Catering to the CEO Read online

  It was funny to listen to Lauren talking so seriously when she was wearing sweats and her hair pulled up in a ponytail; she looked more high school than law school, Stephen thought. He was so damn proud of all of his kids and to listen again, as they were pulling together to help one another out, told him that he’d done a good job raising them.

  “That would certainly not endear me to any future clients, I think,” Cassie said as she cleaned and chopped fresh spinach to use in her Greek chicken. Like her sister, she was dressed casually in faded blue jeans, a white t-shirt and a black apron tied around her. She moved around the kitchen multi-tasking and was definitely at home in this particular room; cooking had always been a joy for her and it was fortunate that she could turn it in to a successful career.

  “Why would future clients have to know?” Katie asked, joining the conversation after getting Ella settled.

  “If he decides to be spiteful, he’ll let it be known to all of the local businesses that I would not do what he asked and then sued. I’m telling you, he’s just that kind of person.” Cassie knew without a doubt that Adam Lawrence did not let anyone get the better of him and if he failed to get a new caterer, she could kiss her business reputation good-bye.

  Conversation veered away from her and her miserable day and went on to make the rounds of all of the Jacobs siblings. With everyone laughing and smiling, Stephen thought now was a good time to talk about what was new in his life. “I sure am glad that y’all came over tonight. It seems we don’t get to do this often enough.” All four of his children turned to look at him and smile. “The thing is, I’ve invited someone over tonight for you to meet and I hope that you’ll like her.”

  “Her?” all four voices said at once.

  Stephen had to smile. Their shocked tone matched the confusion on their faces. “Yes, her. Her name is Beverly, she likes to be called Bev, and we’ve been dating for a couple of months now.”

  “A couple of months?” Matt asked incredulously. “How come you never mentioned this to any of us before?”

  Stephen knew there’d be questions; he was just glad they decided to ask before Bev arrived. “Well, when Bev and I first met, Katie was in her ninth month and if you remember correctly, she was having a rough time.” They all nodded. “Then Ella arrived and we were all caught up in celebrating and getting them both settled. Well, it wasn’t the time to introduce any of you to somebody new. That was Katie’s time. She deserved to be the center of attention.”

  Turning to look at his youngest daughter, he noticed her blue eyes shining with unshed tears. “I didn’t want to take anything away from you, peanut. Besides that, I had no idea if this relationship with Bev was going to go anywhere. After all, I’ve been out of the dating world for quite some time.”

  “I guess it’s going somewhere, then,” Lauren stated, not looking up from slicing up a cucumber lest her father see the pain in her eyes.

  “It is. This whole thing took the both of us by surprise but after almost four months we figured it was time for everyone to meet. So I invited her tonight for a casual get together. She has only one son and he is coming with her and if it’s any comfort to you, he is learning about this today, as well.”

  “I guess that’s something,” Lauren mumbled. Cassie elbowed her in the rib.

  “Geez,” she whispered, “lighten up. This is new territory for all of us.” With that, chatter returned to the kitchen and the dinner preparations were wrapping up. Cassie was putting the spinach and feta stuffed chicken in to the oven and then pulled the Tzatziki from the refrigerator along with the fresh vegetables and hummus for the appetizer. She was placing a basket of toasted pita chips next to it when the doorbell rang.

  “That must be them!” Katie said, giddy with excitement. “Can you believe it? Dad has a girlfriend!” This caused the girls to giggle a bit, even Lauren, while Matt stood back, arms crossed over his chest, ready to observe the whole scene before he made any decision on whether or not he was happy about this new development in his family.

  Cringing, Cassie could only hope that her siblings lightened up quick or this night could be a disaster. Remembering the tray of olives that she had forgotten to take out of the refrigerator, her back was to the door when everyone walked in. “Everyone, this is Bev.” He gestured to the room as a whole and then added, “And this is her son Adam. He’s…”

  Cassie nearly dropped the olive tray as she turned; her whole body had gone rigid. “The jackass that fired me today.”

  Chapter Two

  You could have heard a pin drop in the kitchen before all hell broke loose. Cassie slammed the tray of olives down on the counter and stood there; staring at Adam, shooting daggers at him before she noticed that her siblings had surrounded her and were doing the same.

  Bev looked stricken and Stephen put his arm around her and silently begged his children with his eyes to knock it off. With a nervous laugh, he said “Well, small world. Um…Bev, these are my kids, Matt, Katie, Lauren and, uh, Cassie.” Remembering their manners, they each shook Bev’s hand and welcomed her but their gazes soon returned to Adam. Cassie was enjoying watching him squirm.

  “Um, maybe I should leave,” he murmured, taking a step back, clearly looking for an escape.

  “That won’t be necessary, Adam. Please, you are our guest and my children will please remember themselves and stop trying to intimidate you.” He shot them all a glare that was guaranteed to get them to do what he said and within seconds, they were all scurrying around the kitchen, pouring drinks, setting out plates and chatting with Bev as if she were an old friend.

