
The whole idea of this evening was to thank Alex for all she had done for Beth and Sean in the past year. Going through a surrogate pregnancy and giving them their beautiful baby son, Nathan. Beth could tell that, despite trying to hide it, Alex was feeling low after the pregnancy. After talking things over with her mother and other sister, the idea of a dinner for four at one of Alex's favourite restaurants had come up. This would, in Beth's view, serve a double purpose. It would get Alex out of her house and, if Beth could just line up the right date, it would also get Alex back into the dating game which she had avoided since the death of her husband, Joe.
Despite their sister, Louise, trying to tell her just to invite Alex's partner, Bobby Goren, along to make up the numbers Beth had insisted that Alex needed a 'proper' date. So Sean had been asked to find a suitably eligible date from amongst his fellow fire fighters. Mitch had seemed to fit the bill. According to Sean he as polite, honest, reasonably intelligent and had a good sense of humour. He was certainly the physical type Alex had always preferred in the past; reasonably but not overly tall, athletic build, blond hair, blue eyes and nice to look at.
Alex hadn't known about Mitch until she arrived at the restaurant and the look she'd given her sister had told Beth quite clearly that being set up on a blind date was not Alex's idea of a fun evening.
Mitch had started out well enough, standing and greeting Alex, complimenting the outfit she was wearing. Alex had thanked him politely and taken her seat next to him, opposite her sister. Everyone had ordered drinks and spent a while looking at the menu, discussing what looked good and making small talk. Mitch had lost the thread of conversation completely a couple of times when 'family shorthand' came into play and he certainly didn't seem to pick up on most of Alex's snarky remarks. Beth could tell Alex was starting to get frustrated with the entire idea of this evening and gave her sister a pointed look.
'Maybe I should try to give him a chance. Sean must think he's an okay guy.' Alex found herself thinking, as she noticed the looks Beth was shooting at her across the table. She wasn't really sure about Mitch, something felt off.
Beth put down her menu and cleared her throat. "Well I've decided, everyone else ready to order?" she asked. Alex nodded, and the two men agreed they were ready to order their food.
Alex glanced around the restaurant, looking for a waitress, then grinned as she saw a familiar figure approaching their table. She stood up as a man everyone else assumed was a waiter arrived beside her. The tall, extremely handsome Italian wrapped his arms around Alex and planted a kiss on her cheek.
"Good evening Alex. We've missed you." He released his grip on her and motioned for her to resume her seat.
"I've missed you as well, Paul." Alex smiled up at the man. "But Sal's cooking isn't exactly conducive to getting back in shape. Ya know what I mean?"
Paul chuckled. "Si, Cara Mia." He returned Alex's easy smile. "So, who are your friends? And how's the baby?"
Mitch stiffened as the man's affectionate mode of address to his date. Alex was too busy talking to Paul to notice.
"Well, as it happens, these are the proud parents." Alex waved one hand towards Beth and Sean. "My sister, Beth, and her husband, Sean."
Paul shook hands with the couple. "Congratulations. I hear he's a gorgeous little boy."
"Thank you, but how …" Beth never got to finish her question.
"A reliable source informs me the baby is as beautiful as his aunt." Paul said by way of explanation, causing Alex to blush. "And this gentleman is?" Paul looked at Mitch.
"Mitchell Riley, a colleague of Sean's." Alex replied, trying to ignore the look Sean gave her at Paul's comment. "Sorry, I'm being rude. Everyone, this is Paul Santorini, this is his parents' restaurant."
Paul shook hands with Mitch. "Nice meeting you, Mitchell."
"Mitch is fine. Nice to meet you too." Mitch felt slightly uncomfortable at the appraising look Paul gave him and was sure that the Italian's tone was less friendly than when he'd spoken to the other couple. "I take it my date is quite a regular here."
Paul did not miss Alex's irritated look at being referred to in such a manner.
