[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Anyone else starving? I need dinner soon, or I m
simply going to waste away. Talking about and
playing with food all day long makes me hungry.
Annie, no wonder we re poor. Feeding you is a
major expense.
Ricky spoke up. If anyone else wants Chinese
for dinner, I could run over to Mandarin Palace.
No need. They deliver now, Annie said.
Does anyone else here find it highly ironic that,
considering we re caterers, we eat an awful lot of
other places takeout food? Jackson said with a
laugh, wringing a smile from a harried-looking Lena.
What s worse is that I have all these places on
my speed-dial. I guess it s an occupational problem,
kind of like the cobbler s children having no shoes,
she said.
188
Kung Pao Chicken now! Kung Pao Chicken
now! Annie said, pounding her crutches in time
with the chant.
What s everyone else want? Lena picked up
the phone.
Mmmm, Spicy Beef in Garlic Sauce? Ricky
suggested.
If you eat that, Ricky, I ll not be kissing you
tonight, Annie teased.
Your loss. It s my favorite, Ricky shot back,
trying to look stern but failing.
Jackson asked, How about you, Lena? What s
your fave?
Hunan Spicy Special Fish, Hunan Special Spicy
Fried Fish, or whatever it s called.
Say that three times fast, Annie giggled.
Jackson scribbled on a pad of paper, All right.
Here s the order. You want to call it in?
Sure. Lena made the call. They ll be here in
twenty minutes. I want to clean up a little before
the food arrives. Everyone okay with taking a break
till after dinner?
Three of the foursome cleaned up after dinner.
Annie had moved to the sitting room, her cast and
leg propped up to ease the swelling. She d grown
quiet during dinner, and Lena knew from long
experience that her sister wasn t feeling well. She
pestered Annie to take a painkiller until she gave in,
rolling her eyes but making no other protest. As the
rest of them cleaned dishes and took out garbage,
Lena noticed that Ricky s attention kept straying to
the other room, where Annie rested, silent and
subdued.
Jackson, would you mind if I came over instead
of Ricky to help you with the roast beef roll-ups
tonight? Ricky, it would be great if you would stay
here and take care of Annie. Both of you should be
in bed by ten if we re going to start working by
seven tomorrow morning.
189
I don t mind being in bed even earlier if Ricky
doesn t, Annie said with a sneaky grin.
Lena answered, I mean in bed as in asleep.
You need extra rest to heal. Now, we need a shower
schedule, since this house has only one bathroom.
Annie, it s going to take you longer than usual. We ll
have to cover your cast with something waterproof.
You can use the shower chair as well. I ll get up
before five-thirty to take my shower, put the coffee
on, and so on. Then I ll come up and wake you, and
help you get cleaned up and dressed. Ricky, it
would be easier if you could pop by your place to
wash up.
190
Chapter Fifteen
No need, Jackson interrupted. He can shower
at Yankee Elegance. I have a full bath there, and it s
closer than his home.
Fine with me, Ricky said.
Take towels and any other supplies you need
from here, Ricky. And thank you again for all your
assistance while Annie and I heal. Lena limped
around the kitchen quickly, showing off. See, I m
much better than I was yesterday. In a day or two
I ll be able to take over Annie s care.
Quit talking about me as if I m unconscious or
dead! Annie yelled. Ignoring her, Lena continued,
We have plenty of food for tomorrow s breakfast.
Jackson, you re welcome to eat here when you
arrive, if you want.
I may pick something up in my travels. I ll see
how it goes tomorrow morning, Jackson said. If
we re done here, we should get started on those
roll-ups.
Agreed. Lena went into the sitting room and
kissed the top of her sister s head. Be a good kid
while I m gone, Annie, and don t harass Ricky too
much. No wild parties, now. She smiled at her
sister. The mean old dorm mother will be home
later, and I expect to find both of you asleep in,
ahem, different rooms.
Ricky blushed and looked away, and Annie, in a
rare show of embarrassment, pinked a little as well.
Okay. Don t worry, sis, we ll be good and won t
tear the house down.
I sure hope not, Lena called as she and
Jackson walked out the front door, Because it s
coming out of your allowance if you do.
Annie laughed. Okay, Mom.
___________________
Jackson offered Lena a ride over and back, thus
avoiding driving problems with her still-sore ankle.
