Girls' Night In by Jessica Adams

Author:Jessica Adams
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781760140342
Publisher: Penguin Group Australia
Published: 2014-10-31T04:00:00+00:00

Libby came in early the next day. Friday was Big Night In’s most frantic day. There were usually a couple of last-minute orders waiting on the fax machine, despite the plea on their promotional brochure that Thursday was the deadline.

Sure enough, there were two faxes waiting. She’d read through them before Sasha had the chance to grab them and give her running commentary.

The first one was easy – an order for everything needed for a barbecue. Can you please send us fish, chicken, sausages and lots of salads – don’t need the books or the CDs, thanks! Great. She liked that sort of order.

Libby picked up the second fax. Her heart nearly stopped.

It was from Hayley Kemp.

Hayley Kemp. She couldn’t believe it. Hayley Kemp was daring to order a meal from her.

She read it quickly. It was definitely the same Hayley Kemp she used to know. Libby recognised her distinctive flamboyant handwriting. She was surprised Hayley had managed to fill out the order herself. Didn’t she have slaves to do this sort of thing these days?

It was a very specific order. Hayley wanted the most up-to-date and innovative Australian cuisine possible. Asian fusion. Bush tucker. All and everything. She wanted two different entrées. Three different main courses. Four – four! – desserts. The latest CDs, all by Australian artists. The latest books, all from Australian authors. There was even a long list of the newspapers and magazines she would like Big Night In to supply.

Libby couldn’t believe her eyes. What did Hayley Kemp think she was? A caterer or a set decorator?

She heard the door open behind her. It was Sasha.

‘Hi there, Lib. More orders? Gee, people can be thoughtless, can’t they? Don’t they realise we can’t just magic their orders out of nowhere? Anything too complicated?’

Libby just handed her Hayley Kemp’s order.

Sasha looked down and gave a low whistle. ‘Hayley Kemp? The Hayley Kemp?’

Libby nodded. The Hayley Kemp indeed. Socialite. Author. Snob. Idea-snatcher. Client-snatcher. Boyfriend-snatcher.

Yes, that Hayley Kemp.

‘You used to work with her, didn’t you?’ Sasha asked. ‘Up in Sydney? Wasn’t she that old cow who nicked all your ideas?’

That was putting it mildly, Libby thought. ‘Yes, Sasha, that old cow. That old schemer. You know the whole story?’

Sasha shook her head. ‘Only bits of it. Come on, spill the beans.’ She sat down opposite Libby and waited, bright-eyed. She loved a good gossip.

Libby sat down too. ‘Hayley and I met at catering school, twelve years ago. We went into business together, running a corporate catering company. It went fine for the first year. Until I realised she was stealing all my ideas and passing them off as her own to private clients she was working for, outside our company. And then she went further – she started contacting our clients on the sly and undercutting our prices, offering to do it on her own, more cheaply. Turned out she’d been planning to open her own company, using all my contacts and recipes.’

Sasha was wide-eyed. ‘How dare she!’

‘How dare she is right.

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