First Class Menu (9 page)

“So are you going to tell me what’s troubling you?” Trudy
asked as they sat on the sofa of her old home.

Lindsey looked at the pillow she held on her lap, fingering
the fringe.

“I know something’s up,” Trudy insisted. “Trevor? Would you
mind putting the kettle on for tea?”

Trevor stood and shuffled his way through to the kitchen,
leaving the women in private. Lindsey smiled at the only mother she’d ever had.

“I met someone and I was pretty sure that he was the one,
but it turned out he wasn’t.” Lindsey didn’t look up from the pillow.

“Oh!” Trudy was surprised. “I didn’t realize you’d been
dating.”

“I haven’t,” she mumbled.

“What?”

“I haven’t been dating,” she annunciated every syllable.

“I’m confused then,” Trudy admitted. “You’ve met the man of
your dreams and you haven’t been on a date but you’ve decided he’s not the
one?”

“Well when you put it like that I seem a bit crazy.”

“Explain it to me.”

 “Well, we’ve become friends…good friends, but it seems
pretty obvious that he’s already taken,” Lindsey sighed.

“I have been on the earth for seventy-four years now and I
haven’t been looking for a man for the last fifty of them, but I don’t think
things have changed
that
much. Men still don’t appreciate what’s right
in front of them.”

Trevor walked into the room and handed his wife a cup of
tea. “I do,” he smiled and kissed his wife’s cheek.

Trudy grinned up at her husband. “I don’t include you when I
talk about men. You are a
gentleman
. That’s very different…much better.”

Trevor handed Lindsey her cup of tea and leaned over and
kissed her cheek too. “If he doesn’t appreciate you, move on. He’s not worth
it.” And he headed back into the kitchen.

“I agreed to give him nine cooking lessons and we’ve only
had three. That means I have six more weeks of torture.”

“Torture?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Well then tell him you’re done…that something has come up
and you’re unable to complete the weeks. You’ll have to refund some of his
money, but...”

“He’s not paying me.”

“What? Well then it sounds like it will save you money.”

“I have enough money. That’s not the problem. And it’s not
like I only offered to give him private lessons cuz I wanted to land him. I’ve
just, well, I’ve fallen for him…hard.”

“You are an amazing woman, Lindsey. You’ll figure it out.”

Lindsey grunted and finished her tea.
How
she’d
figure it out was beyond her.

*****

Audrey Atherton was livid. When she’d called Lindsey to
check on her progress with David, she didn’t expect Lindsey to tell her that
David and Lou were an item. From a professional standpoint it was not
acceptable. And she was going to let David know how she felt.

He was standing in the gallery supervising the unpacking of
two new pieces he’d had shipped from a gallery in Seattle. They were swapping
some art for a few weeks and this was the last to arrive and be unpacked.

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” he asked as Audrey
approached.

“Uhuh,” she agreed, nodding. “I need to talk to you David.”

“Sure. What’s up?”

They walked away from the employees dealing with the crates
and stood by the window looking out onto the busy Manhattan street.

“You can’t be involved with Lou. First off, it’s
unprofessional. You know we have a policy here at the Atherton. And it’s not
just to protect the gallery. It’s to protect you too. And secondly, she’s too
young for you David. I mean, anything over ten years is just too much. You need
to break it off. And I’m saying this not just as your boss, but as your friend.
She’s not right for you.”

David didn’t respond immediately. He stood looking at Audrey
with no expression on his face at all. She thought about saying more but his
eyes narrowed and his lips thinned.

“You would prefer I dated someone like Veronica?”

Oooh, he’s mad,
she thought.

“You think I’m too old to have a young and attractive girl
interested in me?” he continued.

“David, that’s not it. I just…”

“You want me to have someone in my life. You’ve told me a
hundred times that I need to get out there and find someone. But only if that
someone is of your choosing?”

“No! I’m concerned that this won’t end well.”

He laughed…loudly.

He’s not mad?

“Lou and I are NOT involved. I don’t know where you got that
ridiculous idea from. I adore her, I do, but like a little sister. Your concern
is unwarranted.”

Relief flooded through Audrey and she visibly relaxed.
“Well, that’s good to know.”

“Seriously though, who on earth thinks we’re involved?”

