“I have been,” she said.“I’ve been really lucky, and I’ve gotten great recommendations.”
“But it seems,” he continued, “that you have one particular job open, which would allow me to see how you organize your company up close and personally.Which would be important to me as both a potential vendor and as your tax accountant.”
She nodded, deciding to push the conversation slightly.“I don’t know what you’ve heard, or what you might want to do.But one of the open vendor slots is saved for a caterer I trust.If that’s something you might be interested in.”
This was her host’s turn to nod, as if they were passing the conversational football of a gesture between them.“What you have to understand,” Abe continued, “is that like Max Parker-Roth, I’ve been able to leverage my skills to benefit each other.I don’t have to take on every single tax client who comes knocking at my door, and I don’t have to do every barbecue pop-up or catering job that comes my way.Which means, that if the head of an event planning company is a snobby idiot who publicly bashes the culmination of my wife’s life’s work as a‘television show that is both uncouth and airs way too much of our community’s dirty laundry for the world to see?’I don’t have to ever take a job she offers no matter who it’s for.”
Naomi nodded; there it was.The confirmation Abe wouldn’t cater her cousin’s wedding because of Ida’s involvement, right there and clear in front of her.She always knew Ida was a horrible person; but the very clear evidence that Ida’s careless words had gotten back to Abe, and also Batya?
And the consequences that those careless words caused?Icing on the cake.
Icing on the cake.
“After seeing you in action and getting to know your sister,” Abe continued, stepping into the conversational space in a situation where Naomi didn’t know what to say.“I probably shouldn’t have to ask, but in this day and age you have to make sure.”
“Go ahead,” she said.“Ask me anything.”
“I assume you’re not the kind of person who would treat people and their dreams so callously?”
Naomi shook her head.Vehemently.“Nope.Not at all.People are important; their dreams are important.You can’t go into event planning and be judgy about dreams because both show up in the event you’re planning for them if it’s personal.And if you’re judgy about their event, that makes for a horrible event.”
Abe nodded.“Good.Just had to make sure about the kind of choices you make and would continue to make.”
“Understandable.”Naomi paused.“I want to make sure that my company reflectsmyvalues, not the values of someone who no longer is in business.Acceptance.Love.Joy.Professionalism.”
Abe nodded, and Naomi liked the expression that followed it.
“Good to hear,” Abe continued.“Anyway, I’d like to take a look at your contract.Do you have information about what your cousin may have wanted?”
She pulled out the blue ombré binder, flipped to the food section and removed the typed notes on menus.“I do,” she said, passing over the stapled packet of papers, and a contract from a second folder.“Obviously we’re running short on time, so…”
“Nope,” Abe said cutting off any conversation about altering the menu concepts Judith had initially wanted.“I can call in a few favors,” he said, flipping through a few of the pages.“I can also ask someone here for a favor if he’d be interested?”
As she and Jason had discussed this together the night before, as well as in the car, and when they’d recounted the conversations they’d each had with Liv and Artur, she didn’t have a problem answering.“I think he can be persuaded.”
“Good,” he said with a smile.“I think we have a deal, yes?”
“We do,” she said.“And thank you.”
“Don’t thank me now.I haven’t signed anything yet, and you haven’t seen your taxes,” he said with a laugh.
“The fact that you’re stepping in to help me, and my business, on both levels means a great deal to me,” she said.“You have no idea how much I appreciate it.”
He clapped her on the shoulder.“Continue to treat people well,” he said, “continue to be as lovely to people as I’ve heard you are, and you’ll have no problems.”
Which was a compliment she’d never expected, but very much needed.
And as she listened to Abe describe the process of watching the temperature, Naomi found herself realizing how lucky she was, and how wild the last few days of her life had been.
*
The irony ofbeing left alone in a chef’s kitchen was more than enough for Jason to deal with.
His fingers twitched as he stared at the multi burner stove, the oven that opened top to bottom, and the double-door refrigerator with the craft ice cubes.He dreamed of opening cabinets and pulling out pots and pans, playing with ingredients.The things he could create in this kitchen…
But invading someone else’s space, especially the kitchen of another chef, without permission, was not how he wanted to start a friendship.
Instead, he focused on what was going on: how he was waiting by himself in the kitchen for Batya to return after she’d marched Naomi back to the backyard where the smokers were.
