The Perfect Dish

by Kristen Painter

  “Oh, Mer, please just tell me a little. It’s been so long, I can’t remember the last time I…you know.” Celia smiled encouragingly.

  Mery groaned at her own sudden willingness to share. Or was it bragging? “You’re rotten, rotten women, you know that?”

  Viv smiled. “We know. Now give us the highlights.”

  * * *

  A very elegant and eclectic crowd occupied Bishop Gallery. A woman in a charcoal gray sequin dress walked by, her black hair cropped in a short Mohawk. Just past her, two men--one in an expensive suit, the other in paint splattered jeans and studded leather jacket--talked with another woman in a Pucci-print dress that probably was genuine Pucci.

  The gallery was clean-lined and well lit. Wire-strung halogens floated overhead warming the dark wood floors and brilliant white walls.

  Mery didn’t see Kelly and since she didn’t know what his friend Mick looked like, she and the girls headed for one of the photographs on display. On the way, they helped themselves to glasses of wine being passed by a server.

  Stopping in front of the black and white photograph, they stared silently. At least until the shock wore off.

  “Is that supposed to be what I think it’s supposed to be?” Celia whispered.

  “I do believe it is.” Viv sipped her wine.

  “That’s the most risqué thing I’ve ever seen,” Celia breathed.

  Mery doubted that, but nodded any way. It was risqué all right.

  A thick rivulet of melted butter dripped down an upright baguette anchored between two smaller round loaves of seeded rye.

  Celia’s whisper got louder. “It looks like a peni—”

  “Mery, there you are.” Kelly gave her a quick kiss. “I’ve been looking all over for you.” He stepped back and she noticed a large red stain down the front of his white chef coat. His gaze traveled from head to foot and back up. “You look more beautiful than I have words for.”

  “Thank you.” She did a little twirl. She’d known he was going to like it. “Little accident?” She pointed at the crimson blotch.

  “Clumsy server,” he mumbled, then smiled at the duo behind her. “Pleasure to see you ladies. Viv, Celia. Really nice of you to come. I’ll introduce you to Mick in just a minute but first I need to borrow Mery. If you’ll excuse us?”

  They all nodded. Mery ignored their knowing smiles. Kelly slipped his arm around her waist and led her to an uncrowded corner. “I missed you,” he said, his voice low. “That dress is smoking. Can I help you out of it later?”

  She laughed. “We’ll see. I’m glad you like it. I picked it out with you in mind.”

  “Then I should definitely get to take it off you.” He grinned. “I want to kiss you like you deserve to be kissed but since I’m actually kind of working...”

  “It’s okay. I understand.” She wanted to help herself to that kiss. Instead, she drew a finger down his sleeve. “You can make up for it later.”

  “Can you do me a big favor? I hate to ask since you just got here. Normally I could call Shelby but with her in Texas, and both restaurants in the weeds at the moment, I don’t have anyone else to ask.”

  “Of course. As long as you aren’t asking me to serve food. I have to draw the line somewhere.” She winked.

  “I’ll pay for the cab and everything.”

  “Kelly, what do you need me to do? Just ask.”

  He slipped his keycard out of his pants pocket. “I can’t stay in this coat. I need a clean one. You know where I keep them in my office, on the hanger behind the door? I should have brought a change with me but I was in such a hurry to get down here and make sure the food was right and the servers were here...” He shook his head and pulled the soiled coat away from his body. “I am not a caterer and this reminds me why. This is never going to come out.”

  “Red wine?”

  “Sangria. The server poured it on me instead of into the glass.”

  She took the keycard. “I’ll be back before you know it.” She tapped the edge of the card against his chest. “Don’t think this is a freebie, though.”

  He grinned big. “I was hoping you’d expect payment.” He kissed her, a little longer this time. “Let me introduce you to Mick before you go.”

  A friend of Kelly’s. This should be interesting. She interlaced her arm with his. “I’m all yours.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  They headed toward a group of people chatting about the show. As they waited for a break in the conversation, a server came by with a tray of goodies. “May I offer you a chorizo-stuffed mushroom?”

