by Minx Charmer
“Am I? And you are the head of the chili competition, so does that mean you are moving to Sunnyvale to settle down and make a life here?”
When he didn’t respond, Molly added “See? So, this little game or whatever you want to call it, is very distasteful to me and I am not playing it anymore” With a firm click Molly replaced the receiver and went in search of Daisy.
~~~
Lionel felt on edge and that made him more disgruntled. Why he felt nervous did not sit well with him, but after he spoke to the girl he had no doubt he would feel much better. He would be sure to impress upon her the need to stay away from his son. That way Julian could come back to his senses. Surely he didn’t want to throw away his future on a small town girl that would be unable to…-
“Hello Sir, you wanted to see me?’
The soft, spoken words brought Lionel’s thoughts to a standstill and he turned slowly. Whatever he expected, it wasn’t the girl that stood before him. She emanated kindness, love and dignity which he did not expect, but it was the look in her eyes that stunned him even more. He had lost count of how many times Elenora’s eyes had stared at him with the same degree of wariness but hope, until the day he asked her to be his bride. Shaking his head to dispel his late wife’s memory, Lionel struggled to remember what he needed to say. “Yes, I wanted to see you to talk about… I need to talk about my son, Julian.”
Molly gasped out loud. This was Lionel Chambers? She had never met him before, although she had seen photographs in the local newspapers. He had aged well, but she noted tired lines and deep grooves which marred his appearance considerably. He seemed rather lost and very much alone. Feelings of sympathy welled in Molly’s heart and on an impulse she walked over and gave him a quick hug.
Surprised, Lionel returned the embrace struggling to decide how to tell the girl to leave Julian alone. “Molly, um, thanks. It’s been a long time since anyone has embraced me. I was actually visiting to tell you, I need you to know that Julian is, well it seems as though he, well the point is…”
Molly’s laughter broke the ice and she suddenly felt at ease. “It’s all right Mr. Chambers. I know what you need to say, but I need you to know that I love that man. I have from the moment I met him all those years ago and no matter what, I can’t seem to pull him out of my heart. Can you understand that?”
Lionel nodded, overwhelmed with emotions. Of course he could understand. He felt the same way when he met Elenora so he could relate to Molly’s feelings. “Forgive me my dear. I did not know. I only wished I had met you years ago. A lot of wasted time would have been avoided.” Raising Molly’s hand he kissed it tenderly and whispered “Julian is a fool and doesn’t know what he’s missing. I will bid you farewell.”
Molly watched his departure with mixed feelings. On the one hand she felt elated to know that Julian’s father did not appear to dislike her, but Julian’s feelings were another matter. Would he forgive her or would his bitterness doom them both?
When Daisy appeared, Molly thanked her and returned to the kitchen. It was time to get her work done for the day and then later, she would have time to mull over the day’s events.
~~~
The Sanderson’s house party was in full swing. Almost the entire town has turned out and the people were scattered over the Victorian style estate, from one end to the other. The grounds were well kept with wide open spaces, cherry blossom trees, attractive ponds with water lilies and ornate gazebos.
Molly helped to prepare the food and she was happy to note that everyone seemed to enjoy it. The host and hostess were pleased with the success of the event and congratulated her on a job well done.
When Yolanda appeared in a tight, gold, tube dress with large, gold, hoop earrings Molly rolled her eyes and pulled her friend into a corner “What were you thinking wearing a get up like that?”
Yolanda brushed off her concerns “I have thought of making an impression Ms. Prim. You are the one who is spoken for, not me. So I think it is time that I found a Romeo of my own. May I remind you that the whole town is here, including the love of your life? Have you seen him?”
Molly shook her head “No, if he’s here, he’s avoiding me like the plague. Anyway I have work to do. I see the grilled, fish platter is getting low. Be right back.”
~~~
Julian watched Molly from a distance. He had been observing her most of the night, but could not find a reason to approach her without feeling like a heel. He keenly remembered their last encounter and it brought a sour feeling to his stomach. He had passed the line and needed to apologize, but the words were lodged in his throat.
“You might as well approach her you know. What is the fuss with all of this cloak and dagger business anyway? Just tell her you like her and end it. You ended it in a flash with me, so it can’t be that difficult.”
Julian turned to his companion. Valeria’s petulant pout and icy eyes did not faze him, but he could not blame her attitude. After all, she had waited for years on the promise that she would be the future bride of Templeton Manor, only to discover that the situation would be drastically different.
“Don’t scratch little cat. You have gotten enough gifts over the years to keep you in luxury for quite some time if you like, so put your wiles on little Tommy instead.”
With a huff, Valeria turned her head and searched the crowd. When she spotted Tommy she got up and walked away without a backward glance.
“Hey there Julian. Nice to see you. Mind if I sit down for a moment?”
