"Yes, wine would be nice. Thank you," Derek said, taking the menu. "What kind of wine do you like?"
"Wine? Oh, anything is fine."
"Have you studied it in your classes?"
"We've discussed it in cooking, but not drinking."
"But, you do drink wine, because you can have whatever you want to drink instead of the wine."
"Yes, I drink wine. Not often, but I do like a nice glass of wine every once in a while." She knew this night would turn out this way. Even though Becky said they both came from the same small town, they most definitely did not come from the same place.
The wine steward came with the wine list and Derek studied it intently. "I believe we will have a bottle of Chardonnay."
"Very good choice, sir," the steward said taking the menu back and leaving to fetch the wine.
Jenny and Derek looked over the menu trying to decide on what to order. She couldn't believe the prices. Obviously, going to culinary school, she knew how over-priced the items were at the high priced restaurants, but she always assumed she would be on the other side of the wall in places like this. She was more at home in the kitchen than the dining room.
"Do you know what you want?" Derek asked.
"I'm not sure. I'm thinking of getting something that I have a problem with at school to see how it should look and taste here."
"That's a good idea. If you see two things, let me know and I'll order the other and we can share."
She continued to gaze at the menu when the waiter came up with the bottle of wine. He poured some into a small tasting glass for Derek to sample.
"That's perfect," Derek said. The waiter then poured each of them a glass, setting the bottle in a bucket next to the table.
"Are you ready to order?" he asked.
"Jenny, if you're ready, you can go first."
"I'll take a side salad with Ranch dressing, the Seared Pretzel Crusted Diver Scallops with steamed vegetables and butternut squash puree and mango raspberry glaze."
The waiter then looked at Derek.
"Is there something in particular that I should order?" Derek asked Jenny.
"No, order whatever you want."
He looked to the waiter, "I'll have the same salad and the Filet Mignon, medium well with a baked potato and butter."
"Excellent choices," the waiter said, taking their menus and then he left to deliver their orders.
"This is really nice. Do you eat here often?" she asked, and then remembered the newspaper pictures of Derek and Colleen leaving the restaurant.
"I eat here every once in a while, when I'm in town."
They sat is silence. Jenny felt she should ask him something. Maybe about work? He asked me about school, I should ask him about work. But, what do I ask? I don't know anything about what he does. "What do you do at work?" she blurted out.
His eyes widened in surprise. "What do you mean?"
"I....ah....I mean what do you do all day at work? I'm not familiar with your job." she finally managed to get out.
"Well, I own the company and we manufacture computer circuit boards. My job is actually pretty boring. I do paperwork all day, going over inventory, approving purchase orders, reviewing budgets, things like that."
"It doesn't sound boring. It sounds like a lot of responsibility."
"It is, but I have managers that also check what I do. If I make a mistake or if they don't agree with me, they will let me know."
"That's good."
"That is good. I think your job would be much more difficult than mine."
"Yeah? How so?" she asked.
"When you prepare meals for your customers, everything has to be perfect the first time. If my company makes an error on a computer board, we can replace it. That would be hard to do with a dinner."
She laughed. "You're right. It would be hard for me to replace a whole dinner."
The waiter brought their salads and sat the plates in front of them.
"This looks marvelous. Thank you," she said to the server.
After he walked away, Derek looked at her. "You truly care about people."
"What?" she said, after her first bite.
"I noticed how you took care of your servers at my dinner party, making sure they were going to be paid a decent amount that night. You were so kind in how you treated them too. Not yelling or saying anything if they made a mistake. You've done the same with our waiter tonight. You've treated him well."
"They're people just like us, except they don't make a decent wage. So many times, customers take their frustrations out on the people that are going above and beyond to make sure their dining is as pleasurable as possible," she said. "But, you were always nice that night to my friends that helped me, and tonight you have been very kind to the servers. I like that."
"Well, well, well, who have we here?" Wesley Forbes approached the table with Cynthia Snow on his arm.
"Wes, hello." Derek stood up and shook Wes' hand. "Cynthia, you look lovely this evening."
"Thank you," she replied, glancing down at Jenny.
"Wes, Cynthia, this is Jenny Marshall. Jenny, meet Wes Forbes and Cynthia Snow."
"Hi, Jenny. We've met, remember?"
"Yes, I do. It's nice seeing you again," she said.
"What are you two doing here? I would have thought you would be working tonight, Cynthia," Derek said.
"I am. Wesley stopped by the station to take me out for dinner before the news starts." She reached over and placed her hand on Wes' arm.
"Would you two like to join us? We just ordered," Derek asked.
Wes looked at Cynthia and she nodded in agreement. "Sure, why not," he said. Holding the chair for Cynthia, they both sat down.
Derek signaled to the waiter who brought two glasses and two menus. Jenny was somewhat relieved that they were joining them for dinner, hoping that would help with the conversation.
Wes and Cynthia ordered their food and the waiter poured them each a glass of wine.
"The wine is wonderful, Derek. Excellent choice," Cynthia said, then turned to Jenny. "So, Jenny, what do you do for a living?"
