Death of a Christmas Caterer

by Lee Hollis

  “Senior office manager? Really, Sal? Is that what you chose to go with in order to lay this whole party off on me?”

  “I really do value you and what you do around here, Hayley. If I could make you a senior vice president of whatever, I would. I would do anything to keep you happy, but newspapers aren’t what they used to be, and our online traffic has been down ever since the Herald became Bar Harbor’s answer to TMZ, focusing on sleazy town gossip, and basically doubled their readership in four months. . . .”

  “You’re really going to stick me with planning the Christmas party at the very last minute, Sal?”

  Sal took a deep breath and then let out a whoosh of air. “No, you’re right. It’s not fair to place the burden on you. This was my screwup. I’ll handle it. I’ll just cancel the party this year. I’m sure everyone will understand.”

  Sal lowered his head and slinked away.

  Before he left the front office, Hayley stopped him. “Sal, wait. Okay, you win. I will take over the party. I’ve heard great things about Garth Rawlings. He catered a dinner party I attended a few months ago and his food was delicious. Maybe he can whip up a few hors d’oeuvres for us at the last minute.”

  “Whatever you think is best, Hayley. I trust you. Just make sure everybody has a good time, since the Christmas bonuses are going to be so low this year,” Sal said before escaping to his office.

  That’s just what Hayley did not want to hear—a paltry Christmas bonus.

  She was counting on a decent amount in order to pay off her credit card bills and maybe have a few dollars left over to get her hair done in case she was invited to a swanky New Year’s Eve party.

  A girl can dream, can’t she?

  She glanced at the clock: almost noon. She had thirty hours to pull together a memorable Christmas party. If anyone could deliver mouthwatering holiday treats, it was Garth Rawlings. Why he didn’t have his own show on the Food Network was a mystery.

  Hayley reached for the phone just as it rang. She picked up the receiver. “Island Times, this is Hayley.”

  “Hayley, this is Tilly over at the hospital. I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

  “Oh, God, what? Is it one of my kids?”

  “No, oh, gosh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s okay. Nobody died. There’s just been an accident.”

  Hayley gasped. “One of my kids? Which one? What happened?”

  “No, your kids are fine. Boy, I really should have thought this through before I called you. My gut told me to stay out of it and now I know my gut was right because I’ve upset you, and—”

  “Tilly, please tell me who’s been hurt!”

  “Lex Bansfield.”

  “What?”

  “They just brought him in. Apparently, he was hanging garland from a streetlamp at the corner of Cottage and Main. He slipped and fell off his ladder. They think he may have a broken collarbone, and his right leg was twisted and all banged up. Well, I know you two have been on the outs—”

  “We’re not on the outs, Tilly. We just don’t see each other anymore.”

  “Yes, well, he’s all alone here, and I don’t know why I thought to call you and let you know because my gut told me not to. . . .”

  “I know all about your gut, Tilly. I’m glad you called me. I’m on my way.”

  Hayley slammed down the phone, jumped up from her desk, grabbed her winter jacket off the coatrack, and flew out the door with one thought in her mind.

  Lex was injured and she had to be by his bedside.

  Chapter 4

  By the time Hayley got home from the hospital, it was already approaching the dinner hour; she had yet to even think about what she would serve her kids. Leroy, her adorable white Shih Tzu, with a pronounced underbite and boundless energy, greeted her at the door, with his tail wagging. Blueberry, her recently adopted cat, an oversize Persian fur ball, with an infinite amount of attitude, was sitting menacingly in the hallway just off the kitchen. With his tail flapping up and down, he glared at Hayley, perturbed his own dinner had yet to be served.

  As she yanked open the refrigerator to take a quick inventory, Gemma came bounding down the stairs, squealing with delight. Blueberry skittered out of the way just in time to avoid Gemma’s sneaker nearly crushing his tail. Gemma raced into the kitchen, her arms waving in the air.

  “Mom! Mom! You’re never going to believe what just happened!”

  “What?”

  Gemma stopped suddenly, a disappointed look on her face.