  “Sounds great.” Mery helped herself to one but Kelly waved the tray away and the server left.

  “I worry when the chef doesn’t eat his own food.”

  “Nerves,” Kelly said.

  Normally, she’d argue that. Kelly was one of the most confident men she knew but he did seem a little off his game tonight. She took a bite of the mushroom. “They’re good.”

  Kelly smiled. “Thanks.”

  Mery studied the small group while she ate the rest. One of the men stood a head taller than the rest and was easily a foot wider. He wore his black hair in a short, military-style buzz cut that made his ebony eyes stand out like chips of obsidian. He stroked his well-groomed goatee as he laughed. She wondered if the devil knew he had a twin living in Manhattan.

  Kelly slipped his hand to the small of her back. “Mick, I’d like you to meet Mery.”

  Beelzebub’s brother turned and smiled. His eyes sparkled as he offered his catcher’s mitt of a hand. “Mick Bishop, how you doing?”

  At a loss for words, Mery took his hand and prayed his handshake wouldn’t live up to his image.

  It didn’t.

  He was as gentle as if he were petting a kitten. “I couldn’t wait to meet you.” He tapped his chest with his fingers. “I had to see for myself the woman who’s had such an effect on Tex here.” His gravelly voice held more than a hint of Brooklyn.

  “Tex?” She glanced sideways at Kelly to see his reaction, then looked back at Mick. She had to hear more about this. “Such an effect, you say?”

  He nodded. “Like no other woman I’ve seen.”

  She glanced at Kelly. “Could you elaborate on that, Mr. Bishop?”

  “Call me Mick.”

  Kelly put his hands on her shoulders. “Mery has to run an errand for me. She’s too busy to chat now.”

  She patted his hand while she smiled at Mick. “I’ll find you when I get back and we’ll continue this conversation. And maybe you can help me pick out one of these photographs? I’m suddenly in the mood to spend.”

  “You got it, sweetheart,” Mick said.

  Despite her initial impression, Mery thought Mick seemed like an okay guy. Probably kept Kelly, or should she say Tex, on his toes. That made her like Mick even more.

  “C’mon, let’s go.” Kelly steered her toward the exit. On the way out, she let the girls know she’d be back in a few minutes and then Kelly walked her out to get a cab.

  He raised his hand to the oncoming traffic. “You have my keycard, right?”

  “In my purse.” She waved the little bag for him to see. “Too bad there’s not a chef coat store open. I could just buy you a new one.”

  He smiled, a little sheepishly. “The one in my office will do just fine, but thanks.”

  One block away a cab sitting at the red light put its turn signal on. Kelly stepped back from the curb and glanced toward the gallery. She grabbed a handful of fabric and tugged him closer. “No one’s looking.”

  “I don’t care if they see, but—”

  “Shut up and kiss me.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He eased his fingers under the edges of her jaw and tipped her face up to meet his. The first touch of his lips sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine.

  She danced her tongue across his, drinking in the sweetness of the kiss. He was enough to make a woman forget her manners in public.

  He broke the kiss, eyes
dark with need. “Any more of that and we’ll both go back to the office.” His gaze traveled over her outfit again. “As if that dress isn’t enough to make a grown man cry.”

  The cab rumbled to a halt. Kelly opened the door for her. “Don’t be long.”

  She smiled. “Try not to miss me too much.”

  “Impossible.” He closed the door and gave her a wink. She waved then settled back into the seat for the ride. How could a man be that perfect?

  He seemed too flawless to be real.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Mery hurried past the crowd waiting at Sedona’s entrance and down the hall to the elevator. She slid Kelly’s keycard through the reader and the lift whirred to life.

  Things had certainly changed from that first night she’d used a secret password to access the VIP dining room. She rode up to the second floor and headed to his office. She slid the keycard through another reader, and the lock snicked open.

