Yes Chef, No Chef

chapter Twenty Five



Katie had crept home at five o'clock in the morning after waking up still wrapped in Doug's chest and with one of his huge hands resting on her thigh. For one split second she'd thought she was with Tim and a tear had leaked from the corner of her eye while she’d begun to focus on the memories from the night before. Quietly she’d untangled herself, gathered her clothes from the floor and guiltily left a scribbled note on the window ledge. She knew it was bad form to run out but simply couldn't help it; all she wanted to do was get home and consoled herself with the fact that she could ring and apologise later.

The water from the shower was steaming hot when it pounded down onto her scalp making her wince but she wanted to vigorously scrub her body and hair and wished the shower gel could clean away the memory of last night from her mind too. Wrapped snugly in a big bath towel she stepped over the earlier discarded red dress and underwear lying in a heap on the floor and crawled onto the bed. Her hair was still wet and she knew it would be frizzy later if she didn’t style it, but at the moment all she could think of was trying to sleep the drunken, guilt-fuelled memories away.

Feeling refreshed after a few hours’ sleep, a pot of coffee and warm croissants inside her, she made the call.

“Doug, I’m so sorry for running out on you this morning. I panicked which was silly and just felt desperate to get home,” she said and could hear him pause in consideration.

“It’s OK, Katie. You not being here probably spared me some embarrassment too.”

They talked briefly and decided that being friends would be the best solution, he would settle her account online, and when the prints of the recipe leaflets were ready he'd send her some copies.

Relieved and feeling much better she rang Lisa and Sarah to change the venue from lunch at the bistro, to her flat which would allow her the whole morning to assemble the picnic hamper for her next booking.

Michael’s friend, John, was in a bit of a predicament. His ex-wife had agreed to go on a date with him and he was taking her for a romantic picnic in the countryside. Until last month, they’d had no contact since their divorce but had bumped into each other at an old friend’s wedding, and surprisingly had spent the whole day together without one argument or recrimination. It was the end of the evening when they’d smooched the last dance together, John had realised he was still in love and desperately wanted to be with her again.

Katie had agreed to make and supply the full contents of the picnic hamper where all he would have to do is collect it, and return the empty hamper the following day. She’d bought a luxury wicker hamper deciding it would be a good investment for future bookings and when she lifted the hamper from the box and opened the lid she was suitably impressed with the inside contents. Utensils, plates, crystal wine glasses, and white cloth napkins were all neatly fastened with leather straps and she was sure John would like it. He'd told her in his email that he knew this type of thing was important to women and he was determined to make a good impression because he wanted to establish a better track record than when they were first married.

Grinning to herself, she put the chilled bottle of Pinot Chardonnay into the ice cooler, and wondered, not for the first time, where men got their monster egos from – maybe it was something mothers instilled into them at nursery age. She'd known John from school and hanging about with Michael, and although he was an average looking guy he was hardly Brad Pitt, she thought looking in the fridge at the delicacies she'd made the day before.

She’d baked small, roasted white onion tarts, and had bought chicken liver & brandy parfait, venison & wild mushroom terrine, smoked oat cakes, buffalo mozzarella, and the piece de resistance - Strawberries Grand Marnier. Remembering at the last minute she took some of the saffron bread from the freezer and was stifling down the memories of kneading the dough with Tim when she heard a knock at the door. It couldn’t be John this early, could it, she thought hurrying along the hall to open the door.

Lisa stood on the step looking forlorn. "The showers at the gym aren’t working and it’ll take me ages to go over to Pimlico and back..."

Katie squeezed her arm pulling her through the doorway. “No problem, go and use my shower - you know where everything is."

Lisa hugged her. "That’s what I was hoping you'd say."

Katie ticked off her checklist for the hamper and because she'd made extra tarts she threw a quick salad together and defrosted more of the bread whilst quickly laying the table ready for their lunch.

Suddenly, three things all happened together. John turned up outside and tooted his horn, Lisa came into the hall with a towel wrapped around her head looking for a hair drier, and when she walked out towards John’s car carrying the hamper, Sarah pulled up in her car.

John took the hamper from Katie and introduced her to his ex-wife who shook her hand. They chatted briefly about Michael and claims were made about how alike they looked while John appeared flustered and obviously agitated about the date. Julie however, looked relaxed and happy in a beautiful green dress with a plunging V neck that showed off visible mounds of her voluptuous chest. Katie stifled a giggle at the look on John’s face when he consciously made an effort to wrench his eyes from her cleavage. Thanking her for the hamper she climbed back into the car and John wedged the cool box and hamper between folding chairs and a travel rug in the boot just as Sarah walked up to her.

He got into the driving seat and waving to Katie he sped off down the road while she turned to look at Sarah whose face was very pale.

"Are you OK?" Katie asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Katie, I...I can't believe it!" she cried.

Lisa appeared at the doorway with one side of her hair dry and the other half still wet. Katie took Sarah by the arm and ushered them both back through the front door and into the hall.

"Christ, you look terrible. What’s the matter, Sarah?" Lisa asked when they went into the lounge.

Sarah plonked down on the edge of the settee. "It was her!" she exclaimed shaking her head. "What was she doing here? And who’s he?"

