Catering to Love (24 page)

Soak the beans in plenty of water overnight to rehydrate them. Yeah, rehydrating after a wine-filled date like you just had with Corey is probably a good thing. In the morning, rinse the beans 4 or 5 times. Add them to a saucepan. Cover with plenty of fresh water and cook on stovetop for 90 minutes or until they’re cooked throughout. Drain and reserve liquid.

Crush the 5 garlic cloves and add to the bowl of a food processor, and don’t worry about the kissing factor. Just make sure he eats it too. Add the beans and puree with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the lemon zest. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula and add the sesame seed paste, peanut butter, and lemon juice. Process until white and coarsely pureed. Add 1/2 cup water and the olive oil. Process until completely smooth. Reminds you of the new Corey, doesn’t it? As my parents used to say “smooth and groovy.” Who knew? Okay, back to the recipe. If the puree is too thick, thin to desired consistency with reserved chickpea liquid. Adjust the seasoning with salt and more lemon juice. Serve sprinkled with paprika and parsley and drizzled with more oil, if desired. Makes 6 cups.

“Good morning,” Corey said, when she walked into the kitchen.

“What are you doing up so early?” she asked.

“I could ask you the same question.”

“Well, I’m too excited about—” She didn’t finish her sentence, but he did.

“About us?” She nodded nervously.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” He cupped her face. “Talk to me.”

“I’m worried that last night was just a fling to you. I don’t want us—” A knot rose in her throat, “I’m not a—” and before the next words were out of her mouth, he’d pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Delicious swirls danced in her stomach.

“What do you think?” he whispered in her ear.

“I’m relieved to hear you’re not playing with my heart.”

He brushed the hair away from her face and gave her a peck on the lips. “Silly girl.” He gently rocked her back and forth, and then held her at arm’s length.

“Are you hungry?”

“Actually, I’m starved.”

“Then let’s make something to eat. How about I make the coffee and you can make us breakfast?”

“Excellent idea.”

Gabi swallowed the last bite of food and refilled both of their cups with fresh coffee just as Leslie walked into the kitchen. Hearing them in the dining room, Leslie entered and stood smiling at the two of them. “How’d the menu preparation go yesterday?”

“Good,” Corey said. “We made great progress.” He turned to Gabi, “Don’t you think so, Gab?”

“Yes, we did. We still have a few more days of prep work to do.” She turned to Corey. “Since it doesn’t appear we’ll be too busy today, maybe we can get some more time in.”

“Sure.”

Leslie stood silent observing them. “Something is different about the two of you today,” she said, squinting her eyes as she surveyed them. “What’s going on?”

Gabi could feel the heat rising up her neck. Was it that obvious? She jerked her head back. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.” She feigned ignorance.

“You’re both glowing. That’s all.” Leslie grinned and walked back into the kitchen, humming a song.

Gabi raised her shoulders with excitement. “What do you think we should do about that?” she asked him.

“I think I should kiss you.” He leaned over to kiss her again.

Gabi covered her mouth like a teenager and giggled, glancing toward the door, worried Leslie might have seen them. “Ohmigod. Leslie probably saw us,” she whispered.

“She didn’t. I was paying attention.” Corey stood and grabbed the plates to clean the table off. “I need to prep for tonight’s dinner, and as soon as I’m done with that, we can go back to developing recipes, if you want.”

“Okay. I also want to talk to you later about some decisions I’ve made. It would take a load off my mind to have them done.” She checked the clock. “Hey, why don’t we have the crew do the prep work for both stations?”

“Why not? Should I give them the assignment or do you want to?”

“No, you can.” Gabi began to hum—once he’d gotten rid of the baggage weighing him down, he was like a baby chick breaking out of his eggshell. She glanced at him walking out of the room and smiled. The way she felt right now, she knew she could accomplish anything.

Corey returned to the dining room and studied her for an intense moment. “You know, I was just thinking about us, and I’m convinced we have the makings of a beautiful relationship.” His finger caressed her cheek. “I‘m losing a lot of sleep over you, you know,” he said softly, before brushing his lips over hers again, “but it’s okay.”

