Catering to Three (2 page)

“Me, too, Alison. I’m glad you came over. I should have stopped by to see you, it’s just this whole process has been a bit overwhelming.”

Julie slipped the manila envelope into the zipper compartment of her suitcase before she wheeled it out to the waiting taxi. She and Alison stood on the curb and watched the driver lift it into the trunk of the cab. Julie gave the older woman a final hug.

“Now that we’re Facebook friends,” Alison said, hugging her back, “we should be able to keep in touch easily. And once you’re settled, we can meet up for lunch either here or in San Francisco or somewhere in between.”

Julie nodded. “That would be nice. I’m counting on it.”

The taxi driver opened the door for her. She didn’t miss his appreciative glance when she folded her long legs into the backseat before he closed it behind her. She unrolled the window to say a final good-bye to Alison, who leaned in through the window and whispered, “I think the taxi driver was giving you the eye. Those twenty pounds you lost were in all the right places.”

Alison had been very supportive of her efforts and had even joined her at the gym a few times. “I’m going to miss you.”

As the cab pulled away, Julie thought back to the morning after Chad had left her to move into an apartment near his office. She had woken up in a panic. Without thinking, she had stripped down for her shower, and for the first time in a long time, she had taken a good look at herself in the mirror. She had been shocked at her own reflection. She wasn’t fat, but she wasn’t slim either.

At first, it had been difficult if not downright impossible to walk away from the goodies she prepared and plated, but within a couple weeks, she became better at saying no. When she lost her first five pounds, she had immediately joined a local gym that Alison had suggested. It fit into her schedule perfectly since it was open early in the morning and late at night.

As the scale became her friend, she began to feel better about herself. The weight loss encouraged her to take a look at other aspects of her appearance. In particular, she felt her long brown hair that she usually wore in a bun was long overdue for a change. With her stylist’s help, she decided on layers and painted blonde highlights. She was more than pleased with the result. Her hair was still long, but the more youthful hairstyle had transformed her from a woman who had looked meek and mousy into a woman that appeared confident and sexy to boot.

Julie watched the cab driver, who was whistling a catchy tune, turn toward the freeway. She hoped and prayed she had made the right decision to leave her old life completely behind her along with her marriage. She knew there were no guarantees, but a feeling of excitement fluttered in the pit of her stomach. She settled back in her seat, her eyes focused straight ahead to a future she hoped would be the fresh start she needed.

“Can you believe it’s been five months since you arrived?” Kelly asked, pulling her curly red hair back into a ponytail she stuffed under a net cap.

Julie smiled. Time had passed quickly since she had landed on Kelly’s doorstep. So quickly in fact, she had little time to think about the life she had left behind in San Diego. Between working with their clients, helping to supervise the renovations on their new store, and finding an apartment, she had been too busy to dwell on the past.

She didn’t regret the divorce that she knew now had been inevitable or leaving San Diego. Now, more than ever, she was convinced the changes she had made in her life were for the best. Even though it still hurt that her marriage had failed, she knew in time she would be able to put it behind her. She promised herself she would do whatever was necessary to ensure their business was a success. She wasn’t about to give into another failure in her life.

Julie turned to Kelly. “I can’t believe it either. I feel like we need more hours in the day. But I’m not complaining. I love it, and I love you for bringing me into your business.”

“It’s your business, too. We’re partners. I knew you might be the only person on the planet that I could do this with. My instincts were right.”

Julie had always known they had a special bond. And yet, it still amazed at how easily everything had come together. It wasn’t like they had to work at getting along or sharing ideas. It just happened without forethought. Whether it was picking out the appliances for the new store, the color of the flooring, or a new recipe, they were in tune with what the other was thinking. On occasion, they had differing opinions, but they always made it work.

Even their customers felt their connection. A few of them thought they were sisters. Not that they looked that much alike, since Kelly was a boney five foot eight with a ruddy complexion that went with her red hair and green eyes. Julie, on the other hand, was a curvy five foot four, with a pale complexion, blue eyes, and blonde hair. It was their friendliness and sense of style, along with how well they handled last-minute details with ease, that made them appear more like siblings than just friends.

“I got a call from a new client late yesterday,” Kelly said while sliding a pan of muffins in the oven, “and I was hoping you wouldn’t mind meeting with her today. She’s the personal assistant to a man named Noah Jamison. He owns his own Internet publishing firm, and he’s having a party at his house. We were recommended by another client.”

“That’s great. I’d love to do it. What time is the meeting?”

“It’s at two o’clock and it’s at his house. Jackie, the woman I spoke to, thought it would be good for you to get a look at the venue. She gave me a brief outline of what they’re looking for. I already made a file.”

“I’ll look it over when I get back from setting up the breakfast order for The Barn. I could let Pamela go herself, but last time, she forgot a few things, and I just want to be sure everything is perfect this time around. Mr. Barnes wasn’t that upset according to his staff, but I don’t like it when that happens.” Julie replaced the muffins Kelly had taken out with two more tins.

“Me either, and Keith Barnes is the one who recommended us to Noah Jamison. Let’s see if we can throw in a few extras for goodwill and as a thank-you for the recommendation,” Kelly said, tasting a spoonful of the new batter she had just mixed. She always taste tested whatever she made, something Julie always did, too. Smiling, she pulled out a new spoon from the drawer that she dipped in the batter and pointed toward Julie.

“So Mr. Barnes recommended us,” Julie said before she was silenced by the spoonful of batter. She nodded her approval. “That’s cool. I liked him the first time I met him. He’s made his exercise club number one in the area, and I heard he’s opening another one across town. More business for us.”

