She blushed. "You learn not to sample."
They both laughed.
Jenny walked out from the kitchen and smiled. As always, he was captivated with her natural beauty.
"Hello, Derek."
He smiled. "I guess we'll be off to lunch."
"You two have fun," Becky called after them.
Derek gave her a wave as they went out the door. He had parked his Mustang in front of the bakery and opened its door for Jenny to get in.
"I can't believe you're in your Mustang on the dirty streets today," she said when he got in the car.
"It's not too bad. The streets are only a little wet from the melting snow." He started the car and pulled out onto the street.
"Where are we going for lunch?"
"I made reservations at the Country Club."
"Derek! I just got off work. I'm not dressed for dining at the Country Club."
"You look fine. Beautiful, in fact."
"Ah-Ah-Ah. Remember, no relationship stuff," she warned. "But, thanks."
He smiled. "Sorry, I forgot. Why were your classes cancelled today?"
"The instructors had some sort of conference they wanted to attend. If you ask me, they're off partying at some spa."
"Either way, I'm glad they canceled so we could have lunch together." He looked over and saw her staring at him with stern eyes. "So we could discuss the menu for my dinner party," he quickly added.
He pulled the car into the Country Club lot and parked. They walked inside where a hostess greeted them.
"Good afternoon, Mr. James. We have the room all ready for you."
"What's she talking about?" Jenny whispered as they followed the hostess down a hallway.
"You'll see."
The hostess opened the door to a room and Jenny and Derek walked in.
"Oh Derek, you did all of this?" Jenny squealed.
"Just for you." He turned to the hostess. "Thank you, Marcy."
The room was decorated like a ski lodge with mannequins dressed as skiers holding their skis or a beverage and Welcome to Aspen banner spread across the room. The far wall had a slide show projecting photos of a snowy Aspen on it. Some of the photos were of Derek and Wes on their recent trip.
Derek led Jenny to their table near the fireplace that had a small fire lit. He held her chair for her to sit and then sat in the chair next to her.
"This is unbelievable."
"What I really wanted to do was fly you to the real Aspen for lunch, but the weather out there was too bad for my plane to fly. I hope this is a suitable substitute."
Her eyes sparkled as she looked all around the room. "This is amazing. No one has ever done anything like this for me before, but you weren't supposed to do this. We agreed on a simple lunch between friends."
"This is a lunch between myself and a potential contractor where we will discuss my dinner party and I have every intention of writing all of this off on my taxes as a business expense." He tried to keep a straight face, but couldn't help but break out into laughter. Jenny joined in.
A waitress came and poured each of them a cup of coffee.
"I hope you don't mind, but I already chose the food for our lunch."
She didn't mind at all. The rest of the lunch was spent deciding on the menu for his dinner party.
"I have an idea for something special for the dessert that night," she said.
His mind wandered thinking that she was the only dessert he wanted and then realized he was getting excited. "What's your idea?"
"With your approval, I thought I would make two Chocolate Rum Cheesecakes."
"That sounds fantastic."
"It's the one I told you about on the phone at Christmas. I think it would be the perfect for Valentine's Day."
"I agree. Perfect idea." He watched as she made some notes on her pad. If he could have his way, he'd take her home to his bedroom right now. Instead, he would have to wait. He needed to win her back on her own terms, not his.
"I'll get my contract typed up tonight and email it to you. All you need to do is sign the last page and send it back to me."
"I have a better idea. I'll come home with you tonight and you can type it up while I wait."
"No." She laughed. "I think you should probably take me back to my car now. I need to get home."
"What's the hurry? How about we go to a movie? Two friends enjoying a movie together."
She stood up, putting her coat on. "Nice try. This lunch was really great and I appreciate all the trouble and expense you went to."
"I'd do it a hundred times over, if it would help us get together. Oh, you need the key to my house." He handed it to her.
"Thanks."
Derek drove her to the rear of the bakery where her car was parked. He turned off his car and grabbed her hand to keep her from getting out. "Jenny, I desperately want you in my life and I think you want the same thing. Just tell me what to do to make it happen."
She looked away. "It's a matter of building up trust again. You said you cared for me, but you slept with Colleen. It's going to take some time."
She started to open the door, but he squeezed her hand to stop her. "One more question."
"What's that?"
"I'd like for you to be my date for the dinner party."
"I don't know. I had planned on preparing the food during the day and then leave. The servers I hired don't need me to direct them."
"And, that's why you should be my companion for the night. I want everyone to meet you and I want you to get to know my friends."
"I'll think about it." She pulled her hand away and got out of the car.
Derek quickly jumped out too and ran over to her. He took her into his arms and kissed her. He captured her mouth with hungry urgency. She didn't resist, but instead welcomed him into her mouth. His tongue danced with hers until she finally pulled away.
"Not yet, Derek. I can't." She got into her car and drove away leaving him standing there alone.