Audrey wouldn’t out Lindsey. “Just some little chatter here
and there. I thought I’d talk to you directly.”

“Well I appreciate that,” he smiled. “I’m not seeing
anyone.” Audrey began to speak but David interrupted her. “And I’m not
interested in being set up again, thank you.”

“Of course not. I’ll mind my own business.”

“That’ll be a first,” he chuckled.

*****

Maureen Lathem arrived at the gallery late Friday afternoon
with Peter trudging behind her carrying a large box. He put it on the floor in
the lobby and sat in an armchair slightly out of breath. David came hurrying in
after the receptionist had buzzed him to let him know they were there.

He kissed him mom on the cheek and sat next to his dad.
“Sorry, dad. I had no idea it was going to be heavy. To be honest, I have no
idea what it is,” he shrugged.

“It’s a Kitchenaid mixer. Why did you ask for one if you
don’t know what it is?” his mother was irritated.

“Because Lindsey said I needed one.”

“For your cooking lessons?” his dad asked.

“Yeah.”

“Oh well then, that’s fine,” Maureen smiled. “You’ll learn
all about it tomorrow then. Come on Peter. We have dinner reservations.”

“It’s four-thirty!” laughed David.

“This way we’re in and out before the loud mobs on a Friday
night,” she explained.

David kissed his mom goodbye and thanked his father for
dragging the box in from the car. Then they headed off for dinner.

*****

Lindsey met David in front of the Chelsea Market and they
began shopping. They bought eggs and cream and fresh fruit and Swiss chocolate,
and several other items.

“You’re going to dazzle your family,” she grinned as they
took the bags and David flagged them a cab.

Back at his apartment, David showed off his newest addition
to the kitchen – a new bright red Kitchenaid mixer. He’d managed to pull it out
of the box and wash all the pieces in warm, soapy water, just as the
instructions had directed, but he had no idea how it all went together.

Lindsey patiently showed him multiple times how the bowl
clicked into the base and how the paddle, whisk and dough hook connected. Once
he’d mastered the machine, it was time to make something.

“I’m going to show you how to make pavlova,” Lindsey smiled.
“It’s an Australian dessert that looks fancy and tastes amazing, but with the
help of this contraption, it is really easy to make. Your family’s socks are
gonna get blown off!” she winked.

Once the two pavlovas, one white and one chocolate, were in
the oven, David suggested they go grab lunch.

“We can only be gone for ninety minutes max,” she said.

“Come on,” he grabbed her hand. “We’re only going round the
corner and we can bring it back here to eat.”

“Okay,” Lindsey smiled. “Let’s go.”

They only had to walk for about five minutes before they
turned into a small store front that sold Indian food. If Lindsey hadn’t been
brought inside she would have never guessed it was a restaurant. They each
ordered from the menu on the wall and sat on the stools in the corner while
they heard pots and pans clattering and voices barking out orders in the back
room.

“This place has sustained me for the last few years,” David
grinned. “Great food and super cheap and really close to my apartment.”

“So you eat here a lot?”

“Not so much now. I’m learning to cook you know,” he winked.

Lindsey smiled and lifted her nose to the smells wafting
through the small area. “It smells great.”

“You know, I lived with my parents ‘til I was thirty,” he
admitted. “And mom took care of me. My brothers ragged me about it, but I think
they were secretly jealous. Mom can be overwhelming at times but she knows how
to take care of her men,” he laughed. “This was one of the first places I found
after buying my apartment and they’ve fed me ever since.”

Lindsey had once been eager to search out hole-in-the-wall
places like this one and try the food from around the world. It used to inspire
her. Recently though, she’d just returned to the same old familiar places. It
was a treat to try some place new.

The friendly woman, dressed in a traditional Indian Sari,
brought a bag through and handed it to David.

“I’m glad to see you Mr. Lathem,” she said in a thick
accent. “Come back soon.”

“Thank you,” he smiled and ushered Lindsey to the door. “I
will,” he smiled over his shoulder.

Back in his apartment, he got plates and forks and napkins
while Lindsey checked the timer on the oven. “Still have forty-eight minutes,”
she smiled.

They sat down at the table and ate while they chatted about
culinary school and David’s first few jobs.

