[Second Chances 02]California Dreams (9 page)

Jane was a bundle of nerves as she entered the small office and took a seat at the table. The two chefs sat on the other side of the table and each gave her a smile of welcome. “Welcome. I am Chef Marco Scaltini, and this is Chef Rosalind Perez. How did you enjoy lunch?”

“It was fabulous, thank you,” Jane answered honestly.

“Good. So, let’s get right to it. I understand you had the seared steak salad with the roasted tomato soup and fresh garlic baguette.” Jane’s eyes widened as she realized they knew what she’d had for lunch. “Tell me how you might have improved upon those dishes.”

Improve? Everything was delicious.
Knowing that they expected some sort of intelligent answer, she thought for a minute and then slowly answered, “Well, as you already know, my meal was delicious. If I wanted to make some changes to it, to fit my own cooking style, I probably would have used another pepper other than the jalapeno to spice things up. Maybe even a roasted pepper of some sort to add a smoky flavor to the mix.” Warming to her topic, she continued, “I would probably have used a different blend of greens, mixing in some baby spinach for the sweetness and then some arugula and watercress for the opposite effect. Chopped sun-dried tomatoes, some pine nuts, sliced cucumbers, and halved cherry tomatoes would have found their way into the mix as well.”

When the two chefs looked at each other, she paused, unsure if she should continue. “Please, don’t stop now. I do believe you’re creating tomorrow’s menu,” Chef Perez told her with a grin.

Jane grinned and bit her bottom lip, but continued, “Well, instead of the straight tomato soup, I would do a combination of roasted red peppers, garlic and tomatoes. As you can tell, I like a lot of flavor in my dishes.

“For the baguette, I would prefer thinly sliced bread, topped with fresh pesto and mozzarella just melted and browned slightly.”

Chef Scaltini licked his lips before saying, “I’ve already had lunch, but just listening to you talk has me hungry again.” Turning to his partner, he asked, “Do you need to hear anything more?”

Chef Perez shook her head, “No, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with on Sunday. Would you rather do a lunch service or a dinner?”

Jane couldn’t believe it was this easy. “Well, I usually attend church on Sundays…”

“Perfect. I am rather fond of that particular exercise myself. The kitchen will be at your disposal by 4 o’clock. Please bring your receipts with you and whatever you’ve spent will be reimbursed. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.” Chef Perez leaned across the table and shook her hand.

Jane stood up, shaking the other chef’s hand and then left the small room. Samuel was waiting right outside for her, and seeing the dazed look on her face, knew things had gone well. “You did it?”

Jane nodded; giddy, and needing to share her excitement with someone, she told him, “Yes! They want me to come back and cook for them on Sunday.”

Samuel grinned at her, “I knew they’d love you! We need to celebrate.” Samuel took her hand and led her out to the parking lot, helping her into the passenger seat, before jogging around to the driver’s side.

“Where are we going?” Jane asked, grinning as he threw the vehicle into gear and pulled out into traffic.

“You’ll see. Why don’t you give Grace a call and ask her to meet us at Belmont Park with Daniella in an hour?”

“What’s in Belmont Park?” Jane asked, curious to know.

Samuel shook his head, “Can’t tell you, because then I’d have to kill you. Guess you’ll just have to sit back and relax.”

Jane laughed at him, “Funny. Does Stan appreciate your sense of humor?”

“Stan got his the same place I got mine, from Uncle Sam. It’s standard government issue.”

Jane slapped him lightly on the shoulder, “Oh you. It’s no wonder Daniella adores you.”

“Daniella adores me?” Samuel asked, liking the little girl just as much back.

“Yeah! I think she’s put you into the role of surrogate father for the moment. She talks about you all the time.” Grace and Jane had discussed this fact several times, and Jane secretly hoped that Grace would jump back into the dating pool sometime soon. Daniella needed a father as much as Grace needed a husband.
You’re one to give advice!

Jane rolled her eyes mentally as her inner voice reminded her just how long she had kept herself out of the dating pool. Fifteen years to be exact.
Well, that time of my life is over now. I’m back and going after what I want!

“Jane?” Samuel asked once more, concerned that she hadn’t responded.

“What? Oh, sorry. I was just woolgathering. I’ll give Grace a call. This was Daniella’s first day of preschool so we can have a double celebration.”

Grace thought Belmont Park sounded like an excellent way to end the day of firsts and promised to meet them there around 4:30 p.m. with Daniella.

Samuel made a stop by his bungalow to let Lucky out. Seeing that he had several messages waiting, Jane took Lucky down to the beach with her stick, and left Samuel alone to deal with business.

Both messages were from Stan, and the last was marked urgent. Dialing his number, he waited for him to answer and then spoke, “What’s up? You said it was urgent.”

“Yeah, well, you’re not going to like this. Sewell got another hearing pushed through this morning without any advance notice. It seems that a kidney has been located for Hector and the judge is going to allow the surgery to take place.

