All the food that had been prepared for the big event was finally packed up and ready to go. Declan was about to begin taking everything out to her vehicle to be transported to Regina Mackenzie’s mansion when Josie moved in front of him to stop him.
“Something wrong?” he asked her, confused.
Nothing was actually wrong, except that she felt guilty about imposing on Declan this much. He had already given her access to his kitchen as well as helping her prepare the last minute item.
Josie broached the subject by starting in the middle of it.
“You know, if you have something else to do, I totally understand,” Josie told him. “You’ve already been a great help. Loading up my car is going over and above the call of duty, so to speak. I can take it from here,” she said, attempting to let Declan off the hook.
Declan, she noted, didn’t look like someone who felt he was being absolved of any responsibilities. Instead, he asked her a question. “This catering thing is a big deal for you, isn’t it?”
“Well, if it all goes well, Ms. Mackenzie might ask me to cater another soiree for her. Plus she seemed opened to the idea of throwing a fundraiser for the animal shelter, which is dangerously low on funds right now,” Josie told him.
“So it is a big deal,” Declan confirmed. Moving around her, he picked up the first of the packaged items. “And just so you know, when I tell someone that I’m going to help them, I always keep my word,” he told her, heading toward his own vehicle that was parked out front, next to hers. “So stop telling me not to come.”
Grabbing one of the packed-up platters, Josie quickly fell into step behind him. She didn’t want Declan to misunderstand what she was saying. “I didn’t say not to come, I just said you didn’t have to if you had something else to do.”
He turned abruptly to look at her. “Josie,” he said sharply.
She braced herself, not at all sure what to expect. “Yes?”
“Stop talking. Because the longer you talk, the colder this food is going to be when it’s finally delivered and the less time you’ll have to get there and set up. Understand?” he asked point-blank.
Josie nodded, surprised that he had given the whole matter this much thought. “Yes.”
“Good, then once we finish loading up the cars, we can go,” he said as he resumed bringing out the packaged containers. “Shannon and I will follow you in my vehicle. That way there’s more room for the food and it won’t run the risk of getting squashed.”
That sounded great, Josie thought, starting to go back to the kitchen. Impulsively, she doubled back and, putting her hand on his shoulder, drew Declan over to her and brushed her lips against his cheek.
“Thank you,” she said then hurried off to bring out the last of the boxed food to her vehicle.
Shannon looked at her uncle. There was a big grin on her face. “I think she likes you, Uncle D.”
Declan waved away the teen’s comment. “I think she’s just grateful for the help.”
Watching Josie come out of his front door, he moved quickly to take the overly large wrapped platter from her. He secured it inside her vehicle. Crossing back to his Jeep, he got in behind the wheel and then started it up.
“Grateful,” Shannon echoed. “Right,” the teen said, her tone telling Declan that she was not buying his excuse.
“Well, she is,” Declan insisted.
“Oh, she’s grateful, all right,” the girl agreed. “But that still doesn’t change the fact that she likes you,” Shannon concluded in that knowing way that only teenagers were capable of.
Because he didn’t want to argue with his niece or, for that matter, let his imagination run away with him on the subject she had raised, Declan decided to turn on the radio.
Shannon made a face at the music that came on, but she decided not to comment on it. For the time being, peace was restored.
Because Josie had called to say they were coming, Elise was waiting for them out in front of her aunt’s large house by the time they arrived.
“I’ll show you to the back entrance,” Regina’s niece volunteered. “No offense,” she apologized quickly, worried that having them go in the back entrance might make them feel like second-class citizens. “Aunt Regina’s guests are going to be parking out here and using the front door,” she explained. “We just want to make sure that no accidents happen.”
“No offense taken,” Josie assured the young woman. Elise struck her as looking even more tense now than she had the first time they had met.
Like participants in a small caravan, Josie and Declan followed Elise’s vehicle to the rear of the tall, imposing building. Parking, Josie got out quickly and opened the back of her vehicle, taking out the most accessible items she had packed.
Declan parked his vehicle right next to hers. Frowning, he looked at what Josie was about to carry. From the aroma he detected, he knew it was part of the main course and the dish was on the heavy side.
He reached for it. Josie moved back, holding the platter just out of his reach. “I can manage carrying it,” she assured him.
“I’m sure you can, but I’m not about to play tug-of-war with you over this, so just step back,” he told her gruffly, taking hold of the platter Josie was just about to carry in herself.
Listening to the exchange between the caterer and the man she had brought with her, Elise made the logical assumption that the man was there to assist Josie.