"I'm a, a..."
"She's a student at the Culinary School here in Cincinnati," Derek said.
"I see," Cynthia said.
Jenny felt embarrassed.
"Cynthia is a news anchor here in town," Derek told Jenny.
"Yes, I've seen you on the news. You're very good."
"Thank you. Gentlemen, if you don't mind, I need to powder my nose. Jenny would you like to come?" Cynthia asked.
She really didn't want to leave the table, but was curious what Cynthia wanted. "Yes, I think that's a good idea. If you'll excuse me."
The men stood as the ladies left the table for the restroom. As soon as they rounded the corner, Cynthia stopped. "Where have I seen you before?"
"I don't know." Jenny moved past her.
Cynthia followed her as they entered the restroom. "You know Derek is seeing someone else."
"He was seeing someone else. He's seeing me now." Jenny checked herself in the mirror. She was not going to let Cynthia get the upper-hand on her.
"She's a friend of mine."
"That's nice." Jenny reapplied her lipstick.
"You're after his money, aren't you? A student like you must be in debt up to your ears. You want him so he can pay off your debts."
Jenny had heard enough and turned to Cynthia. "I’ll have you to know that I am not in debt at all with my education. I work and I pay for my tuition myself. I am not after his money, unlike you and Mr. Forbes."
"What?"
"You hang on his arm because of his status, not yours. You may be on TV every night, but face it, you don't have the money that Wesley Forbes has and you like being wined and dined and seen with him in the newspaper. You're blind if you don't know that he's a playboy and will never settle with just one woman." Jenny turned back and began washing her hands.
"Listen, sweetie," Cynthia said, but stopped when someone en
tered the restroom.
"See you back at the table." Jenny left the restroom.
Derek and Wes stood when she reached the table, Cynthia followed.
"Did you ladies have a nice conversation?" Wes asked.
"You know, there's only so much you can discuss in a restroom," Jenny said.
The men laughed. Jenny looked over at Derek and saw him wink at her.
The waiter then brought the food and even though Cynthia and Jenny did not speak another word to each other the rest of the night, Jenny enjoyed the company at the table.
"Wes, we had better go, or I will be late for the news," Cynthia said after they finished their after dinner coffee.
"You're right. If I can get the attention of the waiter, I'll get our check," Wes said.
"No, no. This is my treat tonight," Derek said.
"For times sake, I'll take you up on that, but next time the meal's on me." Wes rose and held Cynthia's chair as she got up.
"It was nice to see you again, Jenny," Wes said.
"You, too. It was nice to meet you too, Cynthia."
Cynthia forced a smile and as soon as Wes helped her on with her coat, she walked away.
Wes watched her leave. "I guess she's in a hurry. I'll call you this week, Derek. Maybe we can play some racquetball." Wes said as he hurried after Cynthia.
Derek turned to Jenny. "What happened when you and Cynthia went to the restroom?"
"Nothing. Why?"
"After you both returned, neither of you said a word to each other the rest of the evening."
"We really have nothing in common, so there wasn't much to talk about. You know, the weather, shades of lipstick, that's about all."
"If you're finished, we should probably go too."
"Oh yes, I'm done."
Derek motioned for the waiter, who came right over. "Yes, sir. Will there be anything else?"
"No, thank you. Just the check please."
The waiter placed a small leather folder on the table next to Derek and waited. Derek looked at the check and put his platinum credit card inside the folder and handed it back to the waiter, who left to process the card.
"Would you like to stop by a coffee shop before we leave town?"
"That would be nice."
The waiter returned and handed Derek the leather folder again. He looked it over, entered a tip, and signed the receipt.
"Thank you, sir. Enjoy your evening."
Derek held Jenny's chair as she stood. She felt like a princess. They walked outside and he gave the valet his ticket and waited for his car to be brought up.
"It's kind of cool tonight, isn't it?" she said.
"I'm so sorry. We should have waited inside for my car. I wasn't even thinking. Would you like my coat?"
"No, I'm fine. I was just making conversation." She laughed and he joined in and took her hand into his.
"Your hands are freezing and with your dress, your legs must be too."
Before she could say anything, the valet stopped Derek's car in front of them. He opened the door for Jenny and gave the valet a tip when he took the keys.
Inside the car, Derek opened the glove compartment and handed Jenny a pair of leather driving gloves. "They're probably a little big, but they're fur-lined and should warm your hands up quickly."
"Real fur?" she gasped.
"No, not real, faux fur, but you can't tell the difference."
"I wouldn't know the difference, I've never felt real fur and I'm not sure I would like wearing animal fur."
"You wear leather, don't you?"
"Well, yes, but that's from cows and cows are butchered for meat, so I consider that a little different."
Derek pulled out into the traffic. "How does Starbucks sound for coffee?"
"That sounds great."
They arrived quickly with the coffee shop being just a few blocks away. Once they had their coffee, they took a table near the front of the store.
"How long until you graduate from school?" Derek asked.
"I only have one more semester to finish."