  Except for Adam and Cassie. Each stood where they were as if in a standoff. It took a few minutes for Stephen to notice and when he did he summoned them both to follow him into his office on the other side of the house. He was surprised when he turned and actually found them both there. “Listen, this is a big night for me and Bev and I will not have the two of you ruining it. I understand that you have a business relationship and some issues with one another right now but that is about business and tonight is not. So say whatever it is that you need to say and then get back into that kitchen so that we can have a nice dinner.” His tone left no room for argument and with that, he turned and shut the door and returned to the kitchen.

  Arms folded, Cassie turned and leaned against her father’s desk and stared, daring Adam to speak first.

  He looked uncomfortable enough to cave. “I did not appreciate being called a ‘jackass’ in front of my mother and your family.”

  “Really? I did not appreciate being fired for sticking to a legally binding contract.”

  She heard the sharp intake of his breath and knew she hit her mark. “I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree on that point for right now. As it stands, I am here purely to appease my mother. I thought we were meeting with potential business clients; I had no idea that she was bringing me here to meet her boyfriend and his family. I mean, really,” he said with disgust, “a boyfriend. At her age. What the hell is she thinking?”

  “Oh, maybe that she met a wonderful man?”

  “Of course you’d say that, you’re his daughter. Don’t you think it’s a bit ridiculous for them to be dating at their age?”

  “I think they’re in love.”

  “Love? Please. I highly doubt it.” If his snort of derision didn’t get the point across that Adam did not believe in love, the look of disgust on his face certainly did.

  “You are a sad, sad human being, you know that?” Pushing off from the desk, Cassie crossed to the door. “I don’t know what your problem is but I think it’s sweet and wonderful that they’ve found each other. As for tonight, we have no choice but to be civil. Just remember, you’re on my turf and right now no one here is impressed with who you are.”

  It was a glorious exit; he had to give her that. Rubbing a hand across his chin, he closed his eyes and tried to think of a believable excuse to get the hell out of Dodge. Unfortunately, nothing came to him. The sound of lau
ghter and the tempting aroma that he was sure was Cassie’s cooking wafted towards him. His stomach knew a good thing when it presented itself because it suddenly let out a very loud protest to the idea of not staying. With a growl of frustration Adam left the safety of Stephen’s office and went back to the kitchen.

  Conversation stopped briefly but Stephen pulled out the chair that was beside him and offered it to Adam. Grateful to not have to speak, he sat quietly and soon the conversation was lively again.

  “Cassie, this dip is fabulous!” Bev gushed. “Adam sent me on a vacation to Greece a couple of years ago and I have to tell you, this is as good as anything I ate while I was there! You’re a genius!”

  Seeing his daughter blush at the praise, Stephen went on to talk about all of the ways that Cassie had come to start her own business; from cooking with her mother and grandmother when she was a little girl, to having to host a business dinner or two for him when she was in her teens. “She just has a knack for it,” he said. “She doesn’t need any recipes, you just tell her what you want and she can create it!”

  “Dad, please,” she murmured, not wanting to draw attention to her business while the enemy was sitting right there.

  Adam sensed more than saw, Matt sit next to him. He didn’t turn to acknowledge him; he was too wrapped up in watching as Cassie tossed the rice in a large skillet one handed without spilling any of it.

  “Lauren, grab me that lemon, please,” she said and in a flash had the pan back on the stove and had the lemon cut and was squeezing the fresh juice over the salad greens. Like a well choreographed dance, the three sisters were moving about the kitchen, each knowing what to do without speaking and soon there was a complete dinner set before them at the large kitchen table.

  “Well, well, well,” Bev said with a bright smile, “what have you made for us, Cassie?”

  Not really wanting the attention on her again, Cassie cast a glance at Katie who took over. “We’ve got spinach and feta cheese stuffed boneless chicken breasts with a balsamic glaze, rice pilaf, and of course, a Greek salad.” She smiled at her sister. “This is one of dad’s favorites.”

  “Oh, I can see why. Everything is fabulous, girls, thank you for preparing such a treat.” She took a small bite of her chicken and when she had finished chewing she looked at her son and said, “Isn’t it wonderful, Adam?”

  He nodded and grunted an agreement, afraid to say too much around this crowd. “Adam has always said that Cassie is an amazing chef. After every event that he has, he’s always praised your cooking,” Bev said, glancing between Cassie and Adam, hoping to ease some of the tension.

  “Really?” Cassie asked. “Funny, I don’t remember hearing that hell had frozen over…”

  “Cassandra!” Stephen hissed. “That is enough! I could see if you were twelve and you were behaving like this but you are a grown woman and Adam is our guest. Granted, I know this has been a rough day for you both but really…”

  “Please, Mr. Jacobs,” Adam began, “there’s no need to intercede on my behalf. I’m afraid that I handled things poorly this afternoon. I just don’t see where three days makes that much of a difference and…”

  That was it. It seemed as if everyone started talking at once.

  “Three days does make a difference…”

  “You were the one who broke the contract!”

  “Do you have any idea how much planning and ordering goes in to an event like yours?”

  “You’ll never get anyone to do this job on such short notice…”

  “ENOUGH!”

