Catering to Three (3 page)

Pamela completed the setup under Julie’s watchful eye. She was confident everything was at it should be before she glanced around to see if Keith were still in the area. Unfortunately, he was nowhere to be seen. Hiding her disappointment, she walked over to the front desk and told the girl on duty she was leaving and to call if they needed anything else.

Within a half hour she was back in Kelly’s kitchen, where Kelly was preparing sandwiches for the boxed lunches.

“Glad to see you’re back. I could use some help. The orders need to be on the van before eleven thirty.”

“I’ll mix up the tuna fish.” Julie had customized the recipe with her homemade relish. It gave it a creative kick along with a sprinkling of cranberries. Their customers now requested it more than the chicken salad that had always been a favorite.

“How’d everything go?”

“It went well. I spoke with Keith Barnes, and he mentioned my meeting this afternoon with Noah Jamison.”

“Did he? Glad we put in a few extras.”

“Me, too. I got the impression this could be a real big deal.” Julie was baffled that Kelly had still not mentioned Noah Jamison wanted her to be the point person for his party. It wasn’t like Kelly to keep that kind of information to herself, especially since Julie had told her she felt she wasn’t bringing in new clients as fast as she thought she should. “Are you sure you don’t want to handle this one or at least come along?”

“No. You’re more than capable, and I’ve got a lot to do this afternoon including meeting with the contractor. I really can’t wait for the store to be done. Although I love my kitchen, we need more room desperately. I’m going to see if there’s any way they can be done a few weeks early.”

“Good luck with that.”

Julie watched Kelly wash her hands before she began making the wraps along with Pamela. They had three other employees who would be arriving in the next few minutes. With so many orders to fill, she knew they would be bumping into one another. Kelly was right to want the new store to be completed sooner than later.

Kelly had a lot on her mind with the new store and keeping up with their clients that were a direct result of Kelly’s contacts. Julie was being too sensitive. When Kelly thought of it, she was sure she would tell her that Noah Jamison’s assistant had asked for her.

The next couple hours went by quickly with little time for talking as they worked as a team to prepare the boxed lunches. When the van was finally loaded, she breathed a sigh of relief. She wanted to do a little Internet research on Noah Jamison. She also wanted to change into something more elegant than her normal uniform of black pants with a lavender golf shirt. Before the meeting, she stopped by her apartment and found a dark-blue dress that hugged her figure but was professional and not too revealing. She slipped into a pair of matching heels and let her hair down, giving it a fluff. With a spritz of perfume and some cherry lip gloss, she felt she was ready to sell the business to what she hoped would be their new client.

Although Noah Jamison was the client, she doubted he would be at this meeting. It was his assistant, Jackie, after all, who had called. She was sure meetings like this were handled by his staff, but Keith had said Noah Jamison was looking forward to meeting her. She felt a sudden rush of nerves. It was important to represent herself and her company in the most positive way possible. If she failed to get the job, it could mean that Keith Barnes might not continue be so impressed with her either.

Julie slowed down in front of the private gate to the address she had been given for Noah Jamison’s house and pushed the speaker button. A camera moved in her direction.

“Julie Larson for Jackie Winston.”

The gates opened magically, and she drove her car up the driveway of the Pacific Heights address until she came to a magnificent four-story sandstone mansion that overlooked San Francisco Bay. It was enough to take her breath away. From an art history course she had taken in college, she recognized the dramatic architecture as Italian Renaissance. There was even a fountain in the middle of the semicircular driveway leading up to the front doors that were flanked by tall, intricately designed pillars. She couldn’t help but speculate that the Internet publishing business must be doing very well. She was more than just a little impressed by the opulence of the man’s home.

She left her car in the driveway and walked up to the steps to the arched doorway where she rang the doorbell. Almost immediately, an older woman, dressed casually in white lightweight flowing pants and a sleeveless lavender tunic, opened the door. Julie knew immediately she had made the right decision to change clothes.

“You must be Miss Larson. Please come in. I’m Jackie Winston, Mr. Jamison’s personal assistant.”

Julie took the woman’s extended hand and then walked into a high-ceilinged foyer with a large chandelier at its center. The floor was Italian marble and the furniture French provincial. It was pretty much what she expected. Noah Jamison was filthy rich.

“Come with me, please.” Jackie walked ahead of her past a large staircase and down a hallway. She stopped before an ornately decorated wooden door that was closed Jackie knocked and then opened it, holding it for Julie.

“Mr. Jamison, Miss Larson is here.”

“Thank you, Jackie.”

Jackie shut the door quietly, leaving Julie standing just inside. Her eyes were drawn to the overwhelming amount of books that decorated the floor-to-ceiling bookcases before her gaze came to rest on the man sitting behind an old-fashioned desk that held several computer screens. She felt her knees go weak. Noah Jamison reminded her of a young Robert Redford. Thick, blond, wavy hair cut long topped a face that stopped her in her tracks. Light-blue eyes, framed with long dark lashes any woman would have given her soul for, looked up into hers.

She continued to stare at the perfection of the man. A Grecian nose with flaring nostrils led to a mouth that was now smiling at her, revealing even white teeth. His skin wasn’t pale, but he wasn’t overly tanned like many men and women who lived in the area. Startled, she realized he was speaking to her.

“Miss Larson.” He rose to his feet. “I believe Keith told me your first name is Julie. Is it okay if I call you Julie?”

“Of course,” Julie said, forcing herself to stop staring and at least walk toward him with her hand extended. “You work from home. How nice.”

He walked around his desk and took her hand in his. “Not normally, unless like today I have a meeting here. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard a lot of good things about you.”