“I managed to get there in time to put my two-cents in, but the judge is only going to authorize one guard, outside his door once he’s taken from ICU and down to a regular room. Between the time he arrives at the hospital and that, no additional resources have been stipulated as necessary.”

“What?! Is the judge crazy? What’s to keep him from walking out the side door of the hospital before they can sedate him for surgery?”

“That’s what I asked the judge. I was informed that Hector is a dead man walking without the transplant and she trusted that his life would be more valuable to him than his freedom.”

“She? Sewell got Judge Blackburn to hear the case again?” Samuel asked, not liking how this was playing out.

“Yeah. I went over to the jail to let Hector know that we would be watching him, but they’d already transferred him to the hospital.”

“Which hospital?”

“I don’t know. I asked for a copy of the paperwork, and I was informed they have a new clerk who mistakenly sent all copies with the transferring officers. Until they get back from the hospital, we know nothing.”

“I don’t like the sound of this,” Samuel said, wondering if Hector had even made it to the hospital.

“Me neither.”

“What about Julian?”

“That was the only good thing that came out of this morning’s hearing. Judge Blackburn agreed that there was no reason for Julian to be at the hospital until Hector was out of ICU. At that time, he will be taken over to the jail and allowed to visit his brother to assure himself he’s recovering.”

“Well, that’s something at least.”

“What do you want to do?”

“Find out which hospital he’s at and then start a list of off-duty volunteers. I want someone watching him the entire time. Make sure they all know this is off-record and not compulsory.”

“Sure. I don’t think there’ll be too many who pass up on a chance to make sure this scum remains in custody. Most of the agents in the San Diego office have seen firsthand what kind of monster he and his brother can be.”

Stan was referring to the numerous raids the FBI had participated in; raids where women and children had been slaughtered by the cartel before they disappeared. No, there were very few agents around who wouldn’t want to help ensure Hector Quintana served his time.

“Good. Look, I’m headed to Belmont Park, but call me if you need to.”

“Got it. Have fun tonight.”

“I will.” Samuel hung up the phone, debating about whether or not he should cancel their celebration and focus on work. Going to stand at the patio door, he watched Jane throw the stick for an exuberant Lucky, who returned it, shaking sand and water all of Jane in the process.
Stan had said he would call if he needed me. She’s so happy right now. We need to celebrate!

Stepping out onto the deck, he hollered down to her, “Ready to go celebrate?”

Jane turned and squinted into the sun, hollering back, “I don’t think your dog ever gets enough of this!”

“Come on up. She’ll get over it, I promise.” Samuel chuckled as Lucky tried to pry the stick out of Jane’s hands, but the woman won out and the dog finally followed her up the small path, heading straight for her water bowl once she entered the house.

“She wore me out!” Jane said, collapsing on his sofa and gratefully taking the bottle of water he handed her. Looking at Samuel, she noticed that some of the laughter had left his eyes, and she wondered about it. “Is everything alright?”

“For now. That was Stan. It seems that Hector and his lawyer convinced a judge to allow the transplant surgery. He’s already being transferred to an area hospital.”

“Is that safe? For Grace and Daniella, I mean.”

“Yeah. I don’t think Hector would do anything to jeopardize the surgery, but during his recovery time in the hospital, who knows. Stan’s putting some things in place so that we can keep tabs on him twenty-four seven.”

“Good. Grace and Daniella don’t need anything more upsetting their schedules. Daniella’s already having a hard time recuperating from the last two weeks.”

“What’s going on with her?” Samuel asked, leading her out of the house and back to his vehicle.

“I don’t really know. Grace seems kind of concerned, but she’s hoping it’s just the excitement and that once things get back onto a steady schedule, she’ll be fine. She’s been really tired, and seems to be bumping into things a lot.”

“Bumping into things? Like, knocking things over and such?” Samuel asked.

“No. In fact, neither Grace nor I have seen her bump into anything, but she has several new bruises on her arms and legs. Big enough ones that one would think she would have cried or something.”

“Did Grace take her to the doctor yet?”

“No. She said if things don’t improve over the next week or so, she’d make her an appointment.”

“Good. I hope nothing’s wrong.”

“Me too.”

Belmont Park was an amazing place and as Samuel parked, Jane looked at the outline of the roller coaster in the distance and remarked, “The Boardwalk? Belmont Park is on the Boardwalk?”

“Yep. Surprise?” Samuel asked, hoping it was a good one.

“I love roller coasters. We are so riding in the front car,” she told him, getting out of the vehicle and looking at her surroundings. Seeing Grace pull up a few spaces over, she told Samuel, “There’s Grace now.”

Grace looked at her sleeping daughter in the booster seat and shook her head. Daniella had been talking non-stop for the first few minutes of their ride, telling her about each and every monkey she had met today and demanding to be taken to the zoo so she could see them again.

When she had finally taken a break to breathe, Grace had expected her to continue telling her about her day, but had glanced in the rear view mirror to see her sound asleep.
She’s awfully tired lately!
When her baby coