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UnforgettableChapter One
The northern city was green and lush from a long, sizzling hot summer and recent bounty of rain. September first had begun as a cool, crisp day with bright sunshine, but as the day progressed, it warmed enough for air conditioning or ceiling fans to be turned on.
Only one of the trees that surrounded Anna Prescott's modest two-bedroom home showed hints of the rich russet and scarlet foliage yet to come. The house was situated in a residential area dotted with brick homes, schools, and a park on the east side of Detroit, Michigan.
"This is the last one," Anna said as she sealed, then labeled the last of the aluminum containers lining her kitchen workstation.
"Good, it looks like I'll be able to keep my promise this time. Carl is expecting me home in time to go out tonight for dinner and dancing," Janet Raye-Matthews said with a wide smile.
The two African-American women owned Prescott-Raye Catering. Their business had been growing faster than either woman expected when they started three years ago. They worked out of Anna's professionally equipped kitchen with one assistant, Krista Moore.
It was the big kitchen that had won Anna's heart, with its double deep sinks, separate prep areas, and center island. It had been decorated in golden yellow with cream tiled counters, open shelves, and a large picture window that overlooked a spacious backyard.
They prepared twelve complete meals with very generous portions five days a week for their bachelor clientele, all members of the Detroit Lions football team. Not only did the meals have to be tasty but they also had to be nutritionally balanced, rich with rice or pasta, vegetables and fruits, an assortment of whole grains, meat, and dairy products.
The meals were being transferred in stainless-steel racks to the van specially equipped with both a warming unit and refrigerated drawers. Each lid was carefully labeled with the client's name, contents, and heating instructions.
"Well, it would be nice, considering this is your first wedding anniversary," Anna teased. "You should have spent the day pampering yourself in a spa instead of here cooking --"
The two women were opposites in looks and personality. Janet had a quick wit and ready temper, while Anna was levelheaded and seldom ruffled. Janet was five-six, slim and shapely, with small features and soft, light brown skin. Her brown shoulder-length hair was pulled back into a ponytail.
Anna, on the other hand, was tall, five-ten, full-figured, with generous breasts and hips, and a small waist. Her soft black hair had been styled in thin, tightly coiled dreadlocks that flowed past her shoulders. She kept them pulled back into a high ponytail when she was working. Her skin was a rich and creamy mocha brown. She had inherited her height from her father and her dark gray eyes from her mother.
"Carl and I should wait and celebrate this weekend. We don't have an event scheduled. Honestly, Anna. Why can't he ever see that my work is just as important as his law practice?" Janet carried another rack of dinners out to the van.
Anna was right behind her, her hands, like Janet's, covered by protective oven mitts. Together they fitted the last two trays inside the van's heating unit.
"I'm sure if you just talk to him calmly about it, he'll understand."
"And whose side are you on?"
Anna smiled. "Yours, of course. But sometimes you let your temper get the best of you."
Janet laughed. "You know me too well."
"I should hope so. We've been friends and partners for years." Shaking her head, Anna added, "I sure hope Sam likes the rack of lamb we made today. You know, I still can't get over what happened the other day when he was entertaining his new lady friend." She laughed. "I'm just the hired help. My outfit was hardly eye-catching." After locking the van's side door, they went back to the house.
Anna had recently made changes in her appearance. Instead of the loose-fitting pants and oversize tee-shirts she used to wear, she now wore form-fitting jeans and knit tops that skimmed her lush curves.
Anna had been referring to the time she'd been delivering defensive lineman Sam Roger's meal and she'd run into his newest ladylove. The woman had gone into a jealous fit at the idea of another woman having a key to his place and threatened to dump the carefully prepared meal in the trash.
"I don't blame her for being upset. A pretty lady in her man's kitchen is a problem," Janet teased. "Girl, you've changed your whole look over the summer. When are you going to tell me what or who caused this change? I don't care what you say, it has to be a new man."
Anna shook her head. "Wrong, wrong, wrong. How many times do I have to tell you? The change is all about me, no one else."
"Why are you keeping secrets?" Janet tried another tactic.
They'd been super busy since the team had returned from their training camp. They'd added two new bachelor clients while maintaining their weekend catering jobs' which included weddings and an occasional baby or bridal shower.
"I'm not. Besides, this incident isn't about me, but Sam's lousy taste in women."
Anna had quickly grown bored with the subject. It was all so simple, but others insisted on complicating the matter. One day she'd looked in her mirror and decided she was in a rut. She did something about it. End of subject.
Janet laughed, "No sense wasting time worrying about her. We both know he changes his women every other week."
"After two years of cooking for these guys, nothing, and I mean nothing, surprises me anymore."
Unforgettable. Copyright © by Bette Ford. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.
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