First Class Menu by Aj Harmon, Christopher Harmon Read Free Book Online Page B

the top of her craft and become an Executive Chef. She had
achieved her goal at a much younger age than most. She still had a few years
before the big 4-0 and she had a lot to show for it…career wise. Having some
evenings off was unusual for a chef, the dinner rush being the main event for
the work day.
    After a shower, Lindsey decided she’d go out for dinner. Several
of the staff at Aaron’s Grill had talked about a new Thai place that had opened
up just a few blocks from her apartment. She hadn’t lived in Soho for very long
– just a couple of years now – and there were still hundreds of restaurants she
needed to try out. A night out for dinner was just what she needed, so she
called Trudy to see if she and Trevor would be her guests for dinner.
    *****
    The week went by fast. They always did. The last five years
had flown by for Lindsey. She had worked so hard and had given up any sort of a
personal life. She hadn’t had a date in years. She hadn’t had sex in even
longer! But she told herself when she felt lonely that it had all been worth
it.
    By the time Thursday arrived, she felt a bit on edge.
David’s cooking class was in the evening and she wondered if he’d come. She’d
thought about calling him the week before to find out why he hadn’t shown up,
but had thought better of it and resisted the urge.
    As she sauntered into the classroom five minutes before
class began, she tried to appear cool and relaxed, but she felt anything but.
Lindsey nonchalantly scanned the room. He wasn’t there. She put her bag down
and twisted her hair into a knot on the top of her head and secured it with a
claw. Then lathered up her hands in the sink and scrubbed them clean. Now at
the top of the hour, class began…without David.

6.
    David spent every waking minute at the gallery making sure
everything was ready for Friday’s big opening. By lunch time on Friday, he was
exhausted but thrilled with the way the space looked.
    Lou Borsten’s pieces were front and center in the expanded
gallery. David was confident that most of her pieces would sell in the first
couple of nights. He was sure she would be a sought after commodity in the
years to come and he was glad he could be instrumental in her ascension into
the Manhattan art world.
    Audrey arrived dressed to the nines a little after lunch.
Several newspaper critics would be arriving shortly to get a sneak preview of
what the public would see in just a few hours and Audrey wanted to make her
best impression.
    “You aren’t dressed!” she frowned as she walked in David’s
office.
    “My suit is hanging on the back of the door. I can be ready
in five minutes,” he casually replied.
    Of all the Lathem men, David was the most even tempered.
Little riled him and disappointments were just a fact of life that didn’t
deserve getting depressed over. Maybe it had something to do with his older
brothers’ passion. Matt was a go-getter, definitely a type A personality. Mark
threw himself into anything he did with one hundred percent gusto and
determination. Whether it was sports or work or vacations, he gave it his all.
Andrew was a combination of his two older brothers and then there was David;
reserved, introspective and a bit of a loner. They all looked alike, but were
all very different.
    “They said they’d be here at two and I need you to be ready
to dazzle them with your brilliance,” Audrey smiled at her friend.
    David dropped the pen in his hand onto the desk and shut the
three-ring binder. “Then you’d better get out of her so I can change,” he
grinned.
    Audrey hustled from his office, practically slamming the
door on her way out. Not feeling any time constraints at all, David removed his
shoes and socks and placed them neatly in the bottom file cabinet drawer. Then
he pulled his polo shirt over his head and unthreaded his belt from his jeans.
Grabbing some deodorant from the same drawer, he freshened himself up and then
sprayed some cologne over his bare