Read Online Catering to Love by Carolyn Hughey - Free Book Online Page A

been so wonderful during this transition. Saying thank you hardly seems enough.”
    “It’s okay. You know, it isn’t every day you buy a business. I understand how you feel. And I remember our first day here too, as though it was yesterday. It’s just hard to walk away after twenty-some years. That’s all.” Nell’s eyes welled. She turned her head away from Gabi, pretending to busy herselfwith rolling more napkins. “As soon as I finish rolling these napkins, I’ll be on my way. Now don’t you go feeling bad for me. You damn well better be excited, because you just signed your life’s savings away. You’re going to be working your butt off like there’s no tomorrow.” She grinned. “Now scoot on out of here and get to work in that kitchen.”
    Gabi hugged Nell and turned. “Come visit anytime you want.”
    Back in the kitchen, Gabi was ready to meet with her staff and let them know how she planned to move forward. A sudden attack of nerves left her mind blank. Damn, she thought, she’d practiced this speech a million times. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to relieve the tension, worried that even if she did remember, she’d be tongue-tied. It wasn’t until she noticed Leslie’s bright smile of approval that it somehow restored her thoughts, and her confidence came back. As soon as the lunch-hour rush was over, she’d address the staff. She walked around the kitchen and stopped to watch Steven fire up the grill.
    “Morning, Steven!”
    “Congratulations! I thought you’d already closed when you first came here,” he said.
    “Well, we were almost closed, but not quite.”
    Corey was back at his station but never looked her way when she passed by. She simply ignored him and spoke to Joey instead. “Congratulations,” he said with a big grin.
    “Thank you, Joey.” Her cheeks hurt from beaming so much. This was so surreal, she felt as though she was floating on air.
    “Me too, me too,” Leslie chimed in. “We should make a special dessert to celebrate the occasion and let the customers know.”
    “I agree. We’ll eventually have a grand opening, but first I wanted to make sure the closing actually went off without a hitch. We can make a special dessert for tonight’s guests, and then another one for the opening, but I’ll advertise it first so we have a big turnout.”
    “Ooh, that sounds like fun.”
    “We can talk more after the lunch rush,” she said, addressing the group, “so I can tell you all how I plan to move forward in the future. So if you have questions, please hold them until then.”
    “What’s to ask?” Corey said. “You run the joint, and we’re the lowlifes that work for you.”
    Gabi and the rest of the staff stopped cold and stared at him. A host of comebacks were on the tip of her tongue, but she refrained from stooping to his level. She had planned to meet with all of them individually and thought she’d meet with him first, but now that he was being such a prick, she was going to let him wait until the end. Let him stew just a little longer. He was either going to adjust his attitude or he was history.
    “So what kind of dessert did you want to make for tonight, Leslie?” she said, changing the subject. “We have a ton of cherries in the walk-in refrigerator that we should use up.”
    “Okay, I’m going to look through some of the cookbooks and see what I can come up with. How about we call it ‘The Sweet Takeover’?”
    “That’s cute.” She turned to Joey. “I’d like you to come up with a new appetizer for tonight. Let me see your creative side… and no cheating. Find two things that go together for tonight’s dinner.”
    “You’re on.” Joey cocked his head to the side. “Thanks for the opportunity.”
    Gabi grinned and headed toward Steven. “I noticed we have an abundance of scallops. Let’s prepare a creamy sauce like a coquilles St. Jacques. Try something different with the recipe and we’ll decide after a taste