"OK. Let’s back up a little here," Lisa said calmly.

Sarah looked at Lisa. "What’s with the hair?"

Katie was exasperated. "Forget the hair. She's had to use my shower," she snapped, and went on to explain about John and his ex-wife, and how he was trying to win her back with a romantic picnic.

Sarah shook her head. "Unbelievable!" she gasped. “Did he tell you her name?”

Katie looked puzzled. “Er, I think he said she’s called, Julie, why?”

Sarah sighed, “Well, this Julie is the same blonde I saw Tim kissing that night outside the restaurant."

"Chuffing Norah!" Lisa exclaimed loudly. "Are you sure, Sarah?"

Katie's mind was spinning and her insides were churning while she tried to grasp what Sarah had told them.

She stared hard at Sarah. "Are you sure?" she demanded. "You have to be dead certain about this, Sarah. Because this is mega important to me."

Sarah looked hurt. "I do know that, Katie," she pouted.

Lisa smoothed things over. "Of course you do, hon," and glared at Katie as if to say lighten up or we're not going to get anywhere. "Now just tell us slowly what you saw and we’ll try and piece things together.”

Sarah sat back on the settee, folded her arms defensively across her chest and bristled. "When I pulled up in the car I thought it looked like the blonde that I'd seen with Tim, and thought at first he'd had the cheek to bring her here to your flat. But then I saw you laughing with her and of course I didn't recognise this guy called John. And then when she turned to wave and I saw those striking blue eyes I knew I was right." She finished taking a deep breath.

"For f*ck's sake!" Lisa cried. "So, how does Tim know her? Or does Tim know she was married to Michael’s mate?"

Katie got up and started to pace around the room running her hand through her hair trying to think quickly over past family occasions.

"I mean, does Tim know John?" Lisa persisted.

"I don't know!" she yelled, "I'm trying to remember." She realised she was snapping at them both and suddenly felt terrible. "Oh guys, I'm sorry. I'm just well..."

Sarah smiled leniently. "Of course you are," she soothed. "Just try to think back to the do’s and parties when you were all together."

Katie took hold of Sarah's hand and squeezed it. "I am thinking. Now, I'm sure we've been to a wedding and my cousin’s engagement party, and of course Michael was at them but I'm sure he was with his girlfriend. As far as I can remember I don't think John or any of his mates were there."

Lisa got up and started brushing the wet side of her hair. "Well, that makes it just one hell of a coincidence that Tim has met her," she said heading towards the door to finish her hair. "And, I know you've probably worked this out for yourself, but it does mean that she can't possibly be having a serious relationship with Tim."

Sarah looked dumbly at her and Lisa shook her head raising an eyebrow. “Duh …” she said. “Well she wouldn't be agreeing to go on a date with her ex-husband if she was really into Tim, now would she?"

Realising what Lisa meant Sarah nodded and then Lisa’s words penetrated Katie’s befuddled brain too. She was right, of course she was, and her heart soared with hope.

They heard Lisa's soft tread back along the hall and animatedly she turned to Sarah. "Do you think so?" she asked softly, "I mean it’s true isn't it? Julie can't be serious about Tim, can she?"

Sarah hedged. "It certainly doesn't seem like it but he could be with anyone, Katie," she uttered gently. "Oh, love, I don't want to see you build yourself up for another fall."

Katie agreed nodding her head. "I know. And I’m so sorry I snapped at you both," she apologised again.

"You don't even need to say that," Sarah said considerately draping an arm around her friends shoulder.

"Heavens, here I am asking you guys for lunch and I haven’t even fed you yet," Katie said taking Sarah’s hand and pulling her through to the kitchen.

Lisa stood in the kitchen doorway rubbing her hands together. "What’s to eat, then?"

"Come and sit down, we're not finished talking yet. I've a very interesting story to tell you both about a butcher with the biggest hands I've ever seen or felt," Katie said dissolving into fits of giggles.

She went to bed that night with Lisa's words resounding in her mind; Julie wouldn't be going on a date with John if she was really into her Tim. That was true, wasn’t it? It made sense to her because if she was in love with a guy and her ex-husband wanted her to go on a picnic she’d stay loyal to her boyfriend and refuse. But, as Sarah had reminded, her not everyone is the same and there are probably just as many ruthless women out there as there were men. All she could do was hope and pray Julie wasn’t one of these callous bitches and didn’t have her claws into Tim.

John had sent a text to say he would call early the next morning to return the hamper before going to work and she decided talking to him would be the best way of finding out the truth about Julie.

The next morning she heard him whistling his way down the path and was ready to greet him at the door offering him a coffee. Taking the hamper from him he plonked himself onto a stool at the kitchen island. Looking at John she remembered him as a little boy with Michael his bright red hair flying behind him as they ran in and out of her mum’s kitchen wearing Arsenal football strips and shouting at each other.

He ran his hands through his now short but thinning brown hair. "It was a disaster! That's the only word I can find to describe it, Katie, a complete and utter bloody disaster."

Wondering if he had dyed the red out of his hair she set a mug of coffee in front of him and sat down opposite. "Why? I mean, what went wrong? It wasn't anything to do with the food, was it?"