  “You mean that wasn’t a rhetorical question? You actually want me to guess?”

  Gemma nodded.

  “Um, okay. You got an A on your geometry test.”

  “No. Come on, Mom. Be serious. Guess something that’s, like, actually in the realm of possibility. By the way, I flunked it and you have to sign the test to acknowledge I showed you the score, and I have to take it again next week before the Christmas break. Now guess again.”

  “You flunked? Gemma, if you ever want to get into vet school, you’re going to have to do better. . . .”

  “Stay on topic, please, okay, Mom?”

  “Fine. But we’re not finished discussing that test. Okay. Let me think. That cute boy in gym class that you’ve been texting all of your friends about finally asked you out on a date.”

  “No. And thanks for reminding me about his total lack of interest in me. Good job, Mom. Now I’m completely depressed. Way to go.”

  “Okay, you know what? I’m not going to guess anymore. Why don’t you just tell me?”

  “Reverend Staples called a few minutes ago and he’s decided to cast me in the Congregational Church’s Nativity play. I tried out for one of the Three Wise Men, but he didn’t think I was right for that part.”

  “He probably saw your geometry test.”

  “Mom!”

  “Just kidding. So, who are you going to play?”

  “The Virgin Mary!”

  Wow. I did not see that one coming.

  “Gemma, that’s fantastic. I’m so proud of you!”

  Hayley hugged her daughter tightly.

  “Mary’s, like, one of the leading roles!” Gemma shrieked. “The show is totally centered around her. She’s the most important character in the whole play.”

  “Well, yes, honey, but God and the baby Jesus are pretty critical too in the scheme of things.”

  “What are you talking about? They have no lines! I have pages and pages of dialogue I have to start memorizing. I just hope they get someone really hot to play Joseph.”

  Gemma sailed back out of the kitchen and up the stairs, nearly plowing over Blueberry again. He had ventured gingerly back into the hallway, still annoyed that his ceramic bowl, with kitty paw prints on it, was still not filled with food.

  Hayley went to the cupboard and foraged for some special-diet canned cat food when the back door to the kitchen swung open and Aaron walked in, rubbing his hands to warm up from the cold.

  Hayley smiled at the sight of him. “What are you doing here? I thought you had to work late.”

  “I was supposed to neuter Alma Henderson’s Maine coon cat at five-thirty, but he somehow got out the back screen door and ran away before she could get him into the pet carrier. Probably knew what was coming and got the hell out of Dodge.”

  Hayley laughed. “Do you want to stay for dinner?”

  “I was thinking of taking you and the kids out for pizza at Geddy’s.”

  “Well, Dustin’s having dinner over at Spanky’s house, and Gemma is confined to her room cramming for a makeup geometry test, but she doesn’t know it yet. I’ve got some leftover meat loaf and makings for a side salad she can have.”

  “Perfect. You prepare that for her and I’ll call and make a reservation at Portofino for two. Candlelight dinner. Bottle of wine. I’ll even let you spoon-feed me the tiramisu.”

  “Now that’s quite an upgrade from pizza.”

  “Sound good?”

  “Sounds wonderful. Oh, wait.
I have a meeting later tonight, around nine, with Garth Rawlings, the caterer. I’m going to hire him to prepare a few appetizers for our office Christmas party tomorrow night and wanted to go over everything with him at his office.”

  “Okay, so we skip the tiramisu. But the bottle of wine is nonnegotiable.”

  “Deal.”

  He kissed Hayley on the lips. “You smell so good.”

  “That’s probably just the wild cherry Little Trees air freshener I hung from my rearview mirror this morning.”

  “Don’t kill the mood,” Aaron said, tickling her with his hands.

  Hayley chortled and tried to pull his hands away, but he was having too much fun. He tickled her some more until her whole body was spasming. Then he locked his arms around her waist and pulled her into him, kissing her again, just as the phone rang. After it rang several times, it became abundantly clear Gemma had no intention of answering it from upstairs.

  “Be just a minute,” Hayley said, reluctantly extricating herself from Aaron’s grip and picking up the phone. “Hello?”