  She ran her hand along the wall, feeling for the light switch. Finding it, she flipped it on and closed the door behind her.

  Two clean chef coats hung there, one white, one denim. She reached for the white one, then stopped. It really should be covered with something. She looked around for a plastic bag. Nothing. She opened the small closet and rummaged around. Boxes of envelopes, old menus, menu sleeves, a stack of Gauchos t-shirts. Those were cool. She’d have to ask Kelly about getting one of those for Jason.

  She shut the closet door. Maybe she could ask the hostess for a garbage bag. Or just be very careful.

  The phone rang. Mery jumped then laughed at herself for feeling like an intruder. She had every right to be here. Kelly had given her the key.

  His answering machine picked up on the third ring. “You’ve reached Kelly Spicer’s office, thanks for calling and leave a message.” She smiled at his sexy twang.

  “Hi Kel, it’s Shelby.”

  Mery grabbed the phone. “Shelby? Hi, it’s Mery Black.”

  “Dr. Black? Is this...but that was Kelly’s answering machine.”

  “I’m in his office. He’s catering a showing at Mick’s gallery and he got red wine all over his chef coat so he asked me to run up here and grab him a clean one.” She plopped down in Kelly’s big leather desk chair. It smelled like him and she closed her eyes to enjoy it.

  “Oh. Well, I just called to let Kel know everything is fine.”

  “Just fine?” She propped her feet up like Kelly always did. If he could see her now, he’d probably get a good laugh.

  Shelby sighed. “Our mother is here.”

  Mery put her feet back down and slid the chair under the desk so she could prop her elbows on the surface. “That’s not good. That’s not what you need right now.”

  “She says she’s changed and wants to make things right. I want to believe her but it’s so hard, you know? I don’t know what to do.”

  Poor girl. “Trust like that can’t be rebuilt in a few days, Shelby. Her actions have to follow her words. Don’t let her put the burden of renewing this relationship on you. That’s what she’s doing isn’t it? Telling you it’s your decision?”

  “Yes. How did you know that? I’m so glad you answered the phone. What should I do?”

  “Well, how much contact you want to have with her is up to you but keep in mind, you need to protect yourself, too. If you want her back in your life, you should let her in one tiny piece at a time. Start small. Run an errand together. Go to lunch. Get coffee and just sit and talk for an hour or so.”

  “Okay, I can do that.” There was hesitancy in Shelby’s voice. “There’s one more thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “She wants Kelly’s number. She wants to talk to him, too.”

  Mery exhaled slowly. “You need to talk to Kelly about that first. That has to be his decision.”

  “You’re right. Don’t worry about giving him the message. I’m sure he’s got enough to handle tonight.”

  Mery had a pretty good idea of what his answer on that would be. “Well, I better get back. Kelly’s waiting on me.”

  “Have fun. Don’t tell him I called. I’ll talk to him tomorrow after I’ve sorted out what I’m going to do.”

  “You got it.” Mery hung up and swiveled in the chair. Her foot connected with something metal. “Ow!”

  She peeked under the desk. Apparently Kelly had been in such a rush to leave he hadn’t locked his safe either. She’d kicked the door with her foot and now it sat half open. Rubbing her toe, she wondered if she should shut it.

  On the bottom shelf of the safe sat an old book. Looked like the one Kelly had been reading the day she’d filled in for Shelby. He said he’d been looking at recipes but he’d acted like she’d caught him doing something he shouldn’t.

  Leave it alone. It’s none of your business.

  The clock ticked as she stared at the book. “I should shut the safe and leave.”

  Instead, she reached into the safe. It took both hands to lift the book out and onto his desk.

  That was odd. The book was warm, like it had been sitting in the sun. Worn brown leather covered the outside and tarnished metal scrolls decorated the front corners. No title anywhere she could see.

  She opened to the first page and read the fancy script out loud. “A Wyse Book of Cookery.” The yellowed paper was dark around the edges with age.

  A cookbook. A really old cookbook. What kind of recipes had he been looking for? And why was it such a big secret?