191
The two of them remained quiet while he unlocked
his business s front door. Behind him in the dark,
she remembered the last time they d been standing
together at the door. Almost as if on cue, he turned
to face her, the angle of the streetlights turning his
face shadowy and mysterious. Her body seemed to
be drinking in his masculine scent through its pores,
drawn to it as the bee to the flower. Their eyes met.
He made a low rumbling sound, raising his hand to
touch her cheek.
His cell phone rang, startling them both. The
mood broken, he flipped on the lights while
answering the call. A muttered Hello? was
followed by a growling Bye.
Wrong number.
Oh, she responded, not sure whether either of
them was grateful or displeased with the timing of
the call.
At least, it wasn t Bradley on the phone. Shall
we get to work? Jackson asked.
The professional in Lena responded. Yes. I ll
mix up the spread we re going to use. I assume
you ve got mayo, sour cream, and horseradish? Oh,
and sliced or chopped olives, too.
Sure, in that fridge over there. The olives are
whole but pitted, and I ve got a food processor on
the counter next to the fridge. Jackson removed
the beef roast from another refrigerator and began
slicing it thinly.
Y know, It might be better if we wait until
tomorrow to assemble the roll-ups. The tortillas will
get soggy, she said while measuring ingredients for
the spread.
I wasn t planning to use any kind of bread I d
spread the filling on one side of the beef, then roll
up each slice and secure it with two toothpicks. I
could cut each rolled-up slice in half, making each
of them about two bites large. That way folks can
hold them by the toothpick while they eat them.
Jackson pantomimed eating a roll-up.
192
Even so, I think we should wait until tomorrow
to spread this stuff on the meat. It might soak in
too much, worried Lena.
Jackson stopped slicing. You re right. Sorry.
You re the one with the injured sister distracting
you, yet you re thinking more clearly than I am. I
guess I dragged you over here for nothing. I ll take
you home as soon as I finish what I m doing, if you
don t mind waiting.
No problem. I ll whip up the spread, and then
stack the slices. Besides, I m sure Annie and Ricky
are pleased to have a little time alone.
Jackson s face imitated a swoon. Ah, young
love, too young to know the dangerous pitfalls that
lie ahead. The bitter undertone of his voice made
her look his way.
Unlucky in love? she asked, mentally kicking [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl wyciskamy.pev.pl
Anyone else starving? I need dinner soon, or I m
simply going to waste away. Talking about and
playing with food all day long makes me hungry.
Annie, no wonder we re poor. Feeding you is a
major expense.
Ricky spoke up. If anyone else wants Chinese
for dinner, I could run over to Mandarin Palace.
No need. They deliver now, Annie said.
Does anyone else here find it highly ironic that,
considering we re caterers, we eat an awful lot of
other places takeout food? Jackson said with a
laugh, wringing a smile from a harried-looking Lena.
What s worse is that I have all these places on
my speed-dial. I guess it s an occupational problem,
kind of like the cobbler s children having no shoes,
she said.
188
Kung Pao Chicken now! Kung Pao Chicken
now! Annie said, pounding her crutches in time
with the chant.
What s everyone else want? Lena picked up
the phone.
Mmmm, Spicy Beef in Garlic Sauce? Ricky
suggested.
If you eat that, Ricky, I ll not be kissing you
tonight, Annie teased.
Your loss. It s my favorite, Ricky shot back,
trying to look stern but failing.
Jackson asked, How about you, Lena? What s
your fave?
Hunan Spicy Special Fish, Hunan Special Spicy
Fried Fish, or whatever it s called.
Say that three times fast, Annie giggled.
Jackson scribbled on a pad of paper, All right.
Here s the order. You want to call it in?
Sure. Lena made the call. They ll be here in
twenty minutes. I want to clean up a little before
the food arrives. Everyone okay with taking a break
till after dinner?
Three of the foursome cleaned up after dinner.
Annie had moved to the sitting room, her cast and
leg propped up to ease the swelling. She d grown
quiet during dinner, and Lena knew from long
experience that her sister wasn t feeling well. She
pestered Annie to take a painkiller until she gave in,
rolling her eyes but making no other protest. As the
rest of them cleaned dishes and took out garbage,
Lena noticed that Ricky s attention kept straying to
the other room, where Annie rested, silent and
subdued.
Jackson, would you mind if I came over instead
of Ricky to help you with the roast beef roll-ups
tonight? Ricky, it would be great if you would stay
here and take care of Annie. Both of you should be
in bed by ten if we re going to start working by
seven tomorrow morning.