  All heads turned to look at Stephen. He reached for Bev’s hand and they held on tightly to one another. “You should all be ashamed of yourselves. There will be no more talk of this contract here tonight. The two of you can talk it out to your hearts content tomorrow but as of right now, you are done. Am I clear?”

  Everyone nodded. “Good. Now pass me the rice.”

  For an hour, there was peace. To Adam’s way of thinking, the Jacobs’ family was sneaky in their attack. No one said anything directly to him but the conversation did seem to continually find its way back to Cassie and her business. With each comment in her favor, the speaking sibling would give him an accusing glance. Fine, if they wanted to believe him to be Hitler, Scrooge and an Ogre rolled in to one, then so be it. Maybe after dinner he’d find some puppies to kick just to prove their point.

  Cassie’s laughter broke through his train of thoughts and caused a slight clench in his stomach. Why had he never noticed what a great laugh she had? Probably because he never gave her a reason to laugh when they were working together. Come to think of it, no one laughed around him. This was the first time in he couldn’t remember when that he was actually surrounded by people having a good time. Geez, when had his life become such a misery?

  Matt slapped his hands together, startling everyone in to silence. “What’s for dessert, Cass?”

  All eyes turned expectantly to Cassie as she cried out, “Oh, no!”

  “What? What’s the matter?”

  “I had some lovely pies and pastries and I left them back at the shop.” Standing, Cassie began clearing the table quickly followed by her sisters. Once again, Adam couldn’t help but admire the way in which the siblings worked together, and seemingly enjoying the domestic task.

  He held in the shudder that wanted to overtake his body at the thought.

  “Cass, go and get the dessert; we’ll do the cleanup, right Kate?” Katie nodded and continued to clear the table, all the while answering Bev’s question about baby Ella.

  Untying the apron that she’d forgotten to take off before sitting down to eat, Cassie tossed it into the laundry room and walked through the kitchen while telling everyone she’d be right back. Grabbing her purse from the living room sofa, she called to Lauren that she was taking her car since it was behind Cassie’s and walked out the door. It was pitch black outside and it wasn’t until she stepped around to the driver’s side of her car that she saw Adam.

  If there was a single thought that was prevalent in her mind as she was heading out it was that it would be good to have a few minutes reprieve from the man. Apparently, it was to be a short-lived one.

  “What are you doing out here?”

  “I thought that I’d take the ride with you so that maybe we can clear the air a little and try and salvage this night.”

  A mirthless laugh came out before Cassie could stop it. “You mean you want to make me fall in line like one of your employees so that my family will stop shooting daggers at you, don’t you?”

  With a shrug, Adam stepped aside as she came around the car to climb into the driver’s seat. Leaving him standing there, Cassie started the car and buckled herself in before rolling the window down. “It’ll be mighty hard for you to take the ride with me while you’re standing in the driveway…”

  With that, he walked around to the passenger side and climbed in.

  Cassie’s shop was only ten minutes away and they spent nine of it in silence. “I’ve never been to your facility before,” Adam said, noting it’s proximity to her family home as well as downtown Raleigh. “How long have you been here?”

  Parking the car right in front, Cassie turned it off before answering him. “It’s been almost three years. Although, most of the first year was spent renovating the place before I could use it to it’s full potential.” She climbed out and Adam followed.

  From the outside, it didn’t look like much; it was a brick façade with a large window display and a pretty wood door with a stained glass design. Walking inside, however, found Adam impressed. The showroom, for lack of a better word, was set up to show different table settings; each table was done in a different color scheme with different china and flowers. Around the room there were shelves that held displays of baskets, silk flowers and an assortment of pictures from what he guessed were events that Cassie had done.

  Walking further in, he stepped under an archway that led into a smaller room with pocket doors th
at felt open and inviting. There was a large desk off to the left sitting on an angle and in front of it were two large upholstered chairs, presumably for clients. This must be her office. Very clever, he thought to himself. Bring the customer through the showroom before actually sitting down with them.

  Adam heard Cassie moving around in the room behind her office. The door to it was wide and had swung as one would find in a restaurant leading to the kitchen and once he stepped through, he realized that was exactly where he was.

  There was glimmering stainless steal everywhere and the smell of bleach was strong enough to know that it was used and that the place was clean but not enough to be overpowering. He saw Cassie stepping out of what he saw to be a walk in refrigerator. There was a row of stoves, four of them, on the right hand wall. In the center of the room were work islands, to the left were cabinets and shelves and towards the back were the sinks. Again, Adam found himself impressed with the overall layout for it to be efficient.

  Cassie had several pink cake boxes in her hands and she placed them on the nearest island before turning to shut the walk-in refrigerator door. Rubbing her hands together, she walked over to one of the cabinets to find a bag to place the boxes in for easier transport.

  “You’ve got a great set up here, Cassandra; truly impressive.”

  She had to stop herself from turning and giving him a snarky remark. After all, he sounded sincere and if what he said earlier about wanting to clear the air was true, it seemed as if now was not the time for sarcasm.

  “Thank you. It took a while to get it just right so that we can all work back here without bumping in to one another but I finally worked out all of the kinks and I’m pleased with it.”