"Then what? Any plans?"
"I'll probably work fulltime at the bakery until I can find something else that pays a little better."
"Don't you want to own your own restaurant?"
"What culinary student doesn't? But, you have to have money for that."
"I see."
"I'll apply at restaurants around Cincinnati and if I'm really lucky, maybe I can get hired at one of the casinos on the river."
"What about your catering? You could do that fulltime, couldn't you? I mean you mentioned how your schedule is so full right now."
"Technically, it's not catering. I'm a personal chef, not a caterer."
"What's the difference?"
"A caterer prepares the food at their own facility and then serves it on the site of the event. A personal chef prepares the food on the site, like I did for your dinner party."
"So, the difference is where you cook the food?"
"Yes, and the laws involved. A caterer has to use a commercial kitchen. You can't cook anything in your own home, but as a personal chef, I can cook the food in the client's kitchen and that's okay."
"I understand now."
He smiled at Jenny. She loved how he smiled and seemed to show genuine interest.
"What about your work? How is everything at your office?"
"Not real good right now."
"What's wrong, if I'm not prying?"
"Not at all. We've lost several bids on some important contracts in the last couple of months. While we have other sales, we do rely on those contracts to keep the company at full force."
"Oh that's terrible."
"I just don't understand it. We've been underbid on the last several contracts."
"That's terrible."
"We have to keep working on cutting back on our expenses. Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone on like that about work."
"It's fine. I like hearing about your job."
Derek looked at his watch. "We should probably get going, if you're ready."
"I am." They dropped their cups in the trash and went to Derek's car for the drive home.
After arriving back at Jenny's house, he walked her to the front door. "Thank you for dinner," she said. "It was nice to get away." She paused, nervous about the goodnight kiss. "I'd ask you in, but I have to get up kind of early in the morning to make bread at the bakery."
"I understand." He paused too, likely for the same reason. "Are you busy on Sunday? I have some tickets to the Bengals football game. There's several of us going and I'd love to take you."
"I love football."
"Really? Well, you have to go then."
"I'd love to. It sounds like fun."
"Great! I'll pick you up around ten."
Jenny unlocked the door and turned back to Derek to say goodnight. Before she can say anything, he stepped closer and leaned down to kiss her. His lips were cold as he softly touched hers. The kiss was quick, but it lingered even after he stopped.
"Goodnight," he whispered and then smiled.
"Goodnight." She was so taken by his kiss she could barely speak.
"I'll see you on Sunday." He turned and went back to his car.
She opened the door, but stood there until he drove off waving back at her."
Doughnut Glaze
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 t. vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk
Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix until smooth. Add just enough milk to make a thin icing.
Chapter Six
The next morning, Jenny arrived at the bakery and already had one batch of doughnuts finished by the time Becky walked in at five-thirty.
"I didn't expect you this early. Didn't you have a date with Derek last night?"
"Yes, I did, but I couldn't sleep."
"Oh, so he kept you up late?" Becky teased.
"What do y
ou mean, up late?"
Becky washed and dried her hands. "I didn't mean anything by it, just that you had a date and I assumed you were out late with him. Are you okay?" She put on a pair of rubber gloves and went to the mixer to start making the bread dough.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. My date was fine until Derek's friend, Wesley Forbes and his date, Cynthia Snow showed up. Derek asked them to join us." Jenny dipped another rack of doughnuts into the glaze.
"Cynthia Snow, the news reporter?"
"Yes, and she accused me of being after Derek's money and then reminded me that he was also seeing someone else," she blurted out crying.
"Oh honey, that's not true. You wouldn't do that." Becky stopped the mixer, took off her gloves, and walked over putting her arm around Jenny, who cried on her shoulder. She took her into the office and sat her down. "You can't pay any attention to that woman."
"I know I shouldn't." She took a tissue and wiped her tears. "Maybe I shouldn't keep seeing Derek. We come from such different worlds. It would never work."
"Stop saying that. Other than the news bitch, how did the rest of the evening go?"
"Other than that, I really enjoyed spending time with him. He took me to a nice restaurant in Cincinnati and then coffee afterward."
"What about when he brought you home? Did you get a goodnight kiss?"
Jenny felt her face grow warm. "It was the most gentle and tender kiss I've ever had." She now smiled.
"Wonderful! So why question the relationship?"
"His friends don't like me."
"His friends don't know you," Becky quipped back.
"He's still seeing someone else." She stood up.
"Honey, he's the most eligible bachelor in town. You have to expect that, but he's not going to be that way forever, especially if you have anything to say about it. You're going to have to fight for him."
"I suppose." She sat back down.
"I've never seen you give up on anything you've really wanted and I think you want Derek James."
That brought a chuckle to Jenny. "Well, I don't know if that's how I'd word it, but yeah, I guess you're right."
Becky laughed, too. "You better go finish those doughnuts." They both got up and went back to the kitchen. "Then, if you could make some of those fantastic strawberry scones, I think we need to deliver half a dozen to Mr. Derek James."
A Kitchen Affair Page 7
