Catering to Love
Authors: Carolyn Hughey
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Text copyright © 2013 Carolyn Hughey
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Published by Montlake Romance
P.O. Box 400818
Las Vegas, NV 89140
ISBN-13: 9781477808658
ISBN-10: 1477808655
LCCN: 2013911350
To Bob,
Without you, there is no music,
There is no light,
There are no words.
CONTENTS
Against All Odds Grilled Shrimp with Veggie Fruit Salsa
Running Against the Wind Chocolate Cake
Corey’s Angry Man Spiced Chicken with Cranberry Bourbon Sauce
Corey’s Poker Face Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Gabi’s “This Ain’t No Ticker Tape Parade” Confetti Rice Salad
Corey’s “Burning Like a Ring of Fire” Spicy Seafood Stir-Fry
Gabi’s “Stayin’ Alive” Hot Cross Buns
Gabi’s “Beat It, Buster!” Lemon Soufflé
Corey’s “Haunting Me” Very Cherry Fruit Bars
Gabi’s “Let’s Get This Party Started” Carrot and Apple Salad with Brandied Raisins
Leslie’s Nutty Vibrations Chocolate Soufflé Bread Pudding
Gabi’s “It’s Greek to Me” Stuffed Eggplant
Gabi’s “Outta My Head” Italian Cheesecake Piecrust
Corey’s “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” Cherry Crumble
Corey’s “I Will Survive” Spicy Shrimp Curry
Corey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” Fruited Basmati Pilaf
Corey’s “Fight for This Love” Creamy Champagne Mushroom Soup
Gabi’s “Such a Rush” Homemade Hummus
Gabi’s “Pick-Me-Up” Portuguese Slow Cooker Chicken
“Someone’s in the Kitchen with Gabi” Blueberry Coffee Cake
As the last student headed out the door of the Kitchen Widget, Gabrielle Johnson sucked in a deep breath and blew it out to relieve the tension weighing heavily on her chest. Do it now, before you lose your nerve, she chastised herself. One more release of air and she forced herself to say the words. “Cassie, do you… do you have a minute to chat?” She hadn’t meant to stutter, but the words came out that way. The expression on Cassie’s face as she walked toward Gabi caused her stomach to cramp like she’d been sucker-punched. Cassie must have surmised what was next. Cripes, it was hard to miss when she’d been tripping over her words all day.
“What’s up?” Cassie asked. “You’ve been nervous and jerky all day.”
“I’m leaving,” Gabi blurted out.
“Whoa!” Cassie’s voice rose, then lowered an octave. Frowning, she continued, “I knew something was brewing in that head of yours. I just wasn’t expecting those words.” She pulled two chairs over and gestured for Gabi to sit.
“I know you weren’t, Cass. And I hated saying them. But the truth is, I’m just not feeling fulfilled.” Gabi sighed. “I
feel guilty even vocalizing it. You must think I’m the most ungrateful friend on the planet, especially after you were the only one to save me from my sluggish catering business.”
“Look, I’m not happy about you leaving either, but you don’t owe me anything. You helped me out when Jamie had to leave, after her sister died and she took guardianship of Bailey.” Cassie raised her shoulder in a shrug. “Things happen, and we support each other whenever we can.”
“It’s just that I’m missing the excitement of working in a restaurant kitchen,” Gabi justified.
“I do understand that.” Cassie paused and gave a nod of her head. “Sometimes, I feel the same way. But as the owner, there isn’t much I can do about it.” She twisted her lips to the side. “Besides, this is the best kind of business to raise a family—if I can ever get pregnant.” She opened her eyes wide. A few seconds later, as though reality had hit, Cassie stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. “So which New York restaurant has lured you away from me?”
“None of them.” Gabi gave a slow smile. “Remember when Matt and I spent the long weekend in Pennsylvania?”
“Yeah. And you haven’t wiped that smile off your face since then. I thought you might have had an intimate weekend with Matt, and I didn’t want to know the deets on that.”
Gabi laughed. “Good grief, no! We’ve been friends far too long to be anything more than buds.” She chuckled. “But he did call me last night to say he’s in love with Bethany James. Do you remember her?”
“Yeah,” Cassie said, frowning. “Wasn’t she that scrawny little redhead we’d see hanging out in the high-school library all the time?”