“Me too,” she grinned and let her mind wander back to their date, the warmth of her memories pooling in her stomach. She swallowed hard, trying to force herself to focus on the task at hand. She had plenty of time to fall in love after the menu was finished. She pulled away. “Did you turn on the ovens and fire up the grill?”

“Oops,” Corey said, “I forgot. I think we both have our heads in the clouds.” He shook his head and smiled. “I’ll be right back.”

“Good. I’ll get the cookbooks and set us up in the dining room.” Gabi headed for her office. She had been meaning to check her loan agreement with the Carters. Despite her attempts to focus, she couldn’t get Corey out of her mind, and she found herself daydreaming about the two of them. She shook her head and tried to inject some sense into her thinking while pulling open the filing cabinet drawer, then removed the file. Placing it down on the desk, she pushed the cookbooks aside and picked up the agreement, and was leafing through the pages when Corey walked into her office unannounced. She jumped and, without realizing it, she shoved the agreement into the closest thing near her.

“What’s the holdup?” he asked.

“I need to check something. Can you take the books out and get us set up?” she asked.

“Sure.” He picked up the stack and walked out.

Gabi sighed like a teenager and allowed her mind to drift again for a few minutes, then caught herself and slapped the desktop. She needed to get to work and stop the dreamy teenage crush she was feeling. There was too much work to be done, and walking around with her head in the clouds wasn’t going to accomplish anything. Gabi haphazardly reached for the agreement when she realized it wasn’t there. Where’d she put it? Her hands leafed through the pile on her desk. She couldn’t find it. A feeling of panic sheathed over her. “Oh crap,” she whispered. Had she shoved it into one of the cookbooks that she’d just given to Corey? She tried to calm down. Being in a panic wasn’t going to help
her find it. She braced her head in her hand and prayed she hadn’t been so stupid. That would ruin everything between them. A staggering feeling of anxiety ripped through her, and she darted out of her office, through the kitchen, and into the dining room. If Corey saw the agreement, he’d know that Nell Carter had agreed to hold her loan. That wouldn’t sit too well with him, and rightfully so.

When she entered the dining room, Corey was already working. He looked up and smiled tenderly. She quietly released a relieved breath of air, convinced if he had seen it, he wouldn’t be smiling quite so broadly. She erased the thought from her mind, figuring it was somewhere on her desk. Had the infatuation she was feeling clouded her mind? She’d been known to misplace things when she was harried. She exhaled the air from her lungs. Regardless, she was going to search through the cookbooks as soon as she sat down. Corey had spread the books out across the center of the table. Eyeing a piece of white paper sticking out the side of one of the books escalated her heart rate. She nonchalantly pulled the paper out and was disappointed it was a recipe she’d stuffed in the book a while ago.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “You seem a little edgy all of a sudden.”

“No. I’m fine. I just have a lot on my plate, and I’m anxious to get this new menu done and out of the way so we can start testing the recipes this weekend.”

He patted her hand. “Relax. We’ll get it all done. Things are going to be fine.”

She didn’t know why, but the tone of his voice seemed to calm her down. He gave her comfort. Maybe it was because
she didn’t feel so alone. She released a deep breath and sat down to finish the recipe she’d started yesterday.

Three hours later and she was groaning from fatigue. She stretched her arms overhead and sighed. “I think that just about does it.” She looked over the proposed menu. “What do you think?” she asked.

“I think it going to be a wonderful menu.” He yawned. “Oh, excuse me. Hey, what do you say about an extra steak on the grill tonight after we close, and later relax by the fire?”

“That sounds like a terrific idea, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to stay awake. I’m really exhausted.”

“Yeah, me too. Okay, let’s play it by ear and see how we feel later.” He glanced at the clock. “Hey, we’d better get in the kitchen. We have an hour before the rush starts.”

“Where did the day go?” she quipped. “Okay, you go ahead and I’ll be right there.”