"She certainly is, Mama likes to try and fatten her up on Papa's cooking. We've all missed her visits since the baby was born." He was somewhat pleased to see a slightly jealous expression on Mitch's face at his obvious familiarity with the man's date. Paul returned his attention to Alex, deciding not to mention the fact that a mutual friend, the 'reliable source' behind his comment about the baby, was already seated elsewhere in the restaurant. "Speaking of Mama, I better tell her you're here or she'll never forgive me. See you all later."
Paul turned from the table and called to one of the waitresses. "Maria, come take Alex's order."
As Paul walked away Maria arrived and took their orders, then hurried off to the kitchen. Paul, making his way through the restaurant, was already formulating a plan for the evening. 'This could be just the push those two need. I know the family will play along, now if I can just get the others to co-operate.'
The four of them made small talk for a while, then a small, grey-haired women bustled through the restaurant, greeting diners and enquiring if everything was satisfactory as she approached their table.
Alex stood once more, again exchanging hugs and kisses on the cheek.
"Mia Bambina, so skinny so soon!" the woman tutted, but gave Alex no chance to speak as she turned and walked around to table to Beth. "Congratulations on the birth of your son."
Beth was a little surprised to find herself being hugged. "Thank you, Mrs Santorini."
"Please, Beth, call me Tina." The small woman gave a big smile. "Short for Valentina. Which of these boys is the proud Papa?"
"Sean McAdam, mam, pleased to meet ya." Sean held out a hand, only to find himself enveloped in a hug.
"Tina, you're family to Alex, you're family here too. You call me Tina."
"Valentina Santorini put that boy down and stop embarrassing poor Alex here." A jovial voice teased. The man belonging to the voice had appeared from nowhere but it was obvious from his chef's attire and his resemblance to Paul who he must be. As Tina stepped back he held out a large hand. "You must be Sean. Congratulations on the baby. I'm Salvatore Santorini, welcome to our restaurant."
"Thank you, sir." Sean said, shaking the man's hand.
"It's Sal, son. Like Tina says, you're family here." Sal turned to Beth. "And you must be Beth, Alex's sister."
Beth accepted a kiss on the cheek from the effusive Italian.
"And this boy, he's Alex's date, Mitch, no?" Sal's tone, whilst still friendly, wasn't quite so warm.
Mitch held out his hand. "Sir, Mam." He shook hands with the older couple, neither of whom corrected him about what to call them.
"So, Alex." Sal turned his attention to one of his favourite customers. "You gonna come to dinner next week? If Bobby keeps coming on his own Tina's gonna feed the poor boy to death."
Mitch's ears pricked up at this comment. 'Who is Bobby?' he asked himself, but refrained from enquiring, hoping Alex would choose to explain.
Alex couldn't help smiling at Sal's calling her 40-something partner a 'poor boy'. "Well, when you put it that way, I guess I don't really have a choice, do I?"
"Good answer, Bambina. I gotta get back to the kitchen before Val sets the place on fire. Don't you go without saying goodbye." Sal dropped a kiss on Alex's cheek before vanishing back to the kitchen.
"As if my Valentino would do such a thing!" Tina huffed.
"Tina, you know Sal just likes to tease you. If he didn't trust Val he wouldn't let him anywhere near the kitchen and you know it." Alex chided, earning a soft smile from the older woman.
"Well, you of all people should know how Italian men like to tease." Tina winked at Alex. "Ah, here's Maria, enjoy your meal. Make sure to order dessert, you girls are both too skinny." With a final smile Tina left them as Maria started placing dishes on the table.
Once Maria left them, Mitch spoke. "So you're considered family here?"
Alex nodded, her mouth full of Sal's wonderful creamed mushrooms. Finally swallowing, she spoke. "They've kinda adopted me." Alex chose not to explain that this 'adoption' had come about through her association with her partner, who the Santorini family had known since he was twelve years old and had been in the same class at school as Val, their older son.
"And you know how Italian men like to tease?" Mitch couldn't keep himself from enquiring.
"The Santorini men are renowned for their sense of humour." Alex refused to expand on her comments, keeping them as short as possible, whilst silently adding to herself, 'Not to mention Goren's ability to torment me to within an inch of my patience snapping.'