“That was delicious,” she said and stretched back in the
chair. “And filling. I’m stuffed!”

The buzzer on the oven went off and David turned off the
oven but was careful not to open the door.

“It’ll be perfectly fine in there all night,” Lindsey told
him. “And tomorrow just whip up the cream and finish it like we talked about
and you’ll be a hit!”

“Thank you,” David said with sincerity in his voice. “You
are changing my life.”

“You’re welcome,” Lindsey smiled.
You’ve already changed
mine.

*****

Katy and Nic had stayed home from Mass on Sunday to make
fried chicken.

“I love cooking in Maureen’s kitchen,” Nic sighed. “She has
so much room and every gadget imaginable.”

“Are you feeling cramped?” Katy asked.

“We are thinking about buying a bigger apartment so I don’t
get to feeling cramped. It’s not like back home in Norfolk where I had a whole
house with a front yard and a back yard. I’m still getting used to it.”

“I know,” Katy nodded. “It took me a little while too. I’m
sure Matt has something bigger you can have.”

Nic cringed. “See…I don’t want him to give it to us. I
feel…well…I don’t want him to think that…”

Katy chuckled. “Get used to being in a family with LOTS of
money. That also took me a while to get used to. Matt and Mark will
want
to give it to you…not because they think you need charity but because they love
you and they’d think nothing of it. Matt just wants to help people. And believe
me, he can afford it.”

Nic smiled. “I can’t believe I belong to this family. I am
so lucky.”

“No,” Katy shook her head as she closed the distance between
them and pulled her into a hug. “We’re the lucky ones to have you.”

“She’s mine! Back away!” Paul laughed as he walked into the
kitchen and scooped Nic into his arms. “I’m the lucky one!”

“Nope!” interrupted Mark. “I’m the lucky one.” He grabbed
Katy by the back of her hair and bent her head backwards and kissed her
soundly.

“Really?” groaned Tim. “You guys are so whipped I’m
surprised you can stand up straight.”

He pulled a beer from the fridge and left as quickly as he’d
arrived. The four of them laughed loudly and the two men kissed their wives
again.

David stood in the doorway watching his brothers. They were
so in love with their women and he didn’t think any less of them for it. In
fact, he thought it was nice. He hoped that one day he would have a better half
too.

*****

Lindsey had been right. The family was blown away by dessert
and Mark was the first to admit it.

“You have proven again, David, that you are an enigma. You
say you can’t make cereal but here you are having made this remarkable dessert.
Hats off to you.”

There wasn’t a crumb left on any of the plates. In fact,
Ella, David’s three-year old niece had had three helpings of the crunchy
meringue. He felt quite proud of himself.

“Well, I have to admit that I had help. Lindsey is still
teaching me and this is what we worked on yesterday.”

“Marry her!” Peter chuckled.

“I agree,” laughed Matt. “Anyone who can make this is a
keeper.”

As David hailed a cab after dinner, he was still feeling
really pleased with his contribution to dinner. He was definitely starting to
feel like he was learning some skills that would change his life. He was very
grateful to Lindsey. He would need to come up with a way to say thank you.

Rory Jeffers, Attorney at Law and David’s brother-in-law,
had put Lou’s mind at ease and had consented to review all contracts and legal
documents on her behalf. Lou and her father were so grateful that they wanted
to take David and Rory to dinner, along with Rory’s husband and David’s
brother, Andrew.

So on Friday evening, Andrew and Rory dropped off their
daughter, Isabelle, at Mark and Katy’s, and picked up David and drove to The
Bourbon, a restaurant Mr. Borsten selected because he had read it was worth
trying.

They met Lou and her father inside and were seated quickly
at the back of the restaurant over on the side where nobody would trip over Mr.
Borsten’s wheelchair. Ice water was poured into crystal glasses and menus
delivered. The waiter took their drink order and left them to peruse the list
of tasty items.

Lindsey stood in the doorway frozen mid step as she watched
the table of five laugh and converse easily, David sitting next to Lou and
looking very comfortable. Audrey had insisted that there was nothing between
the two of them, but seeing them in a social setting like this did nothing to
ease Lindsey’s mind.

“Excuse me,” one of the waitresses said as she tried to push
past her.

