Yes Chef, No Chef - By Susan Willis Page 0,32

and I’m going to think of a way to thank you both properly when I get sorted out.”

“Now, don’t start all that again,” Lisa warned kindly. “I can only deal with so many compliments in one night.”

This was Lisa’s way of offering an explanation of her previous embarrassment and Katie squeezed her arm understandingly.

Thin crust pizza arrived with a huge bowl of fresh salad and delicious dressing to which they both attacked hungrily.

“Now, isn’t this a perfect pre-party supper?” Lisa exclaimed happily. “Just enough carbohydrate to give us the energy to dance but not too much filling to make us feel bloated.”

Lisa looked stunning when they entered the house party on Vauxhall Bridge Road and Katie noticed all the guys turning to stare at her long cream silk dress. The silk clung to her slim long legs when she walked and the front draped perilously close to exposing her bra-less small but pert breasts. She was easily, Katie decided, the most attractive woman in the room and their host called out a loud OTT greeting from the hall way.

“Darling…” he breezed. “Soooo glad you could make-it!”

“Oh, Darren,” Lisa purred. “Wouldn’t have missed it for the world…”

Even with Lisa’s height in heels she had to stand on tip-toes to air kiss either side of his cheeks and then introduced Katie to him. He was the tallest man Katie had ever seen and she guessed he had to be at least six foot five or six. Towering above her Katie knew there was no way she would reach his face so warmly took his hand instead which he shook sincerely and welcomed her to his home.

“Champagne and drinks are in the kitchen diner,” he said dashing off to greet more friends arriving in the hall way. Lisa poured drinks in the kitchen and explained that Darren was an ex-client in publishing and was desperately online-dating to try and find a single, professional woman who was over six foot. Whilst they giggled and discussed the problematic act of having sex with a man who was twelve inches taller than oneself Lisa suddenly stopped talking and looked over Katie’s shoulder.

“Oh Katie, don’t turn around and make it obvious but he’s here…” she whispered. Katie took a sip of her drink and moved around the table to see who the guy was.

Looking at the groups of people standing together Katie asked, “OK, give me a clue at least?”

“By the doorway. He’s black, his name’s Adam, and phwoarr, just look at those shoulders in that white shirt?”

Lisa was practically drooling and licked her heart shaped, moist lips while Katie looked him up and down.

Yep, she thought, just Lisa’s usual type and squeezed her friends arm reassuringly. “Go get him, Tiger,” she whispered.

She’d have great fun telling Sarah all about him tomorrow, she mused sipping her champagne slowly. Looking at Adam’s friends she decided they seemed a nice bunch of guy’s although she couldn’t feign any interest in them, and then suddenly gasped as reality hit home. God, this was something she hadn’t thought of until now - eventually she’d have to get back out on the dating scene again. Her heart sank with the tiresome thought of it all.

Before Tim she’d been out with quite a few different men and one in particular, Steve, had lasted for six months. She remembered by the end of their second month together that she’d thought him a serious contender for a long term relationship and how he’d often reminded her of her father. He’d been good looking, smart, and kind and they’d got along very well together but when his ex-fiancé arrived back on the scene he’d told Katie he was still in love with her and they’d flitted off to Australia together. She however, had been left sighing with relief at a lucky escape and decided that he couldn’t possibly have had any of her father’s qualities or he wouldn’t have been so easily led.

Just when she was wondering if she’d been guilty of looking for a copy of her father in every man she met, Lisa whispered, “And here he comes…”

Lisa’s voice brought her back to the party where she saw Darren leading Adam by the arm across the room to meet Lisa. Darren had an excited little school boy look on his face while Katie suppressed a giggle thinking it was more like leading a lamb to the slaughter but she joined Lisa in giving the guys a big smile.

“Adam, at last,” Lisa said. “We’ve finally