  “Hayley?”

  She instantly recognized the voice.

  Lex Bansfield.

  “Lex, how are you doing?”

  Aaron bristled just a bit at hearing Lex’s name. He was acutely aware of Hayley’s past history with him.

  “My pride’s hurt more than anything else. I just wanted to thank you for stopping by to see me this afternoon. It meant a lot,” Lex said.

  “Of course. When I heard you were hurt, I knew I had to see you to make sure you’re okay. Is there something you need?”

  There was silence on the other end of the phone.

  “Lex?”

  “I’m kind of embarrassed to ask. I know how busy you are.”

  “You know you can ask me anything, Lex.”

  “I had a bit of a tantrum earlier here at the hospital. Not proud of it. It was about the food they tried to serve me for dinner. Some rancid piece of overcooked meat and a tiny cup of something they called ‘vegetable medley’ made up of cold peas and stale carrots. Oh, and green Jell-O. Can you believe it, Hayley? Green Jell-O? Seriously, I haven’t eaten crap like that since the third grade. I sent it all back to the kitchen and now I’m starving. Guess I didn’t think things through.”

  “Do you want me to pick something up for you at the Shop ’n Save and bring it over to you?”

  “Actually, I remember you keep cartons of your homemade turkey chili in the freezer out in your garage, and I was hoping, if you weren’t too busy . . .”

  “You know I completely forgot about that.”

  “I still dream about that chili.”

  “Well, I can defrost some in the microwave and bring it over to you in about a half hour.”

  Hayley glanced at Aaron, who was quickly summing up the situation in his mind and was frowning.

  Hayley averted her eyes. “Hang on. I’ll be there soon.”

  “Hayley, I know I’m not your responsibility, and I probably shouldn’t even be calling you, since we’re no longer—”

  “We’re friends, Lex, and I don’t want to hear another word.”

  Hayley hung up.

  “You’re going to make him dinner?”

  “No! Just warm up some of my chili. It’s already made. I feel bad for him, Aaron. He’s laid up in the hospital, and you know how awful the food is there. It’s not like he has any dietary restrictions, so I thought it would be a nice thing to do.”

  “Well, I’ll go with you to the hospital, and after you drop off the chili, we can go to dinner.”

  “Then we’ll be rushed because I have to meet Garth at nine.”

  “Another time, then,” Aaron said, turning to leave.

  “Aaron . . .”

  Aaron turned back around. “No, it’s fine, Hayley. Really. I get it. He’s your friend. I have no problem with you doing him a favor. No problem at all.”

  Nice words. But his face, however, told an entirely different story.

  Chapter 5

  “Now, given the time constraint, Hayley, don’t expect too much from me. I was thinking, though, I could throw together a few apps tomorrow, like my very popular smoked trout and garlic cream on rye toasts and amaretto-bourbon punch,” Garth said as he stood at a large wooden table in front of a giant stainless-steel oven in the warehouse at the far end of town that he recently converted into a kitchen/office.

  “Garth, that sounds absolutely delicious,” Hayley said, practically drooling.

  “And maybe a baked Brie with pecans, with my homemade crackers, of course, and some ginger nuts, my artichoke turnovers, and rosemary vodka tonics. Oh, and I could roast some chestnuts because, after all, it is the holidays.”

  “My mouth is watering, Garth,” Hayley said, petting the head of Garth’s beloved bloodhound, Bagel, who stood at her side. The dog was also drooling, with most of it landing on Hayley’s L.L.Bean boot.

  “He likes you,” Garth said, grinning.

  “He’s a real sweetheart,” Hayley said, still rubbing the top of Bagel’s head. The dog’s jowls were flapping, and his mouth was slobbering. “I sure do appreciate your helping me on such short notice, Garth.”

  “Don’t worry, Hayley. I will take your little office Christmas soiree and turn it into a magnificent night to remember. Did you know I catered the Rockefellers’ Fourth of July party last summer on their estate?”

  “No, I didn’t know that.”

