Getting Rich (A Chef Landry Mystery) by Monique Domovitch Read Free Book Online Page A

watching our every move. I felt a wave of queasiness.
    The director approached, holding a black-and-white clapboard in front of Lauren. He counted backwards, “In five, four, three—” just like in the movies. He slowly backed out of camera range, “—two, one,” and gave it a sharp clap.
    “And we’re back.” Lauren smiled at the camera, speaking in a husky voice a good two tones deeper than it had been during the commercial break. “For those of you who are just joining us, today’s topics are nutrition and weight loss. Our next guests are two lovely ladies, owners of Skinny’s on Queen. Take note of that name, because trust me, you’ll want to experience that restaurant.”
    On the monitor a few feet away, the screen changed to a picture of our restaurant. The old brick storefront had a wide window decorated with black-and-white striped curtains, and the name Skinny’s on Queen was spelled out in curly red neon lettering at the top. It looked good, really good. My heart leaped and for a moment I almost forgot to be nervous.
    Lauren was speaking. I snapped back to the present. “Please welcome Toni Lawford and Nicky Landry, chefs and co-owners of Skinny’s on Queen, and creators of their wonderful Skinny menu.”
    Applause lights flashed on and off, and the audience clapped energetically.
    When the room quieted, Lauren turned to us, still beaming. “Good morning and welcome. How did you come up with the idea of opening a low-calorie restaurant?”
    From the corner of my eye I spotted one of the cameras gliding silently over, a red light flashing above it. It was focused on me. Crap! What am I supposed to do? I smiled—or at least tried to. But I just knew I looked like a deer caught in headlights. The right corner of my mouth began twitching, and it was a moment before I realized that Lauren was looking at me. What did she just say? My mind drew a blank.
    “Er...” I began, lamely. Now my right eye was twitching too. I glanced helplessly at Toni.
    She took one look at my panicked expression and took over. “Nicky and I recognized the need for a restaurant catering to health—and weight-conscious people.” She sounded so professional. “We wanted to create a menu that offered healthy meals—delicious, but low in fat and in sugar.”
    Lauren nodded knowingly. “Isn’t that exactly what this country needs?” She turned to the audience. “How many of you want to lose weight? Let’s see a show of hands.” There was an instant swell of applause. She nodded. “I’m not surprised. Lately, it seems as if every time I listen to the news or open a paper, there’s an article about the obesity problem in this country. We all know that being overweight will cut years off our lives.” She continued, quoting statistics and explaining the link between obesity and diseases like cancer and diabetes. “This problem is so serious that the next generation will be the first in recorded history to have a shorter life expectancy than that of their parents.”
    Toni nodded in agreement. “Yes, and it is Nicky’s and my belief that restaurants are partly to blame. Rather than trying to attract customers by offering quality, most restaurants offer quantity, and portions are becoming larger and larger. As a result, what people nowadays think of as a normal portion, is actually twice—sometimes three times—the healthy amount.”
    Toni sounded great, smart and likable. She had sort of stretched the truth about how we’d come to adopt our Skinny menu. The idea had come to me out of sheer desperation, not out of any sense of altruism.
    Toni turned to me. “And Nicky has already lost twenty-five pounds on our meals.”
    Lauren’s sharp eyes focused on me. “Tell us about your diet, Nicky.”
    I cleared my throat and found my voice. “The thing is.” I searched for a way to tell the truth without contradicting Toni. “I didn’t diet. In fact, I’ve never been able to stay on a diet in my life.”
    Lauren’s