“He’s definitely not hard on the eyes either,” Kelly said with a wink. “I heard the same thing about his business expanding. Word of mouth is our best marketing tool. He loves our new healthy menu.”

That was good news. When Julie had wanted to incorporate her own recipes that catered to those who wanted to eat healthy, Kelly had liked the idea immediately, and an exercise club was the perfect place to try them out.

She had to admit, she had been a little surprised by how quickly The Barn’s clients had taken to her egg-white soufflé and muffins that were less than half the calories of the regular ones and she thought were just as tasty. She had also worked in oatmeal and fruit with a variety of shakes that were not only low-calorie energy boosters but scrumptious, too. She had made sure to label each one with the main ingredients and calorie count.

They now offered the healthy breakfast to all their clients. Some still liked the traditional high-calorie fare, but even they were now giving their guests choices. The one thing she had insisted with the healthier menu was that it not be more expensive. She hated that some caterers felt the need to charge more for food that was better health-wise. Kelly had been skeptical at first until she had proven to her that it didn’t need to cost more if one knew how to shop.

When Julie walked into The Barn later that morning, she was surprised to see Keith Barnes waiting for her instead of a member of his staff. Pamela smiled shyly at the handsome man and began setting up. Julie watched Pamela falling all over herself and knew she needed to keep a close eye on the girl, who could become flustered easily. She was a part-time college student Kelly had hired who also happened to be the daughter of a friend. She was a bit spacey at times, but she never missed her shifts, and she was pleasant to their clients. Julie smiled widely and walked over to where Keith Barnes stood waiting for her.

“Hello, Mr. Barnes.”

“Hello, Julie. I thought I told you to call me Keith.”

He had, but for some reason she felt more comfortable calling him Mr. Barnes. Possibly because she liked to keep her clients in their “client mode” and not become overly familiar since she did work for them, but if she were honest, it was more than just that. He was a very attractive man who wasn’t that much older than herself. His eyes were a startling cobalt blue that complemented his dark hair and warm skin tones. He also wore shirts and shorts that showed off his perfect body and rippling muscles. She knew it was his business to look good, but it was a little disconcerting to say the least. She couldn’t blame Pamela for lighting up at the sight of him, since her own heart had skipped a beat, too.

“I know you told me to call you Keith, but you are a client and I want to be sure my employees always treat you with the respect you deserve. Calling you Mr. Barnes makes it easier to adhere to that philosophy. I hope you don’t mind.”

“I understand, but if we should meet on the street, just the two of us, promise me you’ll call me Keith. You make me feel aged.”

“Promise,” Julie said with a smile.

He gave her a lazy smile that told her he thought she was being silly, but his eyes were telling her so much more as he looked her up and down appreciatively. She swallowed. With the kind of sex appeal he exuded, she wasn’t surprised that the majority of his clients were women. His eyes were magnetic. She looked around for Pamela. She needed to find a way out of this conversation. He was, she now realized, a bit of a flirt, and she wasn’t about to reciprocate with a client no matter how good looking he might be.

“Well, I better go and make sure everything is set up properly. We also added a few extras that are on us, that we hope you all enjoy.”

“Some new recipes that you came up with?”

“Kelly and I came up with them together.”

Julie turned, but, he reached out and touched her arm to stop her. She looked back at him expectantly, trying to quell the tiny shivers that ran up and down her spine.

“Just wondering if you had heard from Noah Jamison? I told him to give you a call.”

Relieved, she said, “As a matter of fact, his assistant called. Kelly told me you had recommended us. I should have mentioned it. I can’t thank you enough.”

“I told him you were the best. I know you won’t disappoint him,” he said silkily.

She knew what he had just said was innocent enough, but the tone of his voice made her blink. She had the distinct impression there was a double meaning behind his words.

“We won’t. I can assure you that Kelly and I will take good care of him.”

“I did tell him that you would be the one handling the party. I hope his assistant made that clear.”

“Kelly took the call, but she did hand the event over to me.” Julie was surprised that Kelly hadn’t told her that she had been asked for specifically.

“He’s a friend of mine as well as a client. We’ve known each other for years. I know he can be a bit of a perfectionist, but he’s a good man. You’ll like him.”

“I’m sure I will. I look forward to meeting him.”

“He’s looking forward to meeting you, too.”

Again Julie felt as if Keith Barnes were speaking to her on a personal level more than a professional one. And again, she told herself to stop reading something into nothing. She was sure flirting just came naturally to a man like him. That aside, she liked his easygoing and likable nature—all of which reinforced why it was always best to keep a client from becoming too familiar. It would be all too easy to fall under the spell of those beautiful blue eyes that continued to look into hers with what she thought was more than a casual interest.

She hoped she hadn’t made a mistake by joining The Barn as a member. It hadn’t occurred to her that she could possibly be putting herself in an awkward situation. She had thought it would be good for business as well as keeping her from slipping back into old habits she had worked so hard to overcome before she moved to San Francisco. She never wanted to wake up and look in the mirror to see the woman she had been. She liked being more energetic and, especially now, having the owner of an exercise club as a client, she liked that her body, although still curvy, was as lean as it had ever been.

Whenever she caught of glimpse of Keith, when she was exercising before or after work, he always smiled and waved to her. He never interrupted her workouts to talk to her, although she wouldn’t have minded if he had. Until today, she hadn’t realized that she subconsciously looked for him. Embarrassed, she realized she had developed a little crush on him. She had no doubt that her fantasy would go no further than her own mind for more reasons than one. Although she had never seen him wearing a wedding ring, she was sure he had more than his share of girlfriends. A man who looked that good wouldn’t have any trouble attracting the opposite sex.