Beth cringed inwardly, feeling the tension rising off her sister. Hoping to change the subject, and dispel the suddenly chilly atmosphere, she spoke. "So Mitch, Sean said you had an interesting shout yesterday. He wouldn't tell me the details, said you'd tell the story better. So what happened?"
Mitch launched into what should have been an amusing tale about a call to an apartment where they'd found a naked couple in a wardrobe. Alex laughed in all the right places but Beth could tell she was faking it. At least the mood seemed to lighten. Beth breathed an internal sigh of relief as they finished their starters without further incident. They managed to get through their main courses without too much tension, although Beth could tell Alex wasn't really enjoying herself.
Alex excused herself to go to the bathroom when Maria came to clear the table and hand out dessert menus. She stood looking at her reflection in the Ladies' Room mirror and wondered why she hadn't simply turned and walked out the minute she'd seen the stranger sitting at the table with her sister and brother in law. A blind date was the last thing she needed right now.
She wasn't lacking in confidence or opportunities, she simply didn't feel a need to inform her family of every man she chose to date. This led her family to believe she hadn't been dating much at all since Joe's death. True, she hadn't been in a relationship since she'd become a widow over five years ago, and she wasn't the type to go for casual sex, so things in the bedroom department had been at a standstill, but she'd started dating again about a year after Joe's death, had had some dates during her pregnancy and had been out a few times since Nathan's birth but recently the men involved had either turned out to be married and lying about it or complete jerks. Just lately she couldn't seem to connect with any of the guys who asked her out.
Tonight was supposed to be a pleasant evening for all concerned, even if Mitch had come as a bit of a surprise to Alex. Alex hadn't been out with Beth since long before Nathan was born so this was a rare opportunity for the sisters to have a little fun together without worrying about the baby, who was safely tucked into the 'grandkids' room' at their parents' house. Beth had obviously thought it would be nice for Alex to meet someone who, previously, would have been just her type. Unfortunately, Mitch didn't seem to get Alex's snarky sense of humour and had been completely left behind a few times by family in jokes and spoken 'shorthand'.
Alex found the man's conversational style bland, there was definitely something lacking. She found herself oddly disappointed when Mitch's hands remained almost motionless whilst he spoke, no gesticulations, no emphasising a point with a wave of a finger. His words lacked any kind of passion to her ears and the way he told a story, straight from beginning to end without any sidetracking, bored her. Sure she'd laughed in all the right places but couldn't seem to help that in the back of her mind she was waiting for some obscure reference or sudden change of direction to the tale.
When she'd tried to liven things up with a little comment here or there, Mitch had completely missed the entire point of her snarkiness. At one point Sean had been trying not to laugh at Mitch's confusion at his sister-in-law's repartee, whilst Beth had been sniggering behind her hand, whilst they both threw apologetic looks at the unfortunate man.
Alex was still staring at herself in the mirror when Beth joined her in the Ladies' Room.
"What is wrong with you tonight? Give the guy a break, is he really that bad?" Beth looked at her big sister in the mirror.
"Are you telling me you actually find him amusing, Beth?" Alex raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. Not to mention he's your type. I can vouch for the fact he's single, no wife hiding in the closet there!" Beth grinned, encouragingly.
"I know, it's just …" Alex floundered, unsure just what 'it' was.
"Does he remind you of Joe? Is that the problem?"
Alex stared incredulously at her sister.
"I mean … I know he's similar in colouring and build but I didn't think there was much of a resemblance beyond that." Beth continued.
Alex cut her off with a wave of her hand and a brisk shake of her head. "No, that's not it Beth, I had even given that a thought, he's not at all like Joe."
To be honest Alex hadn't even considered whether or not Mitch resembled her late husband but it suddenly struck her that even before her pregnancy, when she'd gone out on a date, it wasn't Joe she was comparing men to, it was her partner. 'Damn,' she thought, 'when did that happen. Okay, Mitch gets a second chance, right now!'
Mentally shaking herself she turned to Beth. "You come in here just to check on me, or what?" she asked pointedly.
At that Beth grinned and excused herself into one of the stalls.
A/N: Alright then – all those who want Bobby to put in an appearance in the next chapter – hands up.