Catering to Love (17 page)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

This recipe is so good, you’ll find yourself in the kitchen late at night making a batch, even when the staff has cleared out. According to Leslie, cut the bread in bite-size pieces and place them in a large bowl. Add the sour cream and stir, then transfer the contents into the food processor and puree the bread and return it back into the large bowl. Melt the butter and add the cocoa; stir to incorporate. Combine the pureed soggy bread, all the yolks, the sugar, and the nut meal. How fitting! That’s just what this guy is doing to you! Making you nutty. Well, maybe it’s because he’s like… right there all the time. Mix thoroughly, and remind yourself it’s not a good idea to mix business with pleasure. But hey, a kiss is just a kiss. Or is it?

Whip the egg whites and confectioners’ sugar together until they form soft peaks. Now, fold the whites into the chocolate mixture by using a spatula. Be careful not to be too brisk about it, because you will only turn the whites into liquid and ruin the rise of the soufflé-type bread pudding.

Pour the mixture into 12 buttered ramekins and set them inside a roasting pan. Pour water in the roasting pan, making sure not to add water to your ramekins, and bake for 15–20 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Serves 12.

Gabi walked into Cupcakes to meet Stephanie for coffee and found her sitting at one of the tables.

“It’s so good to see you,” Stephanie said.

“You too.” Gabi nodded toward the counter. “What’s the good word?”

“You mean about me hostessing?” She nodded. “The woman who does the scheduling told me because we’re not as busy as last year, I could have the two nights off to work for you.”

“How did you manage that?”

Stephanie chuckled. “I told her she’d be doing me a big favor, and that I needed the money.”

“Phew,” Gabi said. “Thank God. Okay, do you want to celebrate with the special flavor of the day?”

“Here, here.” They placed their order and walked back to the table. “Listen, before I forget to mention this, Trevor saw your ad for a waiter. He’d like to come talk to you about the job.”

“Wonderful! I actually have Dan handling the applicants. Tell Trevor to call the restaurant and set something
up.” Gabi stood when she heard her name being called. She made her way over to the counter and brought their order back to the table. They clicked their mugs and tasted the coffee. “Geez, it feels like forever since we’ve seen each other.”

“For sure. You mentioned that you wanted to run something by me.”

“We have a open house scheduled for next week. Can you make it? We’re charging an entrance fee, and I’m hoping to have a large crowd.”

Stephanie nodded. “I saw the ad, and I’m glad you’re doing this. I have heard some talk around town that they didn’t think it would take so long to develop a new menu.”

Gabi felt her stomach sink. She blew out a breath. The cliché of being a day late and a dollar short came to mind. “Here I am worried about making too many changes, and now you’re telling me there are people complaining? Well, crap! Then I’m glad we’re trying out lots of new things now. As soon as this open house is over, I’ll get that new menu going. If I choose the most popular new dishes from the open house and add more of my own, and hopefully some from the staff, we can advertise the launch of the new menu as our grand opening.
But I wish you’d mentioned this sooner.”

“I’m sorry. I meant to call you, but something always came up, and it slipped my mind. You know how that is.”

Gabi nodded. “Oh yeah, I know. So can you come?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it. I think I’ll bring Trevor with me. I really think you’ve made a huge impression on him. He was just talking about going to culinary school.” She chuckled. “I think he’s got a crush on you, Gab.”

“That’s cute. If I’ve made an impression on him about going to culinary school, then I’m glad. You being hostess will be good training for when he buys his own business.”

“Yeah, right,” she snickered. “Anyway, so your ad was timely. He figured being a waiter would give him a first-hand view to see whether or not it is something he wants. And you know he’s used to hard work, so you won’t have to worry about him being a slacker.”

“I’m not in the least. Bring him. I’d love to get him in earlier this week, though, for an interview with Dan. The sooner I find someone, the better.” Gabi leaned back and sighed, wishing for more hours in the day. “I’m really glad you’re coming. I don’t have many RSVPs yet.”

“You’re kidding yourself if you think they won’t show up.” Stephanie sipped her coffee. “They’ll probably all call at the last minute.”

Gabi’s nervous stomach told her to relax. Tonight, instead of wearing chef’s attire, she wore a simple long dress with a V neckline and long sleeves. She told herself having the open house was no different than catering a wedding. Nevertheless, she was anxious and hoped she would get the results she wanted. She sucked in a deep breath and told Dan to open the doors for several visitors headed directly for the patio.

“Gorgeous setting out here, Gabi. It reminds me of a tropical island with all the flowery plants and potted palm trees,” one guest remarked. “It’s a welcome sight after the winter we’ve just had.”

She placed her hand on his arm. “Thank you. I was hoping to get everyone thinking about the warmer weather. This patio is my favorite spot, too.” She walked them over to the makeshift bar set up by the babbling brook so she could offer them a glass of wine. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to welcome our other guests. Thank you for coming, and have a wonderful time. We have some terrific offerings tonight from our very talented staff.”

Making her way back inside, she sensed someone was watching her. She turned to look and found Corey raking his eyes over her. The expression on his face made her stomach do a flip-flop and sent her pulse on a triathlon. She gave him a dose of his own medicine and winked at him. She thought he blushed.

Stephanie spotted her and pulled her aside. “I told you they’d come,” she said, gesturing toward the crowd. “I’ve heard an awful lot of complimentary things tonight. A few even suggested you might consider getting someone to play the piano on the weekends during dinner.”

