Just as my foot hit the step to walk down to the train, an unfamiliar number flashed across my cell phone screen—I prayed it was Courtney and felt good knowing my prayers were answered when it, in fact, turned out to be her. After the small talk was over, she addressed why she’d called.
“Renee tells me you’re interested in starting your own business and I was wondering if you’d be willing to come talk to us, even though it’s not the exact model you wanted to use.”
“Sure, we can talk. When would you like me to come?”
“Chase is resting right now, but how does three o’clock sound?”
“Okay. Let me have your address and I’ll see you then.”
When we finished, I keyed in Renee’s phone number. “Can you watch Bailey while I go talk to Courtney about working for Chase?”
“Oh good,” the words streamed in with excitement. “Sure, bring her over now so you can get ready to go. Wear something that shows off your green eyes.”
“Renee, I’m not auditioning for a modeling job. I’m talking to them about using my service.”
“I know, but your eyes are so beautiful with those thick lashes and are so alluring next to your light-brown hair. I just want them to get the full effect of your beauty. They’ll think a beautiful model walked into their home and they won’t be able to resist.”
“You’re ridiculous,” I said shaking my head. “The only thing they need to know is whether I can cook and if I want the job. I’m on my way over to your place now.”
“Oh trust me, you’ll want the job,” Renee said before disconnecting.
I took in a deep breath and released it before I pressed the buzzer. My heart was pounding so rapidly you would have thought I’d been running in the New York City Marathon. The funny thing is that I couldn’t really explain why I was so nervous. Yeah, right. Who was I kidding? I’d been dreaming about him for days and had even resorted to immature fantasies like some teenage groupie knowing I’d actually be seeing Chase Walker in the flesh for the first time. My sweaty palms confirmed my suspicion. I rubbed my hands on my skirt and paused the video playing out in my mind when Courtney opened the door and I entered into her beautiful apartment in awe.
The decorating was tastefully done with bright colors on coordinating walls. In the living room there were two beige sofas facing one another and separated by a coffee table with a wicker center encased in a pecan-colored wood frame. Two-toned royal blue throw pillows adorned the sofas and chairs, and bookshelves ran from ceiling to floor with treasured vases and photos. My eyes scanned the room and gave me a serene feeling from the green plants and trees that had been appropriately placed to offset the lighter upholstered furniture. An Andy Warhol painting hung from over the mantel and gave little question as to its authenticity. It felt good to be surrounded by such elegance.
Courtney rambled on about Renee and how wonderful she was and how they’d met—a tale I’d heard many times over from my sister. I barely heard a word except when Chase’s name was mentioned, which caused me to stand a little straighter and focus more intently.
“Okay, that’s enough of a visit down memory lane.” She cleared her throat. “We’re so glad you could make it. Thank you.” She patted my arm. “Before we go in to meet Chase, I need to give you a brief history first.”
“That’s fine,” I said, “but I have to be honest, I’m feeling a little intimidated about meeting a celebrity.”
“Oh Lord, don’t even go there. He’s not that big a deal. I mean, seriously”—she raised her palm in the air—“you don’t see the media hiding out anywhere, do you?” She laughed. “And you certainly won’t think so when you see how awful he looks. His hair’s a mess and sticking up all over the place.” She laughed. “He’s one of us.” I guess my expression wasn’t too convincing. “Really, he is.” She lowered her voice. “This hasn’t been easy for either of us. First off, we have this sibling rivalry thing going on between us since childhood; he’s not happy with his current condition, and I’m no cook. That upsets him—he wants a home-cooked meal. The closest I come to being a chef de jour is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He’s already tired of the supermarket-prepared foods, which is fine if you’re in a hurry, but after a while everything begins to taste the same.” She stopped talking for a minute, but then opened her mouth to say something and stopped.
“What? Say what’s on your mind.”
“I should warn you he’s not happy about having a stranger take care of him, regardless of my association with Renee. He’s paranoid about hiring someone like those star-struck women who follow celebrities around and worried whoever he hires will be feeding his personal information to the tabloids.”
I almost laughed out loud but forced myself to hold back. This guy was beginning to sound like an egotistic jerk. I feigned understanding. “I’m sure that’s completely normal for someone of his caliber, but let me assure you, I’m not one of those—I don’t have time for such nonsense.” Hearing about his egotism certainly helped to bring me back down to earth—in a crash landing, I might add.
“I hope I haven’t scared you away,” Courtney continued, “but in fairness, I wanted you to know what you’re up against.” She made a face. “Okay, let’s go into the bedroom before he gets suspicious. If he’s not allowed to give his input, he’ll have you running for the hills before you complete the first hour of service.”
My heart was pounding again, only this time it had nothing to do with meeting the celebrity I’d just dreamed about—it had to do with clearing a path to run out the door while my dignity was still intact.
We entered the room. Chase was watching a NASCAR race on television. Courtney called out to him and he turned his head toward us. He grimaced before his eyes gave me the once-over. His mouth curved into a polite smile, making me feel slightly insecure that he might have already made up his mind that he wasn’t going to like me. I might have done the same thing in those few minutes after Courtney and I’d spoken. One look at him and I almost cracked up in laughter. Seeing this big strong man everyone labeled as a Sprint Cup Series contender sleeping in a canopied bed struck me funny. But I refrained from showing any emotion. “Jamie, this is my brother Chase.”
