Cooking for the Rich.

Chapter 45

November brought even more cold weather making it even harder everyday to get out of bed. The Lachlan's kept there house warm so you couldn't always tell but when you look out the window to see frost across the gardens you know it's a cold day. I was hating getting deliveries or anyone using the back door as well as it would bring a rush of cold air into the kitchen. I was already missing the days of sundresses and shorts but as I soaked my fruit cake in more alcohol I was also excited for Christmas's arrival. The Lachlan's were to have Christmas Eve here before heading off to spend the big day in their ski lodge in the alps. Cody had offered for me to go but I wasn't a big one for skiing and I'd rather spend it back at home with my mum. It had been a long time since I'd seen her. We never had that close of a relationship but she was still my mother and we both shared a huge love for Christmas. It was a shame to be missing Cody on our first Christmas together but going to their ski lodge was a family tradition. At the beginning of December the Lachlan's were holding a Christmas party for their employees, something different than I'd been used to planning for them. Every penny had to be accounted for and I had to work out more of a spend per person before sorting out the menu. With all the events that Cody had planned I knew December was looking to be a busy month.

"Mm," Cody appreciated as he ran his hands up my bare legs to settle on my waist.
"And that will be the last day I shave them before Christmas," I laughed stretching my toes as I wiggled my freshly shaven legs. I'd just come from my favourite place in the Lachlan house, Cody's fancy bath.
"You look so hot in my t shirts," Cody said resting his head against my chest. I chuckled as I ran my fingers through his hair, relaxing him. I hadn't brought any pyjamas with me so I'd just thrown on one of Cody's t shirts although it was what I slept in most nights now. They were Cosy and smelt like him which I adored. He didn't really have some cliche manly scent to him. Just the soap and aftershave he used as well a natural smell of himself. It was just something that I was getting used to associating with warmth and home in its own way. I knew I had fallen hard for Cody in such a short amount of time and the look in his eyes as he stared across at me gave me hope that he felt the same. He sat up curving his legs around my cross legged position on his bed.
"I'm so glad we finally managed to book our holiday tonight," he said resting his arms around my waist. I nodded as I rested my head against his chest. I'd finally been able to save up the money to match him in booking a holiday. We were only going to the Canary Islands for a week but I was really excited for it. Apart from a few hours together in the evening our relationship often was around people so it would be nice to get away the two of us.
"I'm glad too," I told him.
"Sun, sea and..," he finished with a wink, making me push him.
"You look good in a bikini though baby," he said with a smirk. I rolled my eyes as he came to lay down beside. I rested my head on his chest as his arms wrapped around me pulling me closer to him.
"Our first proper holiday together," I said with a smile. His hand stopped running itself up and down my arm for just a second before he started again causing me turn my head and look up at him. He just smiled before leaning and grabbing the remote for the television on the side and turning it on. I rolled my eyes at his strange behaviour before complaining as he put on the simpsons again. It was Cody's secret obsession.
"Mias coming back to visit next weekend," Cody said, wrapping my legs in between his.
"That will be nice," I said pulling the covers over us. I didn't feel like going back to my room tonight.
"She's surprising mum and dad," Cody replied.
"She misses them," I replied, I knew over the last few weeks she'd been feeling quite homesick. We messaged every other day and she'd occasionally FaceTime as well. She confided in me as she found that her other friends didn't quite understand why she'd gone back to university and especially to study teaching. In her Christmas break she was going to be busy applying for placements for the next year. I was missing her and Colin too. It was getting quite lonely and a in a way boring having almost the same routine everyday. Seeing the same few people everyday. But I knew I had to be grateful for my job, people would kill to work my hours, to get my benefits and not just the benefit of dating Cody.

Another ding from the iPad alerted me to another item added on to the calendar. Now it was getting closer to December so many different Christmas events were popping up. My schedule was starting to get more and more confusing with the Lachlan's needing early dinners some nights due to canapé evenings or no dinners at all or bigger lunches due to late dinners. I quickly flicked my eyes over the added event for the middle of December before going back to work.
"Afternoon Poppy," Angus said entering and turning on the kettle. Without needing to drive Mia around as well he had a bit more spare time on his hands and would occasionally join me in the kitchen. Sometimes we'd just sit and talk and he'd show me photos of the baby and Stevie would often join us. Sometimes he'd teach me card games and occasionally he would help me prepare some food if the Lachlan's had guests over or help with the washing up. Most of the time he just came in for a coffee and to taste test before being needed again. It wasn't quite the same as having Colin here but Angus was becoming a good friend. There was a fifteen year age gap between us so he wasn't quite as relatable and someone I could confide in but I had Mia and Cody and Colin for that.
"How's the little one?" I asked.
"He was six months just the other day," he said grinning proudly.
"Wow that's so quick," I said realising it's almost the same amount of time that I had been working here. How time flies.
"I know. The wife's getting all excited for our first Christmas together," he said. "I keep telling her to keep it low key but I doubt it." He chuckled with love and admiration in his eyes. I knew he loved and cared about his family and it was nice to see. I didn't really have much of a relationship with my dad. He'd divorced my mother before I'd even started school. He'd moved away and we had no contact since. I wasn't emotionally scared by it. I didn't go to therapy for it and had trust and daddy issues. I was okay with it. I got over it and forgot about him. I was a private person and didn't show my emotions to people but it didn't mean I was just bottling them all up. I'd learnt to release it in working hard. I didn't want anything to do with him and I doubt that he wanted anything to do with me and I wasn't bothered.

"Babe you busy?" Cody asked coming in the door. I turned to face him as I pushed the oven back close after the dinner.
"I have about ten minutes. What's up?" I asked as he fully entered the room striding towards me. His tie hung undone around his neck. His shirt buttons undone to reveal the top of his chest. His hair completely messed up. The stressed look was good on him but I knew the look in his eyes wasn't good. Before I could say anything he wrapped his arms around me pulling me to his chest. I immediately sunk into his touch wrapping my arms back around him. I knew I didn't have to say anything. The meeting hadn't gone well which meant the nights of stressing over it had been wasted and would cause many more nights of stress now they hadn't got it. I reached up to run my hands through his hair to comfort him.
"I fucked it up," he sighed resting his head in the crook of my neck.
"I'm sure it wasn't that bad," I told him. I pulled out of his grasp to jump up on the countertop. Cody stood in between my legs letting me wrap them around him and rest my hands on his shoulders.
"This was meant to be the thing that showed father I could actually do it," he said, the upset in his voice was making me even more gutted for him and I knew there was nothing I could do. I let him just collapse against me letting him let out his frustration, upset and disappointment. Hating to see the man I was so in love with fall apart in front of me. I knew he would be okay after a little while but seeing him in such a fragile state was making my heart ache for him.