  The first recipe she came to made no sense. It was for Caudell, whatever that was.

  She read the first line. “Take faire tryed yolkes of eyren...” What the heck were eyren? Sounded like old English. She flipped forward, reading bits and pieces of the recipes as she did. The further she got through the book, the more the recipes made sense.

  Turning a large section of pages, she came to some blank pages. One by one, she went back through them until she came to the last two recipes in the book.

  “Well, well, well. Will you look at that?” Chocolate-covered pepita clusters. Underneath the name was the word persuasion.

  The recipe next to that one was for Chorizo-stuffed mushrooms, the very thing Kelly had been serving at the gallery. The word extravagance was written under that header.

  A sudden coldness came over her as her brain made an eerie connection. She’d eaten the chocolates right before she’d agreed to meet Shelby in person. Tonight, right after eating one of the mushrooms, she’d thought about buying a painting. And a new chef coat for Kelly.

  She flipped back a few pages. All the recipes had words underneath the titles.

  Her stomach knotted. “What does this mean?” she whispered.

  The pages of the book began to move on their own. She yanked her hands away and watched as the book settled open to a new recipe. Her gaze fixed on the word beneath the heading.

  Understanding.

  Her mouth watered like she might throw up. “Don’t jump to conclusions. There has to be a logical explanation. There was a probably a draft and the book just happened to open to that page.” And now she was talking to herself. Calm down. Think this through. Test the theory.

  She took a deep breath. “I want a recipe for love.”

  The pages moved again, this time almost to the beginning of the book. The recipe it stopped at had the word love written beneath it.

  She shoved away from the desk. This was a book of spells. Black magic if there ever was such a thing. Kelly had used this book to manipulate her. He was doing the same thing to the people at the gallery to get them to buy. What kind of person had a book like this? Where had he even gotten it? No wonder he’d tried to hide it.

  A hard chill shook her. Had she really wanted to sleep with him or was that the result of a spell too?

  Anger crawled up her spine.

  Her friends were at the gallery.

  She grabbed her purse, stormed out of the office and slammed the door behind her.

  Chapter Twenty-Six
>
  “Kelly.”

  At Mery’s voice, he turned from the plate of hors d'oeuvres he was arranging in the small kitchen of Mick’s gallery. “Hey, there you are. I was starting to worry, you were gone longer than I—”

  “We need to talk. Now.” Sparks flew from Mery’s eyes. Her hands fisted at her sides. Her empty hands.

  “Where’s my coat?”

  She kept quiet as a server passed them, the click of the girl’s heels on the hardwood like the tick of time passing. “I found the book.”

  “What book?” But he knew. His jaw tightened.

  Her eyes narrowed. “Your recipe book. Or should I say your book of spells?”

  How had she... The bottom dropped out of his gut. “You what?” He knew he was speaking but the voice he heard sounded very far away. The edge of his vision darkened.

  “I don’t understand it, but I know enough to know you manipulated me and you’re doing the same thing to all these people.” She jabbed her finger at him.

  He shook his head. “I can explain—”

  “Save it.” She tossed his keycard at him. “This...” she pointed between the two of them, “is over.”

  The card clattered to the ground. “It’s not what you think.” She twisted away from him, headed toward the door. He caught her arm, not ready to end the conversation. “That book was in my safe with my personal things. That was none of your business.”

  “Sleeping with you makes it my business.” Her mouth returned to a thin, tight line. She yanked her arm out of his grasp. “And that business just went bust.”

  He followed her as she stalked out of the back room and into the gallery. “Mery, you don’t understand.” He kept his voice low and, he hoped, his anger out of it.

  “I don’t need to understand,” she spat back. “But your sister might when you tell her I won’t be counseling her anymore.”

  Heads turned in their direction. Kelly offered a few smiles as he followed Mery. She approached her friends who were chatting with Mick. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to let you know I’m leaving.

  “I don’t understand.” Standing beside Mick, Celia shook her head. “You just got back.”