I extended my hand. His face was unshaven and his coiffure was classic bed head, but his deep blue eyes offered a nice contrast against his dark hair. He smiled and the deep dimple in his left cheek made me smile. Judging from what I’d heard about him from his sister, his good looks were his only redeeming quality. His right arm and leg were in casts. The cast on his leg, obviously the worst of the two, was from hip to ankle. He gave me a grunt instead of a hello as he extended his left hand.
“I’m sorry to hear of your accident,” I offered, trying to be nice.
“Thanks, I’m not happy about it either,” he responded—quite arrogantly, I thought. “Tell me about your service. What’s your name again?”
“Jamie.”
“Okay, what do you offer?”
“Actually, the type of service I offer is different from the one you want, so I’d like to hear what you have in mind so I can determine whether I can accommodate your needs.”
“Fine. I need someone to cook good food for me. I’m so sick of the rotten food Courtney’s been feeding me, and the first thing I want is a big juicy steak smothered with a blue cheese sauce over top. Breakfast, that’s another thing. I want real eggs, not that processed garbage in the container she’s been using…and I don’t want them nuked,” he emphasized and shot a confrontational look toward his sister. “I’m going to want you to clean the house for my sister as well as me because I can’t stand living in a mess. I want my bedding changed every three days, a shower every day, sometimes twice, my clothing laundered and ironed right away, and to make sure I take my medicine on time.”
“Don’t you have a nurse who comes in to handle the meds and your bathing?”
“I did, but I fired her.”
“Well, I don’t have a problem giving you your me
ds, but I won’t bathe you or change your clothes.”
“Then why did you come here?”
I found his arrogance offensive and it was a good thing because those delusional thoughts I’d had earlier belly flopped like a first-time dive. “I thought you wanted good food. If that’s not the case, then I’ll be on my way.” I stood to leave.
“All right, all right, don’t get yourself all worked up. My main objective is good food.”
“I don’t really need to be here for that,” I said. “If good food is all you want from me then I can cook your food and deliver it. I’ve just rented a restaurant kitchen for that very reason.”
“Are you saying you have other customers too?”
“I currently have two customers I cook for.” I exaggerated a tad.
“Well, how are you going to do that and take care of me too?”
“I’m here to find out all the particulars before I make a decision on what I want to do.”
“Oh, I see. Starstruck, are you?”
I laughed. “No, Mr. Walker. That’s the last thing on my mind. I’m here because our sisters are good friends, I have a business that I’m trying to establish, and they both thought I might be able to help you.”
“So this is a duty call?”
“Geez, Chase,” Courtney blasted. “What are you trying to do here?”
“Well, I don’t want anyone who doesn’t want to be here to take care of me.”
“I can assure you, Mr. Walker, I’ll treat you with the same respect I extend to all my clients.”
“But you don’t want to be here, isn’t that right?”
“Would I prefer to service a variety of clients as opposed to just one? Yes, I would. That said, you’re not going to be in this bed forever. Six weeks, correct?”
“Something like that. Maybe less if I can get out of this bed and exercise. But what about cleaning the place? How are you going to do that if you have other customers?” He shook his head. “I want someone who’s a dedicated servant.” I tried to ignore the title he was passing out so belligerently. “Name your price—I can afford it and I’ll bet it’ll be more than you’re making now. So what’s your choice?”
Little did he know any amount of money was better than I was making now. “Okay, let’s make sure I’m clear on what you expect from me.” I reiterated what he’d said a few minutes earlier.
“That’s correct…oh, and you’ll probably have to take me back and forth to the doctor’s office.”
“I don’t have a car—I use public transportation,” I said. Of course that was partially true because I hadn’t sold my car yet, but he didn’t need to know that. The last thing I wanted was to have an accident with him in the car; he’d be all over me with a lawsuit.
“Why can’t you hire a limo service to handle those visits?”
“I suppose I could, but they won’t be as gentle as you’d be and I don’t want anyone messing up my body and pushing my recovery back. I need to get back to work as soon as I can. So are you in or not?”
“I thought you wanted to be sure I really wanted this job.”
“I did…I mean, I do. So what’s your answer, Ms. Burke?”
“Well, there’s one thing you need to know if I decide to take you on. I’ve recently been named guardian of my three-year-old niece. If I’m changing my format of service to accommodate you, then I’d need to bring her to work with me.”
“Whoa, whoa.” His left hand went up. “I don’t want a three-year-old brat whining and running around here.”
The more he spoke, the more my anxiety escalated and it took everything I had to maintain my cool. My instinct was to give it back to him in spades, but I took the high road. “First of all, Mr. Walker, my niece is not a brat,” I said holding my finger down with the other hand before it sprang up and pointed at him like a scolding mother. “She’s a well-mannered child whose mother just recently passed away and she’s not quite sure what to make of—”
Chase interrupted. “Why can’t you put her in preschool or hire someone to take care of her?”
