again when my gaze lifts to Faye, whose eyes are still trained on us. At this point, I don’t know what thoughts are floating through her mind, but I’m not sure if I want to find out after class.
My arms are completely around Maggie’s body now. I grip her hand that is holding the knife and use my other hand to steady the pan. I demonstrate to the class and Maggie how to properly cut through the meat and gently lay it on a serving dish.
While the class starts to taste-test their dishes, I plate a dish using the food I prepared and set it on the island to snap a few pictures.
“What are you doing?” Maggie asks as I adjust the plate and add pieces of garnish to frame the food.
“Taking photos for the website.”
Her eyes float around the room like she’s just made a connection. “Did you take all of these photos?”
“I did. But some of them are kind of old now. It’s probably time to replace them.”
In large frames around the room are lifestyle photos of my food and kitchen, but some were taken years ago.
“They’re beautiful.” Maggie’s eyes are locked on the one to the left of the kitchen. It’s probably my favorite of the bunch if I had to pick. Everything about the photo is my idea of perfection: depth of focus, lighting, focal point, and ingredients.
I remember taking the photo in one shot. It was just a lucky moment. All the stars aligned—the setting, the aperture, and the balance were perfect. I don’t consider baking my specialty, but I’m still good at it, and this photo is of one of my favorite desserts. It’s a fresh berry strudel, a puff pastry folded over and filled with a fresh cream-and-berry mix. The dish itself looks mouthwatering, which it is, but the element of the photo that catches everyone’s eye is the powdered sugar falling from the handheld sifter above it. Isolating small elements like the sugar and flour is one of the more difficult photography challenges I’ve ever given myself, but with the perfect shutter speed and aperture combined to control the amount of light reaching the camera, the photo turned out better than I ever could have planned.
“Thank you,” I tell her while continuing to snap more photos of the dish from today’s class. “Can you start handing out the to-go containers?” I nod behind me toward the back counter where the plastic boxes sit.
I put my camera away and clap my hands. “I hope you learned a thing or two today. Enjoy those dinners tonight. Maggie is walking around with your to-go containers. Feel free to use as many as you need, and I’ll see you all back here next Saturday.”
“Thank you, Desmond,” answer a few of my students.
I smile and start to clean up my main station, knowing Faye will require my attention as soon as class empties out. I’d almost forgotten there was a camera man with her until I see him packing away his video equipment.
I walk over to Faye. “Do you still want to talk logistics?” I nod my head toward the table we chatted at the last time she was here. “We can chat here if you don’t have your heart set on going to the bar.”
She stands from the island and pulls her purse around her shoulders. “I think I’d rather meet downstairs. Come when you’re done.” Her eyes dart to Maggie and then back to me. “Bring the little minx too.” Then she struts out of class before the first student leaves.
Bring the little minx too. Faye’s statement initially confuses me, and then that confusion morphs into worry. I replay the way Faye was staring at Maggie and me while we worked together in the kitchen, and I’m not sure I want to know what she was cooking up in that brain of hers. I intend to find out, but there’s no way Maggie is coming with me.
“Hey, Maggie,” I call out when the last student leaves. “Finish wiping down the stations, and then you can lock up.” I toss her a key to the front door.
She watches as I walk past her. “Where are you going?”
“Business meeting. Don’t wait up.” I shut the door behind me without another glance or word.
13
Perfect Pitch
Desmond
“So what’s the deal with your new assistant? Maggie, right?”
I’m barely sitting before Faye asks the cringeworthy question. I’m not sure how to answer her at first, especially since so much is on the