Jessica Conant-Park - Cook the Books

Kyle showed up promptly at seven. When I was dating Josh, I’d spent countless hours either waiting for him to get off work or having him entirely cancel on me because the restaurant “needed” him. He was rarely on time, and his perpetual tardiness had always irked me. Kyle, on the other hand, was here when he said he’d be. Unfortunately, this was one time when I’d have been grateful for an extra fifteen minutes so that I could tidy up the place and finish fussing with my hair.

“Come on in! I’ll be right out!” I called from the bathroom as I jabbed another pin into my hair. “I’m so sorry about the mess, but you can see how hard I’ve been working on the book!”

Kyle’s warm laugh echoed down the hall, and I heard the back door shut. “Don’t worry, we’ve got time.”

I snarled at my reflection. A damn wisp of hair had fallen out of my updo, and it took me a few minutes to fix it. When I finally emerged from the bathroom, I was appalled to see that I hadn’t even left a clear spot where Kyle could sit. He stood formally in my small living room, his hands clasped together as he waited.

“God, this is horrible! I’m so sorry!” I quickly rushed to the couch and gathered up my client notes.

“Are you afraid I’m going to read your diary?” he joked.

“Yeah, right. I’m just horrified about this mess.” To have left the confidential notes lying around was really inexcusable. Not that Kyle would be terribly intrigued by the details of my internship, but if I intended to behave professionally, I needed to get in the habit of leaving the notes at work, or at least keeping them zipped in my bag.

“Chloe, you look absolutely stunning.” Kyle voice was touchingly sincere. “That dress is perfect for you.”

I swear that I felt my cheeks heat up. “Thank you,” I said with a smile. “And you, sir, look very dapper yourself.” Kyle’s goatee was trimmed tonight, and I liked his barbered look even better than his usual cute scruffiness. As I was silently admiring his obviously expensive black suit, it occurred to me that he looked like a male escort I could have found online. Even so, he looked great.

“I’d tip my hat to you if I had one.” Kyle winked at me. “Should we go get Adrianna and Owen now?”

“Yes. You know, I think this is the first night out they’ve had together since Patrick was born. Well, the first without the baby along. Owen found a really sweet girl who lives down the street from them to babysit, so if she works out, maybe they’ll be able to go out more. Not that they can afford to very often, but they’d like it.” I locked up and followed Kyle to his car. “Of course, I’m always happy to sit for Patrick, but it’s good for them to have another option.”

Kyle double-parked in front of Ade and Owen’s building while I went to get my friends. I rang the bell, waited to be buzzed in, and then made my way up the flight of stairs. I stopped outside their door and cringed. They were having some sort of fight. I sighed and knocked.

Ade whipped the door open. “Hi, Chloe,” she said rather seriously. “You look smokin’.”

“Um, thank you.” I glanced at Adrianna and Owen. Both were dressed beautifully, Ade in a long, soft pink dress, and Owen in a remarkably normal- looking suit. But there was one clear problem: Owen was holding Patrick. Glancing around the living room, I saw no sign of a babysitter. “Uh-oh.”

“Yeah.” Owen nodded. “Our one babysitter got some sort of Exorcist -type stomach bug and apparently puked her guts out an hour ago. Her mother called us and apologized, but it’s nobody’s fault, obviously. Please tell Adrianna that she has to go tonight. I’m fine with staying home.”

“No way, Owen,” Adrianna said firmly. “I got to go out to dinner with Chloe the other night, and I got my hair done. You haven’t been out at all, hon. I want you to go.”

“Absolutely not,” Owen said as he moved to the love seat. “Patrick and I are in for the night. Besides, now I can take off these uncomfortable clothes.” He smiled broadly at his wife. “Go, go, go! I swear I don’t mind.”

Ade bit her lip as she looked back and forth between Owen and me. “What do you think, Chloe? Am I a rotten mother for wanting to go to a restaurant opening instead of staying home with my son?”

“Of course not. I think you should do whatever you want to. But one of you is coming with me! And right now, because Kyle is downstairs with the engine running.”

Owen shooed us away with his hand. “Off you go, ladies!”

“Oh, all right! Fine, I’ll go.” I was surprised that Ade didn’t stomp her foot. “But you’re having a guys’ night out soon, Owen, okay?”

“I’ll take you up on that, babe. Come give me a kiss, and I’ll see you and your sexy dress later.”

Ade grinned, rushed over to Owen, and planted a long kiss on his lips.

“Okay, lovebirds, the clock is ticking,” I said as they continued to kiss. “Seriously, we have to go!”

“I’m coming,” Ade said as she slowly pulled away from Owen. “I’ll see you later on tonight.” After giving Patrick a quick snuggle, she headed for the door.

“God, you two make me sick,” I teased. “Good-bye, Owen!” I practically dragged Ade away from her husband as the two blew kisses back and forth. I somehow managed to get her down to the first floor. “Christ, you two are like rabbits now, huh?”

“Very funny. Hey, is that a new dress and coat? They’re gorgeous. But aren’t you supposed to be saving your money?”

“These? Oh, I got them on sale,” I lied. Yes, I had a wee spending problem, but at least I now had a lucrative job. “Here, hop in the front seat,” I said pointing to Kyle’s car.

“Thanks.” She waved to Kyle and opened the door.

I got in the back and pulled my coat around me. Thank God for fake fur! It was so bitterly cold tonight that I felt justified in my extravagant purchase.

“Where’s Owen?” Kyle asked with concern as he pulled the car away from the curb. “Is he sick?”

“No,” Ade said as she crossed her long legs. “The babysitter is. The truth is that we really can’t afford to pay for one anyhow, so it’s probably for the best. He’ll go out another night.”

“That’s too bad.” Kyle turned up the radio. “Oh, I love this song!”

“Me, too!” Ade squealed.

I endured their enthusiastic, if tuneless, rendition of Aerosmith’s “Dream On” and momentarily felt like a child being chauffeured around by embarrassing parents. Fortunately, what came on next was an ear-piercing Mariah Carey song that neither of the front-seat karaoke singers wanted to attempt.

“Tonight is going to be fun, huh, ladies?” Kyle said happily. “I can’t wait to see how the food is. And everything inside will be new and decorated perfectly. This’ll be a blast!” Kyle pulled up to the valet-parking area in front of a tall building smack-dab in the middle of the financial district.

I had to wonder why Kyle was in such a great mood tonight. With a famous chef for a father, he must have been to tons of restaurant openings; it wasn’t as though tonight’s outing were a novel experience for him. I, on the other hand, was not a regular at these kinds of events. The last one I’d attended had been at Josh’s former restaurant, Simmer.

True to its name, the Penthouse was on the top floor of the building. The three of us rode up in a conspicuously modern elevator with mirrored walls surrounded by neon green lights. During the ride, I did my best not to check and recheck my appearance. When the doors opened, we stepped into a luxurious waiting area with rich brown leather seats and large potted plants. Although there was plenty of seating, a good-sized crowd stood there, the most notable member of which was a statuesque woman with a red shawl who was arguing with the hostess. By craning my neck, I managed to get a clear view of the hostess’s face and realized that she was none other than Georgie, Snacker’s girlfriend and Ellie’s best friend. Even though her pale skin was flushed with irritation, she looked striking. Her hair was especially lovely, short and blonde, styled off her face in soft curls.