Yes Chef, No Chef - By Susan Willis Page 0,114

of them were laughing when she said it and Katie knew Lisa was as happy for Sarah as she was.

Katie took a large gulp of wine and told them about the telephone call with Tim and how she’d offered to help out in the restaurant for the day.

“Just you be careful hon,” Lisa warned kindly. “Take it slowly. I don’t want to see you hurt again.”

Sarah squeezed Katie’s hand. “Lisa’s right. But going to support him in his hour of need – oh, Katie, it’s soooo romantic…”

When Katie arrived back from Sarah’s there was a message on her answer machine from Chrissie thanking her for the work at Tim’s restaurant. She said she’d been making jellies, custards, and sorbets, and then had crooned in her admiration at such a gorgeous chef. Katie imagined Chrissie’s California smile and hoped Tim had been pleased with her work.

On Friday morning Katie woke with bubbles of excitement snaking their way around her stomach before she’d even had time to hit the shower. Her white chef’s apron hung on the side of the wardrobe door starched and pressed, and she chose a short, black skirt and black vest to keep as cool as possible in the kitchen, but she also knew they looked good on her tanned legs and arms. Every time she thought of seeing him again she felt quite giddy with longing and although she kept reminding herself she was seeing him on a purely professional basis, she hoped and prayed something more would come from it. Maybe he’d ask her out for dinner or a drink to try and talk again, or maybe she should ask him, she thought, applying lip gloss. No, she couldn’t do that because more than anything else Lisa would be appalled and after all she had held the olive branch out by getting in touch and doing him the favour, therefore, he should be the one to take it further.

Pulling up outside the restaurant she day-dreamed about going out with him for dinner and kissing at the end of the night with his strong hands roaming her body, and ….. “STOP!” she shouted, get a grip on yourself, then took a deep breath, pulled her shoulders back and entered the door into the restaurants kitchen.

Tim’s insides flipped over when she walked into the kitchen and waved across at him - just the sight of her brought a rush of sheer joy flooding through his whole body. Grinning, he hurried across and enveloped her in a bear hug. It was his Kate, and she was really here in his kitchen and smiling at him in person, and not from the photograph on his desk.

“Jeez, it’s good to see you,” he said beaming at her. “In case I forget or don’t get time to say this later, I can’t thank you enough already.”

Revelling at being in his arms again, she laughed. “Hey, hold back with the thanks, I haven’t done anything yet.”

She felt her stomach lurch with passion and desire when he looked into her eyes but reminded herself this was neither the right place nor time and forced her professional business head back into place.

“OK, Chef, lead me to it,” she said giggling nervously, slipped her jacket off, and took her white apron from a bag.

He stared longingly at the vest she wore stretched over her breasts and remembered the day they’d kneaded the dough but he shook the images from his mind because he needed to concentrate on his work.

She wrapped the apron straps twice around her tiny waist and scraped her hair up into a mop cap Jessie gave her then fell into step behind him while he showed her around the kitchen and introduced her to Simon. As they walked, he told her how great Chrissie had been and how she’d done a fantastic job preparing everything with Jessie, and that Jack had paid her generously.

Katie smiled, watching Jessie’s face as she followed Tim around, gazing up at him like a puppy-dog as though he was superman. But she knew there wasn’t the slightest reason to be jealous because for as long as she’d known him Tim had been completely guileless where women were concerned – he simply had no idea of his natural physical attraction.

Just before the restaurant opened Tim gathered them all together, reminded them of their duties and gave a little pep-talk. She felt so proud of his achievements even though it had cost them their relationship. Walking back to her work