“The fireplace is lit, the roses will be in the Waterford vase Lincoln gave me for our second anniversary, and I’ve got the cutest little cocktail napkins to set out.” She handed Cooper a pink and green napkin showing a cartoon woman seated in front of a line of liquor bottles. The caption read, “Some people call it a problem. I call it a hobby.”
Laughing, Cooper turned her attention to mashing potatoes in one of Ashley’s stainless-steel mixing bowls. She blended sautéed garlic, melted butter, and a scoop of sour cream into the steaming starch and then transferred the fragrant mound into a celery-colored porcelain bowl. At that point, the doorbell rang and the two sisters heard Lincoln’s voice in the hallway welcoming his coworker to his home.
“Showtime,” Ashley whispered with a playful wink and scooped up the cocktail shaker. “See you after you’ve got the chops in the oven.”
“Remember to put on the oven mitts when you carry the platter into the dining room!” Cooper called after her. “If you’re going to pretend to be the chef, you’ve got to look the part.”
Setting the oven to broil, Cooper arranged asparagus spears into a symmetrical fan and drizzled Hollandaise sauce over the green stalks in a zigzag pattern. By the time the French baguette was sliced and placed in a lined basket and the chops had finished broiling until a fine bark of Dijon mustard had formed on the surface of the tender meat, Cooper assumed the threesome in the living room had had ample time to finish their first round of drinks. She washed her hands, put on her wool coat, and walked out through the garage and to the front door. Knocking, she entered the house and hung her coat on the hall tree. Pretending to follow the sound of voices, she meandered into the living room where Ashley greeted her warmly and pressed a martini glass into her hand.
“Aleksandra Jones, this is my big sister, Cooper,” Ashley informed the statuesque beauty standing to the side of the fireplace.
The woman, who had translucently pale skin, icy blue eyes, and dark auburn hair shorn in a sharp razor cut just below the ears, reached out a slim arm and offered Cooper her hand. Every finger but the thumb held a gold and gemstone ring, and one of the jewels took a nip of Cooper’s flesh as the two women shook hands.
Taking a calculating sip of her cocktail, Aleksandra reminded Ashley that she was accustomed to being called Alek. She used the clipped formal tone of a member of the aristocracy remonstrating a household servant. Her voice was deep and low and was punctuated with authority.
“Of course,” Ashley responded to the reprimand with equal haughtiness, her tone pure Scarlett O’Hara. “Do forgive me. It’s just that Alek sounds so masculine and you are the very picture of all things feminine.”
The battle has begun, Cooper thought and took a generous swallow of her Cosmopolitan.
“I am in a business dominated by men,” Alek stated, ignoring the barbed compliment. “It is best to fit in so that your ideas are not dismissed. Don’t you find that to be true in your line of work?”
Momentarily flustered, Ashley paused. Cooper filled in the silence by saying, “Charity work is often dominated by women, but Ashley knows how to organize a group like a five-star general. Because of her devotion and leadership skills, thousands of dollars have been raised to benefit local charities.”
Alek produced an unimpressed frown. “Isn’t that a great deal of effort to put forth for strangers who will never know of your sacrifice?” She gestured at the photos of her hosts on the mantelpiece. “And you have no children to fill this big house?”
This time, Lincoln intervened. “Honey, I think I hear a bell going off in the kitchen.”
After calmly indicating that everyone should proceed into the dining room, Ashley darted off for the kitchen.
Cooper filled in the silence by telling their guest about her career. “I’m in a line of work traditionally occupied by men,” she said, and told Alek about Make It Work! until Ashley reappeared wearing a Vera Bradley apron and matching oven mitts. Pushing open the swinging door between the kitchen and dining room with her hip, she proudly deposited the platter of warm lamb chops in front of her husband.
“Would you serve, darling, while I collect the rest of our meal?”
Lincoln admired the entrée for a moment and then asked Cooper and Alek to hold out their dinner