The Magic Ingredient by Cathy Bramley
Author:Cathy Bramley
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781473541054
Publisher: Transworld
Chapter 7
When I joined them all on the deck, Pixie was leaning over the railings pointing out the wildlife below to a portly man with rimless glasses and a white coat. Tom and Mags were chatting to a girl wearing a cream and blue smock-style dress that reminded me of Cornish blue crockery. Her shoulder-length brown hair was tucked behind her ears, which stuck out just a bit more than the norm.
âIâm sooo grateful to you for hosting us today,â she was saying. She moved a lot when she talked, jiggling from foot to foot. Her arms were all over the place too. Mags flinched as the girlâs coffee slopped out of her mug and splashed Magsâs arm.
âOur place was totally flooded out and our test kitchen has had to be ripped out and rebuilt. Total nightmare,â she continued, shaking her head in despair. âYou were lucky not to be affected, being on the river.â
âRachel, can I introduce Verity, our marketing director,â said Tom. He placed a hand in the small of Rachelâs back and gestured towards me as I approached them.
Rachel turned, one hand resting on Tomâs arm. Her cheeks were rosy and her skin glowed with youth and health. She was standing far too close to Tom for my liking.
âHi.â I smiled, which made me realize that Iâd been clenching my jaw. I extended a hand, forcing her to remove hers from Tom. âGood to meet you.â
âWeâve spoken on the phone,â Rachel and I said in unison and then both laughed.
Rachel dragged her colleague from the railings of the deck to meet me. He was Leon, the companyâs recipe developer and former fishmonger. What he didnât know about fish wasnât worth knowing, she announced proudly.
Leon and Tom fell into conversation about pin boners and filleting knives, and Rachel took Mags and me through her itinerary for the day.
âThe bloggers should be here any minute,â she said, checking an enormous rose-gold watch.
âWell, weâre all ready upstairs for them,â I said. âThere are fifteen, arenât there?â
âWeâve had two cancel at the last minute, so thirteen are coming.â She pulled a face. âHope that isnât going to be unlucky for some. I need this event to go swimmingly; the last one I organized was a disaster. You heard about the food poisoning at our launch, I presume?â
Mags and I nodded.
Rachel lowered her voice to a whisper. âThought I was going to get the sack. Especially when I heard your Tom was ill too. A Michelin-starred chef. The shame! I felt so guilty.â
Your Tom. My heart performed a somersault. If only. I liked her a lot more for saying it, though.
âAnd a food journalist was poisoned too, wasnât he?â Mags put in.
Poor Rachel shuddered. âDonât remind me.â
âBut it wasnât your fault,â I soothed, giving her arm a pat. âYou shouldnât feel guilty about it.â
Listen to me, doling out advice about shrugging off guilt. I felt quite proud of myself.
âYouâre too kind,â Rachel beamed. âIn fact, youâre all lovely.â
She cast a lingering look Tomâs way.
Download
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.
Dried Flowers | Flower Arranging |
Potpourri | Wreathmaking |
On Writing A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King(4221)
The Doodle Revolution by Sunni Brown(4049)
A Simplified Life by Emily Ley(3579)
Mummy Knew by Lisa James(3174)
Marijuana Grower's Handbook by Ed Rosenthal(3126)
Paper Parties by Erin Hung(3045)
Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook by Better Homes & Gardens(2961)
Figure Drawing for Artists by Steve Huston(2804)
Draw Your Day by Samantha Dion Baker(2713)
The Genius of Japanese Carpentry by Azby Brown(2614)
Japanese Design by Patricia J. Graham(2562)
Lions and Lace by Meagan Mckinney(2496)
Dangerous Girls by Haas Abigail(2480)
The Curated Closet by Anuschka Rees(2391)
Zero to Make by David Lang(2348)
How to Make Your Own Soap by Sally Hornsey(2345)
The Wardrobe Wakeup by Lois Joy Johnson(2238)
The Code Book by Simon Singh(2217)
The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande(2207)