“I can carry the books back into your office,” he offered.

“Nah. That’s okay. I can do it. It’s more important for you to be in the kitchen right now.”

“Okay. If you’re sure?”

“I’m sure.” She pointed to the door. “Go.”

He pulled her into a darkened corner and kissed her. “Have I told you how beautiful you are?”

“Have I told you I’ll never get tired of hearing you say that?”

“No, tell me.”

“Later. Get to work.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He grinned as he turned and headed out of the room.

Dan, Brian, and Trevor walked into the room and pulled out a clean linen tablecloth from the closet to reset the table they’d used.

“How are you guys today?” Gabi asked.

Dan snickered. “We think you’re doing better than us.”

“Oh, really, why is that?”

Dan tilted his head to the side and grinned. Apparently, the word was out. Gabi blushed, grabbed the books off the chair where they’d placed them, and left the room posthaste.

Seconds later, she walked out into the kitchen just as Dan called out an order. “Fire up two Dover soles, a shrimp scampi, and a yellow-fin tuna,” he said and clipped his chit.

“VIP in the house,” Brian announced, rushing into the kitchen.

“Who’s the VIP?” Gabi asked.

“I think he’s a local food critic.” Brian touched his forehead with his fingers in thought. “And I think his name is Jonah… Jonathan Frankel… Franks…”

“Jonathan Franks,” Corey interrupted. “He’s from the
Gazette
, and he’s a hard-nosed SOB when it comes to reviews.”

“Where is he sitting, Brian?” she asked.

“He’s sitting at table ten.”

“Thanks. What are they having?”

Dan returned to the kitchen, “I need a beet and goat cheese salad on the fly.”

“Who’s in a hurry?”

“The guy at table two. Mr. McAvoy. He’s been busting my chops from the time he walked into the restaurant.”

“Okay, I’ll get right on that,” Gabi said, and continued to talk to Brian. “Brian, you never answered me,” she said, as she made her way over to her station. “What is everyone at the VIPs table having for dinner?”

“I don’t know yet. They wanted me to give them salads first, before they decided. They’re hungry.”

“Okay, let’s give them an amuse-bouche. Would you get me the sundried tomatoes we roasted earlier and some goat cheese?”

Joey rushed toward the walk-in.

“Brian, as soon as Joey gets those ready, you take them out and tell them I sent them. When you have their order, let me have it so I can prepare the dishes, and I’ll deliver them so I can introduce myself.”

“No!” Corey’s voice boomed and startled everyone in the kitchen. “They want to be incognito so they can give you a fair assessment of the food.”

“First of all, they’re not incognito to anyone in the industry, and secondly, I know how to handle this,” Gabi said. She saw a scowl form on his face that seemed to fester. The tension in the kitchen suddenly intensified, and so did the pounding of her heart.

“Pick up,” Corey yelled. “Let’s get these dishes out there, Dan.”

“Hey,” Dan said, “I’m dancing as fast as I can.”

“Where’s Trevor?” Gabi asked.

“He’s filling the water and delivering the bread baskets.”

“Okay, go tell him to come in here. He’ll be our runner tonight. Ask Stephanie to come in here too.

“Will do. As soon as I finish delivering these dishes.” Dan shot Corey a look and walked out with the plates.

Suddenly Corey released a symphony of expletives. “Leslie, something’s burning in the oven.”

“I didn’t put anything in the oven,” she retaliated in kind.

“It doesn’t matter if you did or not. If you see smoke pouring out of the sides of the oven, you remove it, dammit!” He was fuming. “You mean to tell me you can’t smell that?”

Leslie turned around and pulled the oven door down. A waft of billowy smoke poured out. Removing the towel from her waist, she grabbed the handle and pulled the pan from the oven. “It’s your stuff, Corey. You left the steak in there.”

“Wonderful! Just freakin’ wonderful.” He threw the spatula down and walked over. “Like I said, Missy, it doesn’t matter who put it in the oven. You’re standing right there, get it out! You got that?”