Yes Chef, No Chef - By Susan Willis Page 0,90
meant she then had to lick the oily traces from her fingers. Wow! That tastes soooooo good, she thought, sinking comfortably back into the settee and tucking her legs underneath her bottom.
Her old tracksuit felt familiar, warm and cosy while she mentally made a plan of action for the next day starting with calls to Sarah and Lisa. And, maybe she'd get in touch with Phil? After all, Tim certainly wasn't living a life of celibacy so neither, she decided, would she.
Chapter Twenty- Two
"Sounds fab," Katie said excitedly. "I’ll make some bites to eat and get a bottle of champagne." Ending the call on her mobile to Sarah she decided this would be the perfect opportunity to make it up to her friends and hurried into the kitchen to check her supplies. Considering it was only the last few days of March it was unusually warm and Sarah had suggested getting out of the city for the day and heading down to Brighton beach for some much needed fresh air. And Katie decided as she hadn’t seen them for a couple of days this would be the ideal time to tell them about Tim.
Wandering around the cash and carry she stocked up on essentials, detergent, bleach, kitchen rolls, and J-cloths and then called into Waitrose where she bought fruit, chocolate, strawberries, and a bottle of Moët & Chandon champagne.
Leaving the supermarket with the bottle tucked under her arm she struggled to read a text from Lisa. Apparently she had her boss’s convertible car for the drive to Brighton which meant that even if they got stuck in busy traffic at least they'd be cool and comfortable. Lisa had also asked Katie to keep the food a secret until they got there so it would be a delicious surprise. Smiling at the text she headed towards the car and loaded her groceries onto the back seat knowing full well that Lisa would love the white chocolate strawberries she was making for her. She could never understand why some people thought cooking was a chore to be avoided because she loved to see her friends enjoying the food she cooked, and the pleasure on their faces was always well worth the effort. Remembering a quote she’d once read which stated how satisfying it was to be the provider she smiled wondering if she too was becoming a mother hen like Sarah.
She began cooking the minute she walked into the flat and didn’t finish until late evening. She made mango & passion fruit smoothies which would be cool and refreshing to drink on the beach and a large frittata with peppers and tuna because this was just as delicious cold as it was hot. Sarah’s favourite muffins were almond, lemon & blueberry and she diligently made a batch revelling in the lovely smell when they came out of the oven. If they didn’t manage to eat them all tomorrow Sarah could take what was left over to nibble at in her studio the following week. Finally, while she waited for the muffins to cool she hulled and washed the strawberries, melted the white chocolate in a small bowl over a pan of boiling water and lined a tray with greaseproof paper. Dipping each strawberry separately into the melted chocolate until they were three quarters coated she laid them carefully onto the tray and placed them into the fridge.
The next morning she woke early, showered and dressed in white pedal-pushers and T shirt and had the bags packed and ready when Lisa pulled up outside in the convertible. They loaded the cool bag and picnic hamper into the car and amidst whoops of laughter and here-we-go chants, Lisa pulled off down the road and out towards the M25 leaving the city behind them.
Sitting in the front next to Lisa, Sarah selected an Amy Whitehouse CD. "Is this OK?" she asked them both. "Or there's Dido?"
"N...no!" Katie stuttered, alarmed at the memories from the day before. "Sorry, I mean, this is fine, Sarah."
"OK, what’s up?" Lisa asked, looking at her through the rear view mirror.
"Up?" Katie queried, although she knew what Lisa meant.
Sarah half turned in her seat and raised an eyebrow. "I think Lisa is implying that there's something wrong that you're not telling us about?"
Katie looked at them, realising that to try and keep what had happened with Tim from them was futile because they were like sisters and always seemed to know exactly what she was thinking.
"All right, all right," she moaned