“I hadn’t thought about a piano player. That’s a good idea. Do you know of anyone… reasonable?”

“As a matter of fact, I do know of someone who plays. His name is William,” she said, handing her his business card.

Gabi chuckled. “You’re so good with this stuff.”

“Thank you. But I knew you’d ask, so I went to see him.”

“But I don’t have a piano, and I don’t have the money right now to buy one or the space for a full-size one.”

“He brings his keyboard with him.”

Gabi jerked her head back in surprise. “That’s even better! By the way, did Trevor get a chance to talk to Dan again tonight?”

“I saw them talking, but I don’t know what happened.” Stephanie stopped talking and frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well, I have a feeling I’m going to be out of a job soon.”

“Oh no. What happened?”

“I’m hearing that the motel has changed ownership. I haven’t been there that long. You know that old saying about last in, first out?”

Gabi nodded in agreement. “Does that mean you’ll be moving?”

“No. I thought I would be, but we just got word my dad isn’t doing well physically, and Mom can’t take care of him, so I can’t move. My brothers need to take care of the farm, and I need to take care of everything else.”

“Oh, Stephanie, I’m so sorry.” Gabi gave her a sympathetic pout.

“Thank you,” she said, raising her hand dismissively. “We all do what we have to do.”

“Yes, we do.” The chatter in the room increased. “Let’s talk a little later, okay? I need to circulate and talk to more guests.”

“Absolutely,” Stephanie said, and began chatting with someone she knew.

“Good job, Gab,” Corey said after everyone left. “Your idea worked.” He wished he could hold her in his arms to congratulate her, but he wasn’t quite sure where they stood. Sure, the two of them were having a flirtation marathon, but he couldn’t be sure it meant anything to her. He thought she might have liked it, but then she seemed to shut down the idea.

“I thought everyone enjoyed themselves, and I heard some pretty nice remarks,” he continued. “I don’t think I heard any complaints… well except for that heavy-set woman in the brown outfit. She didn’t like the soufflé bread pudding.” He chuckled and watched Gabi jerk her head back in surprise. “Maybe she was having a bad day or doesn’t like chocolate,” he said.

“I can’t imagine anyone not liking chocolate,” Gabi said.

“Me neither. It’s weird, I know.” He began to walk toward his station. “Oh, and you know that couple who moved here a couple of months ago?” He could see she was trying to remember. “They were the people who complained about Brian’s service, remember?”

“Oh, right. What about them?” she groaned.

“They went bonkers over the display of food we had in the chafing dishes. And they asked me to pass along that Brian took care of them the last time they were in, and they felt it was a big improvement over their first visit. They said it seemed as though he’d gone for training.” He released a low chuckle. “You’re knockin’ ’em dead.”

Gabi breathed with relief. “It’s an incredible feeling to know what I’ve been doing is working. Thank you for telling me. Did you tell Dan and Brian?”

“I did. They were happy.” He winked at her. “By the way, I meant to tell you how gorgeous you look tonight.” He released a wolf whistle. “Sophistication at its best, and very New York chic.”

Her eyes opened wide with surprise, and the heat of a blush made her cheeks rosy. “Thank you. I actually miss dressing up.”

“I can see why.” His voice took on a dreamy tone.

“You can?”

“Uh-huh.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but she didn’t say or do anything except to stare. She swallowed hard. “Thanks for noticing.”

He nodded. “I notice a helluva lot.”

“You do?” He gave another nod. “Like what?” she said, apparently egging him on.

“Like, how beautiful you are,” he said, rubbing the back of his finger over her cheek. She blushed again. “I notice a lot more than you know.” It was obvious she was feeling something because she took three deep breaths.

“Stephanie talked to a lot of her friends who were here tonight,” she said, changing the subject.

“Can we discuss this tomorrow?”

“Okay.”

“Do you want to dance?” he asked.

She laughed. “We don’t have any music.”

“Yes, we do,” he said, and pulled out his cell phone. With a few sweeps of his touch screen, soft music billowed through the air. He took her hand and led her out to the patio, where an amber glow flickered from the torches illuminating the fieldstone patio.

“I thought you snuffed the torches out.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“I think you know why. We’ve been dancing around this issue for a few weeks now, and I don’t want to hide my feelings anymore.” She sighed when he pulled her into his arms and began swaying to the music. She didn’t resist. She melted into him.

“Should we be—”

Her words were cut short when he held her chin up to his lips and kissed her tenderly. “Gabi, I’m really starting to fall for you.” A chill skittered down his spine. He felt so free because for the first time in a year, he was finally over Victoria.

Gabi locked the door behind her and released a deep sigh. Had this evening really happened? Now that he’d actually kissed her, what would happen tomorrow? Would he act as though nothing happened? She blocked it from her mind.
She didn’t want to ruin the glow she was feeling. Not now. Right now, she was falling in love with Corey Edwards. She slipped out of her dress and hung it in her closet, then headed to the bathroom to wash her face, all the while humming the last song they’d danced to. A flutter flickered in her stomach when she relived his tender kiss and strong embrace. Seeing her reflection in the mirror, she touched her lips and all she could say was, “Wow.” She slipped into her nightgown and heaved a deep sigh, knowing no matter how hard she tried, this would be another sleepless night. Only this time, it wouldn’t be just a dream. He’d really kissed her.