Catering to Love (20 page)

Corey shuffled into the kitchen and noticed Cassie and Jamie. He wasn’t sure who they were. Gabi heard his footsteps and turned.

“Corey, good morning.” She pulled the two women closer. “Guys, this is Corey, my sous-chef. Corey, this is Cassie Benson and Jamie Burke, my very best friends in the entire world. They surprised me with a visit yesterday and spent the night so we could catch up.”

“Nice meeting you.” He nodded, then turned to Gabi. “Is there anything special you want me to work on today?”

She chuckled. “Yeah. The girls and I went to the farmer’s market this morning and bought a slew of vegetables and fruit. I’d like to have a special chicken, maybe… with a fruit salsa and some exotic vegetable dish,” she said in a dramatic voice. “Think you can come up with something?”

“I think I can handle that.”

“Thank you. We’ll be out in the dining room, so I’m leaving you in charge until I come back.”

“Terrific,” he said, his face lighting up with a bright smile.

Jamie practically ran out of the kitchen. “Oh my God,” she said, clutching her chest. “He’s gorgeous.” She giggled like a teenager who was seeing the latest celebrity heartthrob for the first time.

“Yeah, he’s tough on the eyes,” Gabi said with a grin.

“You’re crazy about him. I can see the way you look at him,” Cassie said.

“I am, and I’m falling really hard. And I’m feeling better about it now that you’ve reminded me about how you met Josh. And even though Jamie and Chase didn’t work out, it all started that way. Yeah, I’m viewing this quite differently now.”

“Good,” Cassie said. “It’s about time you allowed your heart to open to the possibility of falling in love.”

Jamie gave Gabi a jab, “Yeah, look who’s giving you the advice about opening your heart? Miss I-have-no-time-for-romance, Cassie Pirelli Benson. You drove your mother nuts.”

“Well,” Cassie groaned. “In hindsight, I realize how foolish that was. But I’m glad I waited because I wouldn’t have met Josh.”

“But you weren’t even sure you wanted to get involved with him,” Jamie reminded her.

“Okay, okay.” She held up her hand. “I admit it. I was a jerk for pushing guys away, but I’m happy now. Does that count?”

“Of course it does. We love Josh.”

Corey quickly backed away from the opened door before being noticed. He hadn’t intended to eavesdrop on their conversation, but he was glad he did. He’d actually wanted to ask Gabi a question, but this conversation was
much better. He could feel his heart racing from hearing Gabi say she was falling for him. It had been a year since Victoria. He shook his head in amazement. He’d vowed he’d never get involved with another woman, and here he was, once again. Gabi did things to his insides every time he was around. Sure, he tried to push her away. He’d even made some pretty sarcastic remarks, but the fact is, no matter how much he told himself it didn’t matter, it did. He was falling for her big time.

Cassie made a face. “We really need to hit the road before the afternoon traffic starts backing up. One more smooch and we’re outta here.”

“I love you guys. You’re like my sisters.”

They nodded in agreement.

“Maybe the three of us will open a restaurant together one day. What do you guys think of that?” Cassie asked.

“I like the sounds of that, but I think by the time I’m ready to sell, I might be too old to go into another business,” Gabi said, grinning. “So then, I guess we visit more often.”

Gabi stood and waved as they pulled out of the parking lot and headed down the road. It’s been said that the arrival and the departure of guests is the best part of a visit. Gabi didn’t feel that way at all. She wiped her tears and headed toward the back door leading into the kitchen.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the microwave and coat the interior of six 6-ounce ramekins. Set aside.

Combine the water and cornstarch in a medium saucepan and blend until completely dissolved. Then add the cherries, sugar, and vanilla to the pan; stir to combine. Place the pan on a burner over medium-high heat, stirring until it simmers for an enchanted moment until you feel the love. Oh, you’re feeling the love all right, but do keep it up. Oh, go ahead, inhale the aroma deeply and allow the warm, fragrant smell of her hair to… What? No, the cherry mixture, you fool! As soon as the sauce thickens, reduce the heat (though you want to turn the heat up on Gabi). Once
you
lower
the heat on the pan, allow it to linger for another 10 minutes while you continue to stir and dream about how much you care. Ten minutes is the perfect amount of time for the cherries and the sauce to fully come together, and for you to simmer—ha! sizzle!—for this woman’s love.

Prepare the topping by adding all the ingredients to a small bowl. Using a fork or your fingers, work the ingredients until the topping is in crumbles. But don’t let your relationship with her crumble by acting up again.

Now divide the fruit mixture between the ramekins. Sprinkle the crumbles over the top of each ramekin evenly. Place the ramekins on a sheet pan and place in a 375-degree oven for 20–25 minutes or until golden brown on top. Remove and serve hot or cold with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. Either way, you can serve it with a cherry on top. Serves 6.