He picked his mug up and sipped the hot coffee. "No way, the food was really cool," he said. "It was probably the best thing of the whole afternoon."

"Oh good," she said sighing with relief. "Come on then, tell me the rest?"

As she settled more comfortably onto her stool and put a packet of biscuits in front of him John told her his sorry tale.

"I’d imagined this idyllic scene where we’d sit in the summer afternoon under the shade of a willow tree and I'd smile seductively at her and hold the gaze from those bright blue eyes of hers, and then slowly try to get my hand…” realising what he was saying he stopped short. “Sorry, Katie,” he apologised and smiled sheepishly at her.

Remembering how he'd been leering down Julie’s cleavage in the car she grinned back at him. "It's OK. Go on."

"Well, I admired her hair and her green dress and we chatted during the drive out of town and through the country lanes to the edge of the wood. The sun was already hot and the sweat was standing on my forehead by the time I’d carried everything to the spot under the tree and sat next to her on the rug, but I kept telling myself it would all be worthwhile. We opened the hamper and while I’d set the plates on the rug I’d reminded her that when we were married she’d often complained that I hadn’t a romantic bone in my body. But I stressed the point that I had changed and was really pleased she was giving me the chance to prove it to her. She told me I was jumping the gun and she’d only agreed to a picnic and nothing more. And then when I’d pressed her about whether she was seeing someone, she wouldn't give me a definite answer."

He paused now and swallowed a few mouthfuls of coffee while Katie’s previous high spirits started to sink; if Julie was seeing someone, was it her Tim? She smiled encouragingly at him to continue.

"Then we enjoyed the Pinot Chardonnay, which had always been her favourite, and she was impressed with the fact that I'd remembered and we opened the food from the cool box. She told me that we’d been far too young to get married and it was no wonder we'd had so many problems and we tucked into the parfait and mushroom terrine on that gorgeous bread, which was delicious."

Katie nodded and smiled her appreciation at the compliment secretly thinking if Julie was seeing Tim she could only hope the bitch had choked on it.

He picked a biscuit out of the packet dunked it into his coffee and then pushed the whole soggy mess into his mouth and munched. "Yep, I’d thought it was going swimmingly at that stage and after we finished eating she’d stretched out on the rug and when I laid down next to her and she didn't push me away I’d hoped she was up for it. She moaned gently and I reckoned it was worth taking a chance and kissed her long and hard."

Katie was rapt now and wanted him to get to the end. She had to know if Julie was seeing Tim. She interrupted, "So, she isn't seeing someone else then?"

He shuffled uneasily and drained his coffee mug which Katie immediately topped up from the cafetiére.

"I'm just getting to it, Katie," he said. "Because that’s when it all fell apart. I snaked my hands up to the opening in her dress and was so damn close to, well you know, and suddenly felt a sharp stinging pain on the top of my head. I cried out because it was an effing wasp stinging my head and it hurt like hell so I scrambled up onto my knees and began to panic. She’d jumped up at the same time and grabbed a napkin, rolled it up and swiped the wasp off my head.

“Jesus, the pain made my eyes water it hurt so much," he said looking forlornly at Katie for sympathy.

"And that was it?" she asked staring with irritation at his miserable face.

"Not quite. She insisted we should find a chemist for some antihistamine cream and when we walked back across the field to the car she told me she had met a guy last week and although it was early days she had high hopes for them.”

He changed his voice now exaggerating and mimicking Julie’s voice and saying, “Because this new guy was sooooo gorgeous."

Katie’s mind was racing now; it had to be more than a week since Sarah saw her kissing Tim. It couldn't be Tim, could it?

John wore an exaggerated prissy look on his face and continued, "Then she opened her mobile and showed me a photo of him. His name is Adam and he's this huge, black guy, with chest and arm muscles like Garth, and has a fabulous apartment over near Pimlico! And just when I’d been wondering how the hell I’d compete with a guy like that I’d trod smack bang into a cow pat and my new Italian leather loafers were covered in stinking cows shit!"

The relief that flooded through Katie was immense. It wasn't her Tim, and she burst out laughing at the image of his shoe stuck in the cows muck. But when she saw the dejected hurt look on his face she stopped suddenly and felt awful for feeling so happy. "Sorry, John, it wasn't funny and I shouldn't be laughing."

Her mind pieced the information together quickly and she wondered if it could be the same guy Lisa was seeing. It must be - there couldn't be two black guy's living in Pimlico who looked like a body builder, called Adam, could there?

"It’s OK, I’ll probably be able to laugh about it myself one day,” John said draining the coffee out of his cup. “So, do you think it's a no-brainer with Julie, then?"

Katie smiled reassuringly. "John, she's only known him for a week. It might not come to anything. And, from a woman’s point of view, I'd say don't give up; just keep trying."

He got up to leave, thanked her again for the hamper and handed her the cheque. She sailed happily behind him to the front door and after she'd waved to him, and closed the door she leant back against it grinning with the secure knowledge that size eight Julie wasn't with her Tim. And that, she decided heading back to the kitchen was the easy bit - now how the hell was she going to tell Lisa.