“Thank you,” she breathed. “It’s always good when a client recommends us. I’ve enjoyed working with Mr. Barnes.”

“And he you.” He smiled. “Please, before we sit down to discuss the particulars of the party, I would like to show you the house and the grounds so you have an idea of what you’ll be working with.”

Julie was anxious to see the house. Did this mean she was already hired? If that were the case, Keith Barnes must have given their company a glowing recommendation.

Noah Jamison walked toward the door she had just entered and opened it for her. Once they were in the hallway, he lightly cupped her elbow to guide her down the hall into the kitchen. It was huge. Kelly would be so jealous. It was even bigger than the one in their new store. She couldn’t believe how it sparkled like it had never been used before. An abundance of gray granite counters and large stainless steel appliances, including two stoves and a huge double-wide refrigerator, made her head reel. This was a caterer’s dream come true. There was nothing she couldn’t do in a kitchen like this.

“You like it?”

“Like it, it’s fabulous,” she gushed. “I mean, who wouldn’t love a kitchen like this? It will be easy to work in here.”

“I’m glad it meets with your approval. I’m hardly ever in here.” He laughed before he said, “You probably won’t find the rest of the house nearly as impressive.”

“I doubt that, but since the nature of my business keeps me in the kitchen, I can see why you might think that.” She found herself laughing, too. He was very easy to talk to when she wasn’t being overwhelmed by his good looks.

The tour continued through the house until they reached the formal dining room. It, too, was impressive. However, it was the ballroom with a wall of windowed French doors that made her head spin. It was larger and more elegant than what she had seen in most hotels. When he opened the doors, she was greeted by a beautiful garden and a spectacular view of the San Francisco Bay.

They walked down a path through the garden leading to an Olympic-size pool. He held out a wrought-iron chair for her. He sat down across from her, laying his suit jacket over a nearby chair. He loosened his tie. Julie watched his every move, mesmerized. She caught herself, hoping her mouth hadn’t been gaping. Slightly embarrassed, she looked out toward the Bay.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” she said, shielding her eyes from the sun. “It’s beautiful.”

“I like beautiful things, and luckily I’m in a position to be able to acquire them.”

When she looked back at Noah Jamison, she thought for a moment he was staring at her like she in line to be one of those possessions. However, in the next breath, he was all business.

“This is going to be more than just a dinner, Julie. It’s really an all-day conference beginning with breakfast. I’m going to be holding workshops throughout the day. Dinner will be here in the garden and afterward there will be dancing. We’ll also have drinks beforehand. So, I’m going to need your services from early morning until the wee hours of the next morning. I hope that won’t be a problem for you since I expect that you’ll be here to supervise every detail.”

“Goodness, no,” Julie said quickly. “I would imagine you’ll have breaks during the workshops that you’ll want catered, too.”

“Absolutely. The people I’m inviting are agents and writers for the most part. I want this to be an event they’ll remember. I can handle the business side, but I’m counting on you to cater to their palates with sophisticated but delicious food that will have them begging for more.”

“Exactly the type of event that we excel at,” Julie lied. She had never catered an event like this, and she was pretty sure that Kelly hadn’t either. However, she didn’t want Noah Jamison to know that. If she pulled this off, and she would pull it off, it would take their business to a whole new level. Boxed lunches and breakfasts would be child’s play.

“That’s what I want to hear. Now let’s go back inside. It’s a little warm out here. I just wanted you to have a chance to enjoy the view. I’m anxious to hear what you have in store for my guests.”

Julie’s mind was working so fast, she didn’t realize he had stopped in front of his study door. Her body, still moving forward, bumped into his hard chest. She backed up, embarrassed and a little shaken. “So sorry.”

He smiled. “Your mind is elsewhere. As long as you’re thinking about me, it’s not a problem.”

For a moment she was tongue-tied. Recovering quickly, she said, “You’re right. My mind is going a million miles a minute with ideas, but I know you have your own ideas, too. I want to make sure you get exactly what you want.”

“Rest assured, Julie. That won’t be a problem. I always get exactly what I want.”

Noah Jamison had a way of saying things that put her on edge. She knew she was going to have to overcome her nerves and quickly. There was no room for anything less than her total concentration on the business of making his party a success. Noah Jamison, the man, was off-limits, and she wasn’t going to let herself lose sight of that, no matter how unsettling those beautiful blue eyes were when they looked into hers.

The rest of the afternoon she talked and he listened and vice versa. She bounced a number of ideas off him that she was happy to say he seemed to like. She knew she was biting off more than she could chew, but she couldn’t stop herself. She found herself wanting to please him more than she had ever wanted to please anyone. When it came to talking dollars and cents, she knew she needed to speak with Kelly. She couldn’t price this on her own. She needed time, and luckily he understood.

“I’ll develop a proposal with an estimate that I can e-mail to you or fax if you like.”

“E-mail’s fine.” He pulled out his business card.

She did the same. She was going to leave him with some of their menus but thought better of it. What he wanted far exceeded what was on their current menus. She was going to need to come up with something totally new and a helluva lot more sophisticated than what they normally served their clients.

“Once you’ve approved our proposal, will I be working directly with your assistant?”

“You’re my assistant where this is concerned. You report directly to me. We will work very closely on this. I’m a hands-on man when it comes to something this important to me. I know you might find that strange since I have a staff of very capable people, but it’s how I do things, and so far it’s worked for me.”

“I have no doubt that it has. You’re obviously very successful.”

“I know what I want, and I want you, Julie Larson”—he stopped for a second to look directly into her eyes, holding her gaze—“to work your magic and make this exactly what I envision it will become, a reflection of my success. That’s why I must insist you oversee everything and not just the catering.”