Sweeter With You by Susan Mallery

Author:Susan Mallery
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HQN Books
Published: 2016-09-25T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

THE NEXT COUPLE of months passed in a blur. Ana Raquel and Greg argued and negotiated their way through recipes, organization and bonus material. The town came through with recipe suggestions. Ana Raquel and Greg each had their favorites, and sometimes the choice between two equally wonderful options came down to a round of rock, paper, scissors.

They spent their mornings on the cookbook, then moved to the restaurant. There the heated discussions continued as they prepped for the evening’s dinner service. Somehow Ana Raquel found herself getting more and more involved with the cooking.

Once the last patron had left, she and Greg returned their attention to the cookbook. They worked late into the night to find the right combination of savory and sweet, entrées, appetizers and desserts. They’d agreed on easy recipes filled with flavor. The kind of food you could serve your family and the boss when he or she came over.

Through a friend of Greg’s, they’d made contact with a publisher and quickly found themselves dealing with a deadline. But the book was finally finished.

The best part of the project had been working with Greg. He was exactly who he seemed to be—a nice man she could depend on. He could be stubborn, but never aggressive. He was reasonable, if quirky. And lately, when he smiled, she felt her world get a little brighter.

Ana Raquel chopped furiously. The key to a successful service was prep work, she reminded herself. Tonight was a special dinner at Café. Advance copies of the cookbook had arrived. She and Greg would be handing them out at the end of the dinner where every item on the menu was based on the Fool’s Gold Cookbook.

Life-Changing Guacamole was offered alongside Bubbly Feta and Sweet Pepper Dip with Pita Crisps. There were entrées for every taste and a dessert buffet that ranged from S’Mores Bars to Triple-Chocolate Caramel Party Cake.

She finished chopping the onions and went to work on the garlic. Greg was lining up the proteins they would be using. Music blared from speakers built into the ceiling.

The staff at the restaurant worked well together, she thought, smashing her knife against cloves of garlic, then peeling away the skin. Their movements were practiced, the results tangible in the smoothness of a sauce or the tang of a salad dressing.

Over the past couple of months, she’d found that she enjoyed working with Greg in his kitchen. They argued a lot but only about what mattered, and she won as often as not. Mayor Marsha had been right, she admitted reluctantly. She never would have been able to handle the cookbook on her own.

“Oh my God!” said Linda, one of the hostesses, setting a spoon in the sink. “That dressing. It’s heavenly.”

Greg looked at her. “It’s good.”

“I want to be buried with it.” Linda paused. “Okay, that sounds more gross than I meant.”

Ana Raquel chuckled as she finely chopped garlic. A lot of kitchens were filled with tension and competition. She’d had more than her share of that while she’d been in San Francisco.

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