189
I don t mind being in bed even earlier if Ricky
doesn t, Annie said with a sneaky grin.
Lena answered, I mean in bed as in asleep.
You need extra rest to heal. Now, we need a shower
schedule, since this house has only one bathroom.
Annie, it s going to take you longer than usual. We ll
have to cover your cast with something waterproof.
You can use the shower chair as well. I ll get up
before five-thirty to take my shower, put the coffee
on, and so on. Then I ll come up and wake you, and
help you get cleaned up and dressed. Ricky, it
would be easier if you could pop by your place to
wash up.
190
Chapter Fifteen
No need, Jackson interrupted. He can shower
at Yankee Elegance. I have a full bath there, and it s
closer than his home.
Fine with me, Ricky said.
Take towels and any other supplies you need
from here, Ricky. And thank you again for all your
assistance while Annie and I heal. Lena limped
around the kitchen quickly, showing off. See, I m
much better than I was yesterday. In a day or two
I ll be able to take over Annie s care.
Quit talking about me as if I m unconscious or
dead! Annie yelled. Ignoring her, Lena continued,
We have plenty of food for tomorrow s breakfast.
Jackson, you re welcome to eat here when you
arrive, if you want.
I may pick something up in my travels. I ll see
how it goes tomorrow morning, Jackson said. If
we re done here, we should get started on those
roll-ups.
Agreed. Lena went into the sitting room and
kissed the top of her sister s head. Be a good kid
while I m gone, Annie, and don t harass Ricky too
much. No wild parties, now. She smiled at her
sister. The mean old dorm mother will be home
later, and I expect to find both of you asleep in,
ahem, different rooms.
Ricky blushed and looked away, and Annie, in a
rare show of embarrassment, pinked a little as well.
Okay. Don t worry, sis, we ll be good and won t
tear the house down.
I sure hope not, Lena called as she and
Jackson walked out the front door, Because it s
coming out of your allowance if you do.
Annie laughed. Okay, Mom.
___________________
Jackson offered Lena a ride over and back, thus
avoiding driving problems with her still-sore ankle.
191
The two of them remained quiet while he unlocked
his business s front door. Behind him in the dark,
she remembered the last time they d been standing
together at the door. Almost as if on cue, he turned
to face her, the angle of the streetlights turning his
face shadowy and mysterious. Her body seemed to
be drinking in his masculine scent through its pores,
drawn to it as the bee to the flower. Their eyes met.
He made a low rumbling sound, raising his hand to
touch her cheek.
His cell phone rang, startling them both. The
mood broken, he flipped on the lights while
answering the call. A muttered Hello? was
followed by a growling Bye.
Wrong number.
Oh, she responded, not sure whether either of
them was grateful or displeased with the timing of
the call.
At least, it wasn t Bradley on the phone. Shall
we get to work? Jackson asked.
The professional in Lena responded. Yes. I ll
mix up the spread we re going to use. I assume
you ve got mayo, sour cream, and horseradish? Oh,
and sliced or chopped olives, too.
Sure, in that fridge over there. The olives are
whole but pitted, and I ve got a food processor on
the counter next to the fridge. Jackson removed
the beef roast from another refrigerator and began
slicing it thinly.
Y know, It might be better if we wait until
tomorrow to assemble the roll-ups. The tortillas will
get soggy, she said while measuring ingredients for
the spread.
I wasn t planning to use any kind of bread I d
spread the filling on one side of the beef, then roll
up each slice and secure it with two toothpicks. I
could cut each rolled-up slice in half, making each
of them about two bites large. That way folks can
hold them by the toothpick while they eat them.
Jackson pantomimed eating a roll-up.
192
Even so, I think we should wait until tomorrow
to spread this stuff on the meat. It might soak in
too much, worried Lena.
Jackson stopped slicing. You re right. Sorry.
You re the one with the injured sister distracting
you, yet you re thinking more clearly than I am. I
guess I dragged you over here for nothing. I ll take
you home as soon as I finish what I m doing, if you
don t mind waiting.
No problem. I ll whip up the spread, and then
stack the slices. Besides, I m sure Annie and Ricky
are pleased to have a little time alone.
Jackson s face imitated a swoon. Ah, young
love, too young to know the dangerous pitfalls that
lie ahead. The bitter undertone of his voice made
her look his way.
Unlucky in love? she asked, mentally kicking [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]