“Yep, that’s the one.”
“I guess that’s good if he wants a brainiac for a girlfriend. But let’s not get sidetracked here. Tell me about Pennsylvania—what has you so fired up?”
Gabi gave her a toothy grin. “What would you say about me buying an inn or a bed-and-breakfast there?”
“Yikes, Gabi.” Cassie jerked her head back. “I’d say it’s a heck of a lot of responsibility. You’ve been out of a restaurant kitchen for over a year. Do you really think you can pick up where you left off and run your own place?”
“I would hope my five years as sous-chef at Logan’s has given me what I need to run a restaurant. I admit I might be a little rusty, but it wouldn’t take long to get back in the groove if I was in and out of a working kitchen every day.”
“That’s a good idea, I guess. Where is it in Pennsylvania?”
“New Hope.”
“Ooh, nice. I remember Mom and Dad taking me there many years ago. I’ve wanted to take Josh there because he’s never been, but with him working so much in New York, it’s difficult to set the time aside.” Cassie put her hands on her hips. “So what has taken you so long to tell me?”
“Well… I didn’t know how.”
“For God’s sake, Gab, we’ve been best friends since high school. How can you even think I’d get mad at you?” Cassie shook her head and sighed. “You, Megan, and I grew up together, and although I don’t get to see Megan as much, if she decided to stop doing the accounting for the Widget, I wouldn’t be mad at her either. Or Jamie for that matter.”
“Well,” Gabi whined. “I was worried because my dad always used to say, ‘Hiring friends or relatives to work for you is a toxic combination,’ and I was afraid you’d write me off if I bailed on you.”
Cassie shook her head from side to side. “You’re silly. Okay, so tell me what you found in New Hope.”
Now that Cassie had made revealing her plans easier than she’d expected, Gabi felt she could concentrate on how she was going to make it all happen. “So, there’s this inn for sale. I didn’t talk to the owner about it yet, but I really want to check it out.”
Cassie nodded. “Tell me about it.”
“Matt and I didn’t have any particular place in mind when we left. We decided we needed a break from New York and all the noise, so we got in the car and just drove. When we came to New Hope, I suggested we rent a room because it was such a lovely, quaint area. So, we drove around for a while and then stopped at a place called Lahaska, a tiny little town with a center called Peddler’s Village, lined with gift shops from one end to the other.” She grinned. “We got out of the car and walked through all the shops, and later, we ate at a restaurant called the Inn at Carters’ Mill. I swear this place was like a trip back in time, with its eighteenth-century decor. I asked the waitress about the place, and she told me the owners were elderly and very anxious to sell. Ever since then, I can’t stop thinking about it.”
“Do you have the money to buy it?” Cassie asked.
“No. I have a little savings, but honestly, I have no idea how I can do it without help from my parents. But if I don’t check it out, I’ll never forgive myself.” Her toothy grin made Cassie smile. “So let me tell you all about it. My guess is the place was originally a residence because of the way the dining rooms are set up.” Gabi’s hand clutched her chest with dramatic flair. “Small and intimate, with two beautiful fieldstone fireplaces and crackling fires burning in each. Just
amazing! I didn’t count the tables, but my guess is maybe about six four-tops and eight two-tops spread throughout the rooms.” She grinned as she stared into the distance.
“Uh-oh, I think somebody’s already hooked on this idea,” Cassie said. “But you need to relax a little. What will you do if your parents can’t lend you the money?”
“Then I’ll go to the bank for a loan, or I’ll see if the owner will float a loan for me. I don’t know. But what I do know is I’m determined enough to make it happen.”
“Okay, okay.” Cassie’s hand went up. “I’m just trying to… well, I don’t want you to be disappointed if you can’t do it.”
“Now, you know me better than that. So hush, and let me finish my dream.”
Cassie giggled and backed off. “Okay.”
Gabi’s wide grin returned. “The place was really magical… and cozy.” Her eyes opened wide with surprise when she remembered something else. “And then there was an outside patio next to a babbling brook that ran across the back of the grounds. The sound of water rushing over the rocks was like a waterfall in the background. That was all it took.” Gabi stopped and stared at Cassie. “So what do you think?”