“Sorry,” Lindsey frowned and stepped back into the kitchen,
hidden from the eyes of the patrons.
I should have gone to Aaron’s tonight
,
she thought.

*****

For starters they ordered fried mushrooms and mozzarella
sticks. Then came the soup; Split Pea for Mr. Borsten and Andrew, and Clam
Chowder for the others. During the salad course, Lou’s father had the group
riveted as he told stories of the war and some of the near misses he had. For
him, it was the snakes he was most afraid of, not the enemy. David shivered at
the thought of crawling into his bed and finding a coiled snake at his feet.

The Bourbon was known for their amazing steaks and all five
of them ordered red meat by the pound. Andrew had already taken care of the
bill, knowing that the Borstens, even though Lou had just sold several pieces
of art, were not in a financial position to treat them all to a meal at this
type of establishment. His entrée alone cost over forty dollars and he and Rory
were more than capable of picking up the tab, which they’d done.

The group toasted to Lou’s new-found success at supplying a
swanky salon in Los Angeles with art and they toasted to continued success in
the future. It was a celebration to be sure.

*****

Lindsey had ventured back to the kitchen doorway and watched
them all clink their glasses together and sip the champagne David had ordered.
She figured she should probably be a big girl and step out and say hello.
Taking a deep breath she weaved her way through the diners to the table of five
in the corner.

“Our lives changed the day you came to visit us in the
hospital,” Mr. Borsten was saying. “I never had a son, but if I could choose
one, he’d be just like you, David.”

David was smiling but he swung his head to look up as
Lindsey approached. “Hello!” he exclaimed as he stood and she came to stand
next to them.

Lindsey smiled back and David made the introductions. She’d
already met Lou, and Andrew and Rory remembered her from Paul and Nic’s wedding
reception.

“I don’t want to interrupt, I just wanted to say hello,” she
smiled, feeling a tad uncomfortable.

“Please join us,” Mr. Borsten offered.

“Oh no, but thank you. It was a pleasure to meet you. Have a
good evening.” And Lindsey made her escape and hurried back to the kitchen. She
walked straight through to the back door and stepped out into the humid summer
air.

“He’s like a son?” she choked. “I’m an idiot!”

*****

It took every ounce of strength Lindsey had to get up on
Saturday morning and make preparations for her cooking lesson with David. Today
they were making beer can chicken and au gratin potatoes with a chocolate tart
for dessert. She’d picked the chicken because it had been one of the first
things Trudy had taught her to make.

“The thing about cooking,” Trudy had said in her kitchen
many, many times, “Is that if you’re going to spend all that time preparing
something to eat, it should be full of flavor and full of love. If I didn’t
love you, you’d just have been eating bologna sandwiches every day,” she
teased.

It had been Lindsey’s mantra all her professional life. Make
it flavorful and make it with love. And this meal was going to be made with
love. At least,
she
would be cooking with love.

Armed with sacks of groceries, the doorman helped her into
the elevator in David’s building. David had the door open waiting for her when
she stopped at his apartment.  He took the bags from her, ever the gentleman,
and she followed him inside.

They were cooking dinner this time. David had been to a
Yankees game earlier in the day with his brothers. He’d just beaten Lindsey to
his apartment. He helped her empty the grocery sacks and was happy to see the
chicken.

“You know, I love a good steak, but I’ll never turn down
chicken,” he grinned.

“Good,” Lindsey smiled. “This is one of the easiest recipes
you’ll ever learn so you’ll probably make it a lot.”

“Fine with me!”

“We’re gonna start with dessert first though. It needs to
set up in the fridge for a bit.”

David eagerly accepted his assignment of crushing the
chocolate wafers to make the crust. He melted the chocolate in the double
boiler, made out of a saucepan and a glass bowl on the stove, and he whipped
the cream in his Kitchenaid like he’d been doing it forever. Lindsey watched as
he stuck his tongue out every time he was concentrating hard. She found it
adorable and had to keep from staring. 

She showed him how to use gelatin to make the chocolate
mousse and David was genuinely fascinated with the science behind it. Lindsey
told him everything she knew about it as they made the tart and placed the
finished product in the refrigerator.

“How did the pavlovas go?” she asked as they cleaned up
their mess.

