Dinner at Vergers de Pommes

Helping herself to a few things on the tasting menu platter as Roldan told her about how things at work were good, Celeste tried a morsel and found it was very delicious. It was a combination she had never tried before and found the flavours worked well together.

"It most certainly can be hard at times. I never thought it would be when I took them in, " Celeste confessed as she cut in two her food and looked at Roldan, "But what they give me back, it's unbelievable, you know." she said. "I feel fortunate actually that they've allowed me to be a part of their lives and the opportunity to love them." she explained.

"And I'd love that, I know Shale needs a male role model, someone he can talk to, and I suspect, that Azure isn't as self-sufficient as he pretends to be," she admitted as she gazed very warmly at Roldan very touched at his offer. Not many men could, or even wanted to date a woman with three kids like her.

"And if you ever need help with Iesha, or she just needs someone to talk to that isn't "dad", I am more than willing," Celeste told him.

"Wow, that is a big question," Celeste laughed as she finished a bite of one of her entree tasters, a glazed venison, maple, she suspected from the light sweetness of it.

"Well, I have a few plans actually, depending on certain things in the future of course,..." she said as she took a sip of her wine and then set the glass down lightly.

"But my main goal is to possibly open an eatery of some sort. I am not sure if I want to do baked goods, a dessert type place or just a restaurant..." she told Roldan. "I have been toying with the idea for a while now, and having kids with such diverse culinary needs made me realise that there aren't too many places where a family like mine can go and enjoy themselves."

"Thank you," Celeste said, very pleased when he told her he thought her idea was a good one.."I love food, especially trying new foods, recreating them and sharing later..." she confessed.

"How about you?" she asked with a teasing grin, "What are your plans for the future?" she stated very curious now to know what he wanted out of life.

"That is impressive, working towards police commissioner..." Celeste stated, her voice trailing as she looked at Roldan thoughtfully, and then smiled. Yes, she could see it, see him as the island's police commissioner. He excluded among other things confidence and strength, determination, and a quiet conviction... all of which she found very sexy in a man.

"I do know," she said as she speared a shrimp piece from another taster she had decided to try. It looked like a seafood medley of some sort. "It's why I became a teacher, in fact, when I bought the house, before I adopted Shale and Ebvion, I was kind of deciding to take the house and turn it into a home for kids to hang out, like a games center, a safe place to be, to stay if they needed it," she confessed, knowing the idea was rather on the grander side of practical.

"With how many brothers, siblings?" Celeste grinned, knowing he had a bevy of siblings. She could only imagine what it was like growing up surrounded by so much family. She envied him that. The Del Bosque's weren't known for big families, and her mother had not been overly maternal and hadn't wanted any more children after Celeste.

Gazing at Roldan, Celeste felt her breath catch slightly in her throat, her heart beating a little faster when she noticed how he was looking at her. His eyes had changed, they were now almost animalistic, a dragon's gaze she realised and lower her own gaze somewhat, needing to compose herself, feeling, perhaps, naked under his intense scrutiny.

"Actually, I'd love dessert." she confessed returning her gaze to his, smiling, enjoying the evening and not in a rush to leave, "They have a french torte I'd love to try, a tarte au sucre... "Celeste stated slipping easily into French.