Blueberry Muffins
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk or half-half at room temp
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup blueberries
Preheat oven to 400°f. Line muffin pan with paper cups and spray with cooking spray.
Melt butter in microwave in glass container. Set aside and let cool slightly.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl with whisk. Combine eggs, milk, butter and vanilla in a medium bowl. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Fill each muffin cup 1/3 of the way with batter and then place 5-8 berries on top of batter. Fill muffin cup up to top with remaining batter. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Chapter Twelve
On the eve of Valentine's Day, Derek desperately needed to get through the rest of the day and then he could concentrate on winning Jenny's heart for Valentine's Day. A service was cleaning his house today and it should be ready for the dinner tomorrow night.
The intercom on Derek's desk buzzed. "Yes, Ellen."
"Michael Pruitt and Wes are here to see you."
"Send them in."
Derek stood to greet them and they then sat down.
"I'm sorry for the unexpected visit, Derek, but it's important," Pruitt said.
"It must be since you brought Wes with you. What's going on?"
"Michael found your spy and you're not going to believe who it is," Wes stated.
"Really? If you don't mind, I'd like for Ellen to come in to hear what you say, unless you found it to be her or her husband." Derek was kidding, but held his breath that it wasn't.
"No, it's not your sister or her husband."
Derek went to the door. "Ellen, would you come in. I'd like for you to hear what Mr. Pruitt has to say."
She came in and Derek got her a chair.
&n
bsp; "Ellen, since you're part owner of the company, I wanted you to know that Mr. Pruitt is not an efficiency consultant. He's a private investigator specializing in industrial espionage."
Ellen's eyes widen. "What's he doing here?"
"I hired him after we lost all of those bids we submitted before Christmas. He's been doing an investigation and was about to tell me who our spy is."
Derek looked to Pruitt, who continued. "Your spy is Colleen Michaels."
Ellen gasped, putting her hand in front of her mouth.
"Colleen?" Derek couldn't believe it himself. "Are you sure?" He looked at Wes.
"He has the proof," Wes added.
“Miss Michaels is still receiving a paycheck from the Ohio Valley Computer Company, the company that has been underbidding you every time. Using her company email here, she's been sending copies of your proposals to the Marketing Director there. Her credit report verified her continuing employment with them."
"Is Colleen working today?" Wes asked.
Derek looked at Ellen. "She's on vacation this week."
"What's our next step?" Derek asked.
"Charges need to be filed with the prosecutor so she can be arrested," Pruitt said.
"As the company's attorney, I can handle that for you, if you want," Wes said.
"Yes, please do that. Thanks."
Pruitt handed each of them, including Ellen, a large thick brown envelope. "This is my final report with the evidence included. I'd get the charges filed immediately so they can try and arrest her before Monday."
"I'll go do that right now," Wes said, standing.
Pruitt and Derek also stood. "Thank you so much for helping us," Derek said.
Wes and Pruitt left the office and Derek sat back down.
"Derek, I don't know what to say except that I am so sorry," Ellen said.
"We were all fooled by her, especially me. There is something you can do for me, though."
"What?"
"Will you give Jenny a chance and take the time to get to know her?"
"I will. I promise." She got up and went back to her office.
When Derek got home that night, the first thing he did was sit on the couch and call Jenny.
"Hello."
"Are you ready for your cooking marathon tomorrow?" he asked.
"Hi, Derek. I think I am. Was the food delivered today?"
"It was. The cleaning service that was here let them in and it's all in the refrigerator."
"Good."
"I have some news to tell you."
"What's that?"
"We found the person at my company who was leaking information to one of our competitors."
"Oh my gosh, that's wonderful. So, that is why you were losing all of those contracts."
"Yes, and you're not going to believe who it was."
"Who?"
"It was Colleen."
"Oh no. Are you kidding?"
"I wish I were. She probably cost the company millions."
"What are you going to do?"
"Wes filed charges on her today and as soon as they find her, she'll be arrested. She's been on vacation this week and no one knows where she is."
"You've really had an exciting day today, haven't you?"
"Yes. Speaking of excitement, have you decided to be my date for the dinner tomorrow night?"
"I can't. I don't want to embarrass you in front of your friends. I'm sorry."
"Embarrass me? You could never do that. Why would you even think that way?"
"I'm the hired help. You can't have the help as your date."
"My friends would love you. Wes thinks you're great."
"That's the other problem. Will Wes be bringing Cynthia?"
"I suppose so."
"She hates me, remember? She would do anything she could to drag me into the gutter, where she thinks I belong. She and Colleen are friends and I'm sure she hates that you broke it off with her."
"I think the fact that Colleen is going to be arrested will keep her quiet."
"Just let me cook and that's all," she begged.
Frustration mounted again. "I have feelings for you, Jenny, but I won't wait forever." He hung up.
The next day, Jenny arrived around noon to start preparing the food. She parked in back and let herself in through the kitchen door. She checked all of the groceries that had been delivered the day before and found everything she ordered.
Before starting on the meal, she put a pot of coffee on to brew. With the rainy weather out, she needed something to warm her up. Next, she got the mixer out of the cabinet and turned the oven on to preheat. She looked up when Derek walked in.
"I didn't hear you come in. Good morning," he said.
She immediately noticed he hadn't shaved yet. His stubble made her weak in the knees. "I tried to be quiet in case you were sleeping in. There's coffee brewing, if you want some." She got the ingredients out for the cheesecake. “I thought I would make the cheesecakes first, so they'll be cooled and ready to serve right after dinner. I'll bake the roast beef last so it can be served warm."
"You're rambling," he pointed out.
"What?"
"You're talking about dinner to keep me from talking about us." He went over and poured himself a cup of coffee.
"Don't be silly." But, he was right.
Before he could say anything, the phone on the kitchen counter started ringing.
"Hello...Yes, this is Derek James... What! I'll be right there." He hung up the phone. "There's a fire at the plant."
"How bad?"
"That was the alarm company. They didn't know. They said the fire alarm alerted them and they called the fire department. I have to go."
"Of course. Go. Call me about it when you can."
Derek rushed out the door.
An hour later, with the cheesecakes in the oven, Jenny started getting the table ready in the dining room when she heard the doorbell ring. Puzzled, she looked at her watch and then went to the front door and opened it.
"I knew you'd be here, bitch." Colleen pushed her and barged in.
"What are you doing? You can't be in here." Jenny chased after her all the way to the kitchen. She walked in just in time to see Colleen lock the back door.
"I didn't think Derek would ever leave."
"What are you talking about?"
"He left to check on the fire at the James Corporation, didn't he?"
"How did you know about that?" Then, it hit her. "You started the fire."
Colleen started laughing and walked toward Jenny, who circled around the kitchen to stay away from her.
"You're pretty proud of yourself, aren't you, Miss Gold-digger? You saw dollar signs the very first time he said hello to you."
"I never wanted Derek for his money. But you, you used him to steal from his company."
"How do you know about that?" Colleen moved closer and Jenny took a step back.
"Derek told me. He had someone investigate at the company. They're going to arrest you."
Jenny saw Colleen look at the counter where Derek's block of butcher knives sat. Before Jenny could move, Colleen grabbed one of them.
"Put the knife down, Colleen. There's no reason to become violent over this." Jenny backed up as far as she could until she was against the refrigerator. Her heart beating so hard, she thought it would bust through her chest.
"If you hadn't come along, I'd have gotten away with it and married Derek too. Then, when I divorced him, I would have taken everything from him."
At the moment, Jenny saw him. Derek very quietly stepped into the kitchen behind Colleen. He held his finger to his lips for her to be quiet.
"Colleen, you don't want this. Right now, you'll be arrested for theft, you don't want to add any more charges," Jenny said.
"You think I give a damn about that now. I had him. I could have been Mrs. Derek James." She waved the knife up in the air and laughed. "Hell, I even convinced him that we slept together."
"You didn't r
eally sleep with him?"
"He was too drunk. He passed out as soon as he hit the bed."
She took another step toward Jenny, but Derek grabbed the knife and knocked Colleen to the floor, just as they heard the police come through the front door.
"In here, officers," Derek called. They rushed in. "This is Colleen Michaels." Derek placed the knife on the counter and pulled her off the floor and handed her over to the officers. Jenny ran into his arms.
The female officer handcuffed Colleen and took her out. "We'll need a statement, Mr. James," the other officer said.
"If you can wait a few minutes, I'll be right out."
The officer nodded and stepped out of the kitchen.
Derek looked at Jenny. "Are you all right? She didn't hurt you, did she?"
She stepped back, but he still held her hands. "I'm fine. Thank you. You probably saved my life, but how did you get back so fast? The fire, oh, the fire, Colleen said she started the fire."
"I know. I was on the other side of the door listening. It was very minimal. The security footage showed her leaving the building right before the alarm came in."
How did you know she'd be here?"
"I didn't until I saw her car in front of the house. That's when I called the police. When I heard you say something about a knife, I wanted to rush in and stop her, but I didn't know how close she was to you. I don’t know what I'd do if she had hurt you."
"You better go talk to the police and I need to get those cheesecakes out of the oven before they burn."
"You're sure you're okay?"
"Yes."
Derek gave her hand a squeeze and left the kitchen. Jenny removed the very well done cheesecakes and then went to the refrigerator to get the roast out.
A short time later, Derek came back into the kitchen. "I'm going to cancel my dinner tonight.
"You can't. If you do that, you'll be ruining Valentine's Day for all of your guests. What else would they do? It's too late for anyone to get dinner reservations anywhere. Besides, I've already started on the meal. Let me finish it."
"You really are a remarkable person. What can I do to help?"
A Kitchen Affair Page 17