“You called it,” he smirked. “They all think I’m amazing.
And I even told them you helped me and they didn’t care,” he chuckled.

“That’s great,” she laughed. “I’m very happy you were a
hit.”

“Oh, I was,” he reiterated. “Janie wants the recipe and Nic
is sure she’ll be craving it for the rest of her pregnancy.”

Lindsey laughed and turned to look at her pupil. “You are
making fantastic progress. I’m certain you’ll be a great cook. And women love
great cooks.”

“Do they?” he asked.

“Oh yeah. Nothing like a good home cooked meal to make a
woman swoon.”

“I thought that it was the way to a man’s heart…through his
stomach.”

“Well, it works both ways.”

“So how come you’re not married then? I’d have thought the
suitors would be kicking down your door.”

“Suitors?” she laughed. “No. I’m too busy to have suitors.
The only men I ever meet are in the restaurant business and I did that once and
it didn’t work out so well so I’ve learned my lesson.”

“You were married?”

“Yeah…a long time ago. I was way too young and we were both
way too busy for a relationship. We managed an amicable divorce which I’m
grateful for. I still see him every now and then. He’s married now and has a
couple of kids.”

“Sounds like there’s some regret in there.”

Lindsey shook her head. “Not with Lewis. We weren’t right
for each other. And I’m glad he’s happy, it’s just that sometimes…”

“Sometimes?” David prodded.

“Nothing. Let’s start on the chicken. I’m hungry.”

*****

As they sat down to their meal, David was once again in awe
of his teacher and the meal that lay in front of him. She made everything seem
so easy; like making these velvety, creamy potatoes was nothing.

“You know, I have to admit that I’m glad we made enough for
there to be leftovers,” he chuckled, as he cleaned his plate.

“Well if you can cook once and eat twice, that’s a
no-brainer in my book,” she smiled.

“More wine?” David lifted the bottle.

“Thank you,” she smiled. “This has been a really nice
evening.”

“It has. I’ll get the tart.”

“I’ll clean up.”

“No!” David exclaimed. “Let me. Sit and enjoy the wine. I’ll
be right back.”

David gathered their plates and walked to the sink. Then he
pulled the tart from the fridge and grabbed a knife and a couple of plates and
headed back to the table. He carefully sliced two pieces and scooped them onto
the plates. As the fork hit his tongue, his taste buds came alive.

“Wow! This is delicious,” he said.

Lindsey grinned and took a bite. “Yep! I think you’ve passed
the dessert class.”

They finished off their tart in silence, enjoying every last
crumb from their plates.

“I cannot believe some lucky guy hasn’t snatched you up,” he
shook his head as he spoke.

“Maybe I haven’t found the right guy yet,” she whispered,
head down, sneaking a peak at David.

He was licking his fork.

“Or maybe I’ve already met him and he’s unavailable,” she
added.

“Unlucky bastard,” he said to his fork.

“Yeah,” she sighed.

“Do you want another piece?”

“No thanks,” she said. “I’ll help you clean up and then I
should get going.”

“Oh no, you don’t have to clean. I can do that.”

“Well, I guess I’ll go then.”

“Okay. Thanks Lindsey. See you next Saturday?”

“Yep,” she sighed and walked to the door.

*****

The July 4
^th
weekend came and went and the Lathem
family had celebrated with a barbecue. David had made another chocolate tart
and had dazzled his mother and the rest of the clan. He had no idea that praise
for a dessert could fill him so full of pride, and he owed it all to Lindsey.

“Seriously dude, you should marry her,” Tim had said as he
finished his piece.

“She’s my instructor,” David had frowned.

“Fine! Take her out then.”

“I can’t. She says it wouldn’t be professional.”

“Why?” Tim asked.

“I asked her if she’d help me with my homework assignment
and she said no…that it wouldn’t be professional.”

“She gives you homework?” Tim was astounded.

“Well not now, but when I was in the class at the college.”

“Aren’t private lessons like a date…every week?” Mark
chuckled.

“No!” David was offended. “I’m taking this seriously.”

“I can see that,” Mark grinned.

“Well then
I’m
gonna ask her out,” Tim had laughed.

“No you’re not!” David snapped.

“Oooh. A little possessive are we?” Tim teased him.

“Shut up,” David replied.