I stood up. “I’m sorry Mr. Walker, but I don’t think this will work.” I turned and walked out of the room. Courtney ran after me.
“Oh, Jamie, please don’t leave. He’s not quite himself today.”
“I’m sorry, but I think his oversized ego is way too much for me to handle,” I retorted, my hand on the doorknob. “I’m still getting over my sister’s death and my lifestyle change. Thanks for calling.” I pulled the door open and walked outside as the sound of Courtney’s raised voice blasted and the door shut behind me.
I stewed all the way to the 23rd Street exit and walked the few blocks to Third Avenue where Renee lived. I had no doubt those watching me knew I was angry by my aggressive stride as my feet hit the pavement.
As soon as Bailey saw me, she ran into my arms. “I missed you, Ann Amie,” she said, kissing my cheek and melting my heart. After that, it didn’t take long for my anger to wash away. “Want to come to my tea party?” she asked.
“Absolutely, but can I just talk to Aunt Nene first?”
“Okay, but hurry.” Renee and I both grinned at her imitation of me.
“So how did you make out?” she asked.
I scoffed. “You kidding me?” My anger was building again. “I wouldn’t work for that jerk if he was the last person left in the world.” My hands were flying all over the place. “He’s arrogant, he’s rude, he’s egotistical, and he doesn’t want Bailey at his house. He thinks she should go to pre-school. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, he wants someone to clean house, do the laundry, change his linens every third day, cook him three meals a day, cart his keister back and forth to the doctor’s, help him bathe, and dole out his meds.”
“This is really about Bailey, isn’t it?”
“You’re darn right it’s about Bailey.”
“Then let me watch her.”
“I told you before, I’m trying to establish a strong bond between the two of us, and if he doesn’t want her, he doesn’t want me.”
“Spoken like a true mother.” She reached over and hugged me.
Grind the coffee beans and dump them into a rectangular container and imagine dumping him into it too—only with Mr. I-Think-I’m-Hot-Stuff, you’d put the lid over top to smother him. And no wonder he’s still single. Unfortunately, he’s so used to ordering people around, he hasn’t figured out he can get more with honey than with vinegar. Add the remaining ingredients and mix to combine.
Cut the fat off of the beef, and try not to fling it at him or Renee for recommending you. Of course, you agreed, so you may not be entitled to an apology if that’s what you were hoping she’d do. Dampen a paper towel and wipe the steaks on both sides and pat dry. Coat the tenderloins in the coffee mixture, pressing hard to make sure they’re coated evenly.
So get over your snit and melt the butter and olive oil in a frying pan and brown the meat on both sides until a nice crust forms. Shut off the burner, cover the pan with a lid, and allow the steaks to finish cooking to perfection—brown on the outside, pink in the center, approximately five minutes. Serves two.
I watched the interaction between Bailey and Cassie as she prepared to leave for work. She caught my eye. “I really miss you at the shop. Gabi’s doing better with the classes, but she sure needs a lot of training.”
“I miss being there too, Cass, but you know I have to do this.”
“Of course I do. I was just letting you know you’re missed. Any luck with the start-up of your business?”
“No,” I groaned.
“What happened to Mike and his family?”
“He’s still working on his wife. Can you believe it?”
“Well, from what you said, he did overstep his boundary. Besides, that wouldn’t have been a good work environment for you anyway.”
“I know, but I’m just feeling so deflated.”
“I’m sure. What happened to the gift certificate and the dry cleaning guy?”
I snickered. “His mother was upset he spent so much money and wanted a refund. It turns out, the son is extremely immature and, I have no doubt, a handful. He only wanted a free dinner the night he called.”
“Are you giving them a refund?”
“I already did, and I grabbed that dinner I made for him right off the seat and took it with me.” I laughed.
“Good girl, don’t let anyone take advantage of you.”
I shook my head. “And then, I had an appointment with the most obnoxious egotistical Chase Walker, the NASCAR driver. Well, that meeting went down the dumper with a huge thud when he heard I needed to bring Bailey with me.”
“Oh, Josh is going to be so jealous that you’ve met him. He loves that guy. But wow, it’s disappointing he’s such a jerk. I’m sorry you’re not having much luck. Hey, I have a catering job next week. Want to work it with me?” she asked.
“Oh, I’d love to. Thank you! I’m getting so antsy waiting for something to happen, and cooking for a large group would definitely help ease the tension.”
“Do you want to stop over at the shop for the menu, or should I bring it home?”
“I’ll make a trip over later today with Bailey, if that’s okay.”
“Sure.” Cassie pulled the door open. “Bye, Bailey.” Bailey slid off the sofa and ambled over to Cassie, her eyes still on the television screen. “See you later, pretty girl.” Bailey waved and rushed to climb back on the sofa.
I returned to the kitchen and refilled my cup with coffee and sat down with the newspaper when I heard the doorbell buzz. I checked through the peephole and saw nothing but flowers. Curious, I opened the door.
“Delivery for Jamie Burke.”
“Ooh, what beautiful flowers. Are you sure these are for me?”
“If your name is Jamie Burke, they are.”
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