  “And Martha Stewart was there and she said my crab cakes were the best she’d ever had the pleasure of eating. I’m not lying, Hayley. Martha Stewart!”

  “Well, it looks like I came to the right place.”

  “Normally, a little nothing event like yours would be way too small potatoes for me. Did I mention I flew to New York last Labor Day weekend to deliver personally my homemade out-of-this-world Jamaican jerk sauce to Anderson Cooper for his backyard barbecue? I’m not lying, Hayley. Anderson Cooper!”

  “Wow, that’s amazing,” Hayley said, having no idea what else to say.

  There was a mouthwatering aroma in the air wafting from the giant oven behind Garth.

  “What is that yummy smell, Garth?”

  Garth winked at her, thrilled she had noticed. “Just a little treat I’m preparing to take home to my wife tonight for a little late-night snack. It’s my world-famous Grand Marnier soufflé with crème anglaise. Play your cards right and I’ll give you a taste once it rises.”

  Hayley had to admit she was dying to try a bite—mostly because she was ravenous from having to skip out on dinner with Aaron.

  Suddenly there was a loud banging.

  “What is that?” Hayley asked.

  Garth rolled his eyes, annoyed and frustrated. “It’s coming from next door. I swear those guys are going to drive me into an early grave.”

  “What are they doing?”

  “Nailing plywood together or something equally stupid and useless. The owner of this building put up a wall so he could divide this warehouse space into two sections. That way he could charge two rents for one space, essentially doubling his money. I needed a lot of space for my ovens and freezer, and this space was perfect, but I had no say in who would rent the other half.”

  “Who’s in there?”

  “Some contracting business. All day long, drilling and sawing and hammering and sandblasting. I’ve complained a hundred times and the owner doesn’t do a damn thing about it.”

  Garth turned to his see his giant stainless-steel industrial oven shake. His eyes nearly popped out of his head as he rushed over and opened the door to check on his Grand Marnier soufflé.

  “Oh, dear God, no! They’ve really done it this time! They’ve caused my soufflé to collapse! Those savages!”

  Garth pulled the soufflé dish out of the oven and slammed it down on the wooden table; then he flew across the warehouse and out the door. Hayley heard him pounding on the door to the contracting business. After a few seconds the door opened, followed by angry shouting
and a slew of four-letter words. Most of these were coming out of Garth’s mouth.

  Bagel seemed completely undisturbed by the yelling. His eyes were fixed on the soufflé sitting on the edge of the table. He was undoubtedly trying to figure out a way to get the soufflé off the table and onto the floor so he could lap it up.

  Hayley walked over and poked her head out the door to see Garth wagging a finger at three men. They were all in plaid work shirts, torn jeans with paint stains, and tan work boots. She instantly recognized Billy Parsons, a local handyman in his early thirties. Billy was a real charmer, with a scruffy beard and easy smile, who had rescued Hayley with his home repairs on many occasions. Just behind Billy was a teenage kid around Gemma’s age, whom Hayley didn’t know. He was cute and wiry, with tousled brown hair that fell just below his eyes. He hung back a bit, more than a little intimidated by Garth’s loud bellowing. The tallest of the three was Nick Ward, midforties, gruff, beefy, dark eyes, and a permanent sneer on his face. He worked on Lex’s crew when Lex was a caretaker at the Hollingsworth summer estate before the family patriarch, billionaire frozen-food magnate Arthur Hollingsworth, died, which prompted Lex to move away from Bar Harbor for a short time looking for work. Nick was clearly the leader of this pack and was not afraid of going toe-to-toe with Garth. He was also gripping an electric drill and held it aimed at Garth’s stomach like a pistol.

  “You can call the cops all you want, Rawlings, but we have a permit to conduct our business here—and that means using our equipment, so get used to it!” Nick hollered.

  “But it’s after nine in the evening!” Garth wailed.

  “Exactly. We thought you’d be long gone by now. We were trying to be courteous,” Nick growled.

  “Maybe we can work out a schedule with Mr. Rawlings so we’re not using the power tools when he’s cooking in his kitchen,” Billy offered, trying to be helpful.