‘You too,’ she told him. He’d just returned from a few weeks in Italy and the tan looked good on him. He was an attractive man, like his father and brother – tall and dark, grey peppering his hair. Grace wondered, momentarily, whether they looked like any of the other couples who were out for a pleasant dinner that evening. Or perhaps, they might appear like they were on their first date? No – not that. They knew each other too well to look awkward or nervous in each other’s company.

‘The place looks great,’ she said as the waitress returned with some menus.

‘It does, doesn’t it? I hoped you’d like it. And obviously, our chef is the best in the North West. We’re fully booked most nights now,’ he beamed, the pride clear to see on his face. The chef, Steph, was Sean’s daughter and Grace’s closest girlfriend. At twenty-four she was one of the most sought after in the business, having trained at the prestigious Leith’s School of food and wine. Sean and Grace were both ecstatic when she’d agreed to take the head chef position at Antonelli’s.

‘Well, the place is obviously in good hands with you,’ Grace said.

He nodded appreciatively. ‘Can you believe this is our third restaurant, Grace?’

‘No, I can’t. I still remember being sceptical that the first one would work out,’ she laughed.

‘I remember.’ He grinned.

Antonelli’s was the third Italian restaurant the two of them had opened together. All Grace provided was the capital. Sean ran them all and oversaw most of the decisions. As a courtesy, he consulted her on the major ones, but he knew she was more than happy to remain a silent partner.

After Sean had got out of prison six years earlier, he would hang around the pub with Michael and Patrick a lot. But he wasn’t interested in going back to his old life. He’d talk to Grace about his love of cooking and his dream of opening his own restaurant one day. It was him who’d suggested that Grace should start serving food in the pub. He’d said it would attract a whole new kind of clientele, and he’d been right. Grace had given him free rein for twelve months and he’d set up the kitchen and established a basic but tasty menu.

After realizing Sean had significantly undersold his ability to cook and to run a business, Grace had agreed to finance the opening of his first restaurant, Grazia’s, in Liverpool city centre. It remained a well-kept secret between Sean and the Carter family that Grace was his partner, but Sean had proven himself to be an excellent businessman, and like his brother and father before him, a great friend. Together, he and Grace were the respectable faces of Grace’s growing empire.