“Aunt Regina hired some of her usual waitstaff for this soiree,” Elise told them. “I’ll go get Mike and Albert,” she said before quickly disappearing into the house.
“Looks like she hired some people to help us serve,” Josie guessed. “I didn’t know,” she apologized, seeing the look on Declan’s face. “If I did, you could have gone on with your day.”
As far as Declan was concerned, he was just where he wanted to be.
“No harm done,” he told her. “Never hurts to hone an extra skill, right, Shannon?” he asked, glancing toward his niece.
“Sure,” the teenager agreed. She liked being a useful part of this adult world she had been admitted into. “What do you want me to do?” The question had been directed toward Josie.
“For now, you and your uncle can follow the food inside,” she told Shannon. “I am going to remain out here just to make sure they take everything in and don’t leave something behind.” As she watched, the two men that Elise had referred to as “the waitstaff” started carrying things into the house through the back entrance. “Once they get everything inside, we can get started setting things up.”
Josie knew she could leave that to the waitstaff as well, but she preferred doing as much herself as she could, or at least supervise having those things done.
“Wow,” Shannon commented. She took in everything that had been set up on the various tables placed along the back wall of the main dining room. “I didn’t realize there was so much food.”
Her green eyes swept over the entire scene. She was impressed by how much all this had turned out to be. Because she knew she was going to be around food and probably helping to serve it, the teenager had obediently pulled her long red hair back and out of her face.
“The trick is to never leave them hungry,” Josie told her. She took one final look around and put the finishing touches on the various arrangements on the serving tables.
Regina had made an appearance several minutes ago, supervising the place settings to make sure everything was up to her standards. Josie held her breath until she saw the woman nod her approval.
“Everything looks just wonderful,” she told Josie. “And smells divine,” she added. “My guests will be very pleased.”
“We’ll stay to serve the food,” Josie told the woman. “Unless you’d rather have your staff do that,” she added, thinking Regina might prefer the staff she was accustomed to.
“I think, if you don’t mind, it would be more fitting if you did that,” Regina told her.
Josie wanted all of this to go as smoothly as possible, so she asked, “And between the serving and the cleanup afterward, where would you like to have us wait?”
The question surprised the hostess. “Why, you can wait here in the dining room, with the other guests,” Regina answered as if she didn’t see how they could have possibly thought anything else. “There’ll be music and dancing, and I know for a fact that the food is going to be excellent if you want to have something to eat,” the woman said, winking at Josie and her entourage. Leaning forward, she patted Josie’s hand. “I’m sure you’ll have fun. All the people who attend my parties do,” Regina told her then left the room.
“You heard the lady,” Josie said, turning to Declan and Shannon. “We have people to feed.” Once Shannon turned her attention toward the table closest to her, Josie leaned closer to Declan. “By the way, if you’re worried, you don’t have to dance.”
The small four-piece band that Regina had hired for the occasion was setting up in the far corner of the large room. They were there to provide music to enhance the guests’ dining experience. Regina had apparently covered all her bases.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Declan asked as he deftly served several slices of brisket to a guest who was the first person to line up right in front of him. Waiting until the man left, Declan turned to Josie and asked, “Don’t you dance?”
“I do, but I didn’t want you to feel obligated to take me out on the dance floor.” Josie then backtracked, realizing that he had said something she had managed to just gloss over. “You dance?” she asked, surprised.
“On occasion.” He looked at her. “If the occasion is right,” he added.
Soft music gently began to fill the air. Josie could feel herself responding to it. She raised her eyes to his. “And would that occasion be coming up any time soon?” she asked just as she began to serve another one of the guests the dessert she had created for this occasion.
A smile played on his lips ever so slightly. “It might be,” he allowed. And then Declan slanted a look in her direction. “Maybe.”
She nodded her head. “Nothing like a definite answer,” she said, amused.
She wasn’t able to read his expression as he said, “Exactly.”
By her count, less than an hour later she, Declan and Shannon had served every one of Regina’s guests at least once. A third of them more than that.
The food she had prepared, she thought happily, was clearly a hit.
At that point, Elise came by to inform them that her aunt had said they had more than earned a break, which they were being encouraged to take now.
“Aunt Regina said you’ve done very well,” Elise told them. “Her exact words were it was ‘time for you all to join the rest of the guests.’”
Josie’s eyes swept over the groups of well-dressed people in the room. “I’m not really sure I can pull that off,” she murmured under her breath.
Overhearing her, Declan smiled. “Oh, I think you can,” he told her. The band began to play another song, one he was more than familiar with. “Would you like to eat or dance first?” he asked her.