A contrite Ethan sat next to Julian with a stack of papers in his hand. “I know you don’t like me right now, but I have some details on the chili competition and would like you to review them with me.”
“Show them to me; tell me what you need and then disappear.”
Ethan nodded. The man could cut to the bone just like knife. He hoped Molly knew what she was doing. “Sure, I’ll disappear and the moment the competition is over, I’ll be gone from Sunnyvale for good.”
Chapter 10
The announcement was made that the annual Bloomfield chili competition would be held at Templeton Manor at the start of the week. Participants were invited to share and present their best work, including the spiciest chili variety they could think of.
Rules were simple: Nothing was to be prepared before the competition. Everything was to be done on site. Cooking time was approximately three hours with a possible extension of one hour more. All utensils and ingredients were to be provided by each contestant and no outside assistance was permitted at the time of preparation.
A number would be assigned to each contestant and numbers could not be switched or changed between participants. The assigned judges would vote on flavor, texture, color and blends. The most unique presentation with the best tasting flavor, aroma and spices would undoubtedly win the competition.
Yolanda read the flyer and pulled a face “Well that counts me out. I couldn’t boil an egg much less cook a prize winning chili. What about you? I bet you would win in a heartbeat! Did you hear that Valeria is participating as well? Didn’t know she could cook anything, but life is full of surprises hmmm?”
Molly smiled. She had invited her girlfriend to spend a stress free, personal, spa day and to Yolanda’s credit, she did not object to Molly’s multiple beauty experiments.
“It sounds lovely, but I won’t be a contestant. Mother already told me that Julian is judge number two and I don’t think I can face him just yet. When we were at the house party, I thought he would cross my path, but he never did. So, that’s that as the saying goes. I have decided to leave again for the city. Perhaps I could bear another year there. Mother is happy at the manor and she and Rose are great friends. So I won’t have to worry about…-” Yolanda’s sudden cry stopped Molly in mid sentence.
“Molly my girl, listen to me. Just listen. I have it. I finally have the answer to your relationship problem with Julian.” Putting her hand to her forehead, Yolanda danced around as Molly stared at her in bemus
ement.
“Heavens! Why didn’t I think of this before? I know what you have to do and the competition is your ticket to do it. It is time that Julian had a good dose of a reality check and the only way to get to a man is through his stomach, yes?”
Molly shrugged “That may not apply to all men, but some do love their food I guess.”
“Rubbish and nonsense” Yolanda dismissed that comment with a wave of her hand “Men march on their stomach just like an army, so here is the deal. You have to participate but your meal will be special. So special that Julian will have no choice but to take notice, do you follow me?
“I have no clue what you are talking about. Care to explain what your grand plan is all about?”
Yolanda put her hands to her lips as her eyes glowed. “Shhhhhh….let me think and the moment I have it all fixed in my head, we will put our plan into action.”
~~~
Lionel watched the men work, as they erected the structure that would temporarily house the competition on the following day. It was a solid, white, canopy customarily used for weddings. The structure was located near the cherry blossoms tress and the yellow rose bushes, which presented quite a festive atmosphere. Large, square tables with white tablecloths were placed in rows, each adorned with beautiful blooms from the estate.
He was pleased to note how well the plants looked. Molly’s mother was exceptional at growing things and he decided to offer her a place at the estate for as long as she would like. Perhaps they could even participate in some kind of floral competition in the near future.
When Julian appeared, Lionel repeated his thoughts “I think we should have Belinda working here indefinitely. She reminds me of your mother’s touch when it comes to plants. Exceptional work really.”
Julian smiled in approval “Yes, they are beautiful father and I agree with your plan. I am glad that you were not upset with the competition being held here. I was worried it would cause a greater rift between us. I know how much you prefer isolation, but I think it is time to widen out a bit more, don’t you think?’
Lionel inclined his head. Yes, it was time to widen out but not for the reasons Julian assumed. With a new spring in his step, Lionel patted his son on the back and told him to get a good night’s rest. “Something tells me you’ll need it my boy.” With a deep chuckle he left Julian staring at him, with a curious expression on his face.
~~~
Molly could not sit still. Her legs shook, her lips trembled and her hands were fluttering like a hummingbird’s wing. She could not believe what Yolanda had convinced her to do. It was a bad idea, something would go wrong and if Julian found out, heaven forbid! With butterflies eating at her insides, Molly dialed Yolanda, relieved to hear her musical voice on the phone.
“Here I am girlfriend. Are you ready to get your man once and for all?”
Molly was not even close to being ready. With a tremor in her voice she sought reassurance for the unorthodox plan she would attempt to carry out “No, I am not ready. I am so not close to being ready. Are you certain this is a good plan? Suppose things go horrendously wrong? Suppose he ends up in the emergency room? Suppose…-”
“Enough of supposes” Yolanda interrupted with a no nonsense tone “It will not happen. You will simply do as you have been ordered to do. And if you carry out everything according to our plan, I am stressing our plan here, then all will be well, do you hear me?”
