Chapter Twenty-Two
THE WEEK BARRELED toward the weekend, and Rachel had enough to do that she managed not to think about her upcoming date with Alex. Almost. In between trying recipes for the following week’s supper club, she found herself replaying the kiss and trying not to obsess over what would have happened if Dina hadn’t been there. By the time he called on Friday morning, she had a full menu and enough unresolved tension to play her own nerves like a violin.
“Ready for tonight?” Alex asked as soon as she picked up her cell phone.
She took the pan she’d been heating off the burner and moved it to a cool spot on the stove. This definitely would require her full attention. She hadn’t forgotten that he’d made her burn her fish the last time they’d talked. “That depends. You still haven’t told me what to wear. You realize that women like to plan ahead for these things, don’t you?”
A long pause on the other end suggested surprise. “I’m sorry. I only finalized the plans this morning. Something like what you wore for the Fourth of July is fine.”
“Okay. Still on for seven?”
“Absolutely. I’m looking forward to it.”
“We’re not hiking or anything, are we?”
“No, we’re not hiking. I’m not that clueless. You can wear pretty shoes and everything if you want.”
Very well then. She was definitely going to need to go shopping. “Okay. I’ll see you tonight.”
“I’m looking forward to it.” His voice dipped low. “This has been a very long week.”
Rachel bit her lip, unaccountably pleased to know he’d done as much thinking about her as she’d done about him. “I made good use of my time. I have a menu for you to look over.”
“I would expect nothing less. See you at seven.”
Rachel hung up the phone and allowed herself a dreamy, stupid sigh. Yeah, she was losing it. Over a guy.
Worse yet, she was enjoying it.
This called for reinforcements. She texted Ana and Melody immediately: Help. I’m second-guessing my ability to pick out my own clothes. Are you free? I’ve only got nine hours to figure it out.
Ana came back immediately: I can’t believe you put it off this long! I’m going into a client meeting, but I could do a quick lunch break. Noon at Cherry Creek mall?
Done. Meet you at the Starbucks in the middle. Not that her already-stretched nerves needed caffeination, but the landmark was a good jumping-off point for every wing of the upscale shopping mall.
Testing the last recipe would have to wait. It was ten o’clock now. She had just enough time to get a pedicure —something else she never did —before meeting Ana to pick something appropriately pretty for her first real date with Alex.
Two hours later, her toes were ready to see the light of day, primped and softened and sporting a neutral pink polish —the pedicurist’s suggestion, given that she hadn’t yet picked an outfit.
When she arrived, her friend was already waiting with a cup of coffee in hand, dressed in a stylish black business suit with sky-high patent leather heels. She rose when she saw Rachel.
“Melody couldn’t come?”
“No, I’m here. I just needed to get tea.” Melody appeared behind Rachel, holding a paper cup. “Commence Operation Date Night.”
“Look. My toes are pretty.” Rachel wiggled her feet in her flip-flops, earning a grin from Melody and an arm around the shoulder from Ana.
“I’m so proud. All of our teaching has paid off, Mel.” Ana hiked her handbag over her shoulder, back to no-nonsense field marshal. “Now. I have exactly an hour before I have to get back to the office, but we’re going to find you something to wear if we have to look at every last store in the mall.”
It wasn’t far off. Rachel stopped counting stores at eight, and it was several more after that when they found something appropriately mystery-date-night-ish. She really needed to overhaul her wardrobe if she was going to stay on the “outside” much longer. Having to drag her friends shopping every time there was an event was going to get old quickly. She would let them dress her and buy everything they suggested —if Rachel picked it off the rack, it looked awful on her. If Melody or Ana picked it, it looked great. Thank goodness she hadn’t decided to go it alone.
“All right, hon,” Ana said, giving her a tight squeeze. “I have to run. I want all the details when you get home tonight.”
“Promise.” Rachel looked at Melody. “You have to go too?”
“Yeah, I’ve got a job interview. This place is killing me. They really need two bakers, but it’s cheaper for them to demand overtime from me.”
A pang of guilt struck Rachel. She’d been so focused on Alex that she’d forgotten why she was doing the supper club in the first place. “Melody, you know the minute I have my own place again and can hire you back —”
“I know.” Melody gave her a quick hug. “But I also know that takes time and I have to pay rent. So I need to find a place that pays well without these crushing hours.”
“Good luck. Call me if they need a reference.”
“I will.” But they both knew she wouldn’t. Before, possibly. But an Instagram success didn’t erase Rachel’s bad press.
“Don’t start feeling guilty now,” Ana murmured. “She knows what she’s doing. She’ll be fine.”
Ana was right, but it still didn’t erase Rachel’s feeling of guilt as she drove home. It had been so easy to forget why she was doing this whole thing. Not only for herself, but for all the people depending on her. Yes, most of them still had a job, but she had brought them to Paisley from secure positions at established restaurants, promising them good pay, long-term stability, a different environment than the punishing kitchens in which they’d been working. It never occurred to her that she might not be able to offer what she didn’t have herself.
To be honest, she hadn’t thought about Paisley in a while. The menu development had staved off the anxiety she often felt outside of work. It no longer hurt to drive by her colleagues’ restaurants during the supper rush.
What did that mean, exactly?
Rachel puttered around her house, putting things in order while she waited for the clock’s hands to crawl around its face toward date time. Finally, at four thirty, she drew herself a bath, sprinkled in some fragrant salts that had been a Christmas gift from Melody, and let herself enjoy the luxury of free time. She lingered until the water got cold and then climbed out and began the process of hair and makeup that she usually abhorred. For someone who had gone nearly a decade without ever dressing up for a guy, it hadn’t taken her long to abandon those ideals.
She primped and painted and curled until she looked suitably ready for anything he might have prepared. The dress had ended up being Melody’s choice, a pretty blue chiffon that gathered at the neck, then tied at the waist before flowing to her sandaled feet. Not too dressy, not too casual. She’d left her hair loose and curled in big waves over her bare shoulders and put a couple of metallic bangles on her right wrist. At the last minute, she changed her mind about the coral lipstick and instead put on a nude color dabbed with lip gloss. Perfect. She didn’t look like she was trying too hard. She still felt like herself, but this was the Rachel who went out on romantic dates with handsome men, a Rachel with whom she was not yet acquainted.
The doorbell rang promptly at seven, and Rachel took a deep breath to calm herself before she opened the door. “Hi.”
“Hi.” Alex stood there, as impeccably put together as usual in the casual Colorado date uniform she’d seen over and over in the restaurant: jeans, dark T-shirt, dark sport coat. Somehow on him, it looked natural and handsome. He leaned forward, making her heart jump into her throat, but his lips just lightly brushed her cheek. She inhaled his scent, amazed that it had so quickly become familiar, oddly comforting. Then he straightened and looked at her for a long moment.
She shifted under the gaze. “What?”
“You look beautiful.”
“You don’t look half bad yourself.” Which was understating it by at least half. “Ready to go?”
He moved toward her again, but this time he simply reached for her hand and entwined his fingers through hers, which jolted her heart as abruptly as a kiss would have. “Yes. But first, do you trust me?”