Declan noticed his niece moving over to a table that had several young people seated at it. He judged that they looked to be near Shannon’s age. Better than that, they also looked to be friendly.
“Okay, I’ll call your bluff,” Josie told him, making her choice. “Dance.”
She was certain that her choice would make Declan back off. Instead, he completely surprised her. Taking her into his arms, Declan began dancing.
Josie was even more surprised that he could move so well.
She made no effort to hide her surprise. “You really can dance.”
“Did you think I was lying when I told you I could?” he asked.
“Not lying exactly,” she admitted then added, “But the thought that you might have exaggerated did cross my mind.”
“I don’t lie,” he informed her seriously as he turned her around on the floor, “because once you get caught in a lie, people are never certain whether or not what you are telling them is the truth. Once trust is lost, it’s lost forever. I don’t like living in that shadowy area.”
She nodded, believing him. “That’s a really good philosophy.”
“I don’t know how philosophical it might be,” he told her, then said truthfully, “it’s just the only way that I know.”
Relaxing, Josie leaned her head against his shoulder. The music began to take her away. “I’ll remember that,” she replied.
After spending all those days preparing for the soiree, it felt as if the actual fundraiser was over with much too soon.
As the guests began departing, Josie and company turned their attention to packing up the empty platters, containers and pans.
Regina swept in just as Josie and the others were half finished.
“Everything was just fabulous,” the woman told Josie with feeling. “Thank you again for stepping in at the last minute.”
Josie smiled at the woman. “My pleasure,” she told Regina.
“We never discussed what you were charging,” Regina recalled, “but I assumed it was the same as my previous caterer.” Josie noticed that the woman emphasized the word “previous.” Did that mean that Josie was now considered the “regular” caterer? “If your bill came to more,” Josie went on to say, “just let me know.” With that, Regina handed her a check.
Josie glanced at the check just before she was about to pocket it. Her eyes widened, all but falling out of her head.
Watching her, Regina guessed, “Not enough?”
Still stunned at the amount, Josie told the woman, “Oh, more than enough.”
To her surprise, Regina shook her head. “Never admit to something like that,” she told Josie. And then the woman smiled. “We’ll just call it even. Give me a couple of days to brainstorm and I’ll get back to you about holding that fundraiser for the animal rescue shelter,” she said.
Then, flashing an even wider smile that took in all three people in front of her, Regina said, “Thank you for your excellent work,” just before she went into another part of her enormous house.
“After I take out what the food came to,” Josie told Declan and his niece, “I’ll split what’s left over three ways. Is that acceptable to you?”
Declan turned her down. “There’s no need for that. If you recall, we volunteered,” he reminded her.
“And my splitting it three ways will be my way of saying thank you for that,” Josie countered. She saw the absolutely overjoyed look that was on Shannon’s face and could tell how much it meant to the girl, to have her work valued and compensated. That answered it for Josie. “No argument,” she told Declan.
“As long as you don’t tell me what I have to do with my share,” he told her.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” she said.
“Fine, then donate my portion to the animal shelter,” he told her.
That surprised her. “I’m speechless,” she told him.
He smiled at her. “Then I’d say it’s money well spent,” Declan told her.
When they finally returned to Declan’s house, Josie saw that Shannon was all but dead on her feet.
“Go to bed, honey,” she urged.
“But there’re all these pots and pans to wash,” Shannon pointed out, stifling a yawn. “I should help,” the girl protested, although not with too much energy or conviction.
But Josie shook her head. “I don’t want you falling into the sink and drowning,” she told Shannon. “Go to bed,” she said more forcefully.
Shannon looked quizzically at her uncle.
He knew what she was asking. “She’s the boss, kid,” he told his niece. “I’d listen to her if I were you.”
“You sure?” Shannon asked, looking back at Josie.
“I’m sure,” Josie replied, pointing up to the stairs.
Shannon offered no further argument and went upstairs on rather shaky legs.
When Josie turned from the stairs and walked back into the kitchen, she saw that Declan had his arms immersed in hot, sudsy water and was busy washing a pan.
The sight stopped her in her tracks.
“Declan, what are you doing?” she asked in a hushed voice.
“I thought it would be obvious,” he answered. “I’m washing the pots and pans you used to create that feast of yours.”
She definitely wasn’t accustomed to this sort of help. Her ex never pitched in at all. This was a whole different world to her.
Like a woman in a trance, Josie walked up to Declan and began rinsing off and drying whatever he had washed.