When Gabi walked into the kitchen, Corey could see she’d been crying. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She grinned and waved her hand, brushing it off. “I just get all teary-eyed when I have to say good-bye to my friends. We’re sisters of the heart, and what they think really matters to me, because, quite frankly, they make a lot of sense.”

“What did they think about your ideas for the new menu?”

“They think it’s a good idea—especially Stephanie’s feedback,” she said, tying an apron around her waist. “Are you still planning to help me with the new menu?”

“Absolutely.”

“Good.” Gabi walked to the center of the kitchen. “Hey, guys. Listen up for a minute.” Everyone stopped working and gave her their full attention. “I just want to give you a heads-up about the weeks ahead. As you know, we have a big change coming. As soon as we figure out the new menu, we’re going to need to finalize the dishes, and that’s where you guys come in. I’m going to need help with the testing,
accompaniments, and plating. First, we’ll start by offering two new dishes a week as specials. And I’m putting a deadline on the new dishes to be designed and taste-tested within a three-week time frame.

“This is going to happen twice a year—for one winter menu and one summer menu. Hopefully, next year we’ll have our own garden in the backyard, and we’ll be using our own vegetables—at least a good portion of them—but I also want to make use of the local farmers.

Corey’s voice rose above hers. “Gabi, you’re asking too much.”

Gabi jerked her head back, surprised by his comment. “Nope. I’m not.” She continued by directing her comments to the staff, ignoring Corey. She knew what she had to do, and she wasn’t going to let his old ways creep in. “Tomorrow, I’ll be running an ad announcing the new-menu unveiling the last weekend of June.” She could see the twisted expression on Corey’s face, like he’d just bit into a jalapeño pepper. But she ignored him, despite the slow burn beginning to seethe through her chest. When she ultimately stared him down, letting him know the subject wasn’t up for debate, he backed off and continued what he was doing before the interruption.

“So what do you say?” She scanned the staff to see their reaction.

“It’ll be a lot of work, but I don’t see why we can’t do it,” Joey said. “I really like the idea we’ll be history in the making. Geez, this menu hasn’t been changed since the beginning of time,” he teased, bringing a chuckle from everyone except Corey. Everyone else chimed in with Joey and agreed.

“Do you have someone who can do the layout for the menu and use catchy titles to get the guests attention?” Joey asked.

“I do. I’ve hired a menu designer who will be working with me once the dishes and recipes have been selected.”

“It’s obvious you’ve thought of everything.”

“Boy, I hope so. Okay, I’m done talking. Thanks for committing. If it wasn’t for you guys, I wouldn’t be able to pull this off.”

Gabi walked to the oven and added vegetables to the large pan of bones she was roasting for the stock base. Steven came up beside her.

“I wanted to ask you about a polenta dish I’ve been toying with.”

“Sure. Tell me about it.”

“Well, it’s a creamy fontina cheese polenta. We could serve it as a side, but it’s so good, you can’t stop eating it.”

“Sounds yummy. When do I get to taste it?”

“I’m not sure if I’ve perfected it yet.”

“Bring in your recipe and let me take a look at it.” She patted his arm. “I love it when you guys get your creative juices flowing.”

“I will. Do you think we can try it out tomorrow?”

“Why not?” She closed the oven door and headed back to her station to prep a leg of lamb.

Corey was standing by the edge of her worktable when she returned from her conversation with Steven. “Do you need something?” she asked.

“Can I speak to you in your office?”

She nodded and together they entered her office. Corey shut the door. She gave him an expectant look. “After all we’ve shared, you’re going to pull this crap on me?” she said.

“Oh, stop,” he said. “One thing has nothing to do with the other. I think your expectations are over the top, asking them to get this done in three weeks,” he said. Gabi listened intently without commenting. “Have you ever developed a menu before?” he asked.

She gasped. “Since when did you become Mr. Nice Boss?” she asked. “A couple of weeks ago you were practically ripping Joey’s head off because he didn’t do it your way. As for the menu, yes, I’ve helped develop menus at places where I’ve worked,” shot out of her mouth in an edgy tone. “And yes, I’ve worked at restaurants where my peers and I put in long hours trying out the dishes.” She huffed out a breath. “That’s what loyal employees do for their employers. I’m in panic mode here, Corey,” she cautioned, without giving him a chance to say a word. He opened his mouth to speak and she cut him off again. “If I’ve learned anything from the open house, it’s to listen to guests’ feedback, which has proven the new menu
is
essential. If we don’t do something now, I’m going to lose our customer base. Maintaining the status quo is not an option.” She snickered. “Although something tells me you’d be pleased to see me fail.”

He frowned and just let her ramble on, his arms folded across his chest.

“Well, I’ve got news for you, buster: I’m not a quitter. I succeed at what I do because I find a way to make it happen.”