“But Yolanda, I have never done something like this before. It is not in my nature to pretend subterfuge or anything like it. Guilt will be written all across my face! You should know that.”
Yolanda appeared unconcerned “Get yourself ready and let me worry about the details. You just do what you do best and that’s cook. Now tootle pips. Ta –da.” And just like that, the phone went dead and Yolanda was gone.
Molly replaced the receiver and looked at herself in the mirror. Besides a little flush to her cheeks and bright eyes, everything seemed well. Appearances were truly deceiving.
~~~
The Bloomfield, Chili competition was in full swing and anyone who was anyone in Sunnyvale was present. There was a bit of overcrowding, but Lionel took it all in stride. If Templeton manor wanted to open up to the neighborhood, this was part of the deal.
A band had been hired to play classical music, as the children ran around the ponds chasing the ducks and tried to catch the fishes. There were thirty contestants and five different prizes offered: Horrendously Good Chili, Most Original Flavor Chili, Knock-your-socks-off Chili, Highway to the stars Chili and Finger-licking-good chili. The prize included a plaque with the contestant’s name and cash. Lionel chuckled. It should be quite an interesting competition from the looks of it. With a smile he returned to the library. The younger generation could have all of the fun they wanted. An older man preferred a bit of quiet and solitude.
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
It was almost time for the actual cooking to begin, but Molly’s jitters had not faded. If anything, they had increased to the point where her breathing was coming is short gasps. She only hoped she could pull of the stunt she had arranged with Yolanda because if not, Julian would never want to see her ever again.
After greeting her mother who was helping in the kitchen, Molly entered the contestant area and noted the judges in deep conversation. There were five of them and Julian was number two. She hadn’t seen him since the awful incident after Ethan’s sudden kiss, but the feeling of contempt lingered in her mind. She hoped he would never look at her in such a way again.
As contestant number seven, Molly made her way to the appropriate table when Ethan appeared. At the look in her eyes, he held up his hands in a peaceful gesture and smiled “Now, now, no fighting. I just wanted to take a moment and apologize for what happened. I really didn’t do so well when I spoke to you on the phone the other day, but I truly am sorry.”
Molly nodded and shook his hand “Thank you Ethan, we will agree to forget. I would actually like to congratulate you as well. This is quite a nice event you have organized. I didn’t realize that so many people would be here. Was that a television crew I saw when I arrived?”
“Yep, it sure was. They will ensure that the competition will be more of an international flavor shall we say? Especially since Julian will be one of the judges. Don’t imagine it will hurt the family business to be talked about on an international level, wouldn’t it?”
Molly shrugged “I really wouldn’t know about that. I don’t know what the family business really is.”
Ethan’s eyes widened with disbelief “You’re joking right? You don’t even know what he does for a living?”
“Nope. Never asked and no one ever said.” Molly replied with a sheepish grin.
Ethan laughed so hard the tears ran down his face. “Sorry about that. I can’t help it. After all these years of living here, I find it ironic that you don’t know what he does for a living. But, for your information, his family is into luxury cars. Manufacturing a certain type to be precise, but don’t ask me which kind. Ask him.”
Molly was surprised “Luxury cars? But I don’t see him driving any luxury cars here, except for the Bentley which belongs to his father.”
Ethan agreed “Yeah, probably doesn’t want to show off. Bet you its different when he’s abroad though. He can hold his own with the best of them. Probably better if you ask me. Well then, I just wanted to say sorry and to wish you well today. Mind if I ask what you are making?”
“Of course not. I will introduce you to my culinary arts, in the form of my Betsy-boot-kicking chili dish.”
“Whoa girl! What is a Betsy-boot what?”
It was Molly’s turn to laugh “Just go over there and let me get to work. Thank you Ethan for everything. In a way you did me a favor by getting some kind of reaction out of Julian. That in itself was worth it, I suppose.”
Ethan reached out and kissed Molly lightly on the cheek. “Best wishes to you Molly Makepeace. May all of your dreams come true.”
&
nbsp; “Why don’t you worry about your own dreams Mr. Brommel?” The icy tone cut through the air and Molly cringed in response. Not again. She hadn’t even noticed Julian’s approach, but this time his face said it all. To Ethan’s credit he did not appear ruffled at the comment. He simply winked at Molly and said his goodbyes.
“Perhaps you should focus on the competition instead of a man, don’t you think so Ms. Makepeace? That is if you can manage something as simple as that.” With those biting words, Julian turned away and melted into the crowds.
Molly bit the inside of her cheek. Fine! But, today he was going to hear her side of the story once and for all. Be patient my love, I promise you an experience you will never forget.
With determined movements, Molly put her jitters aside. She had a chili to make, a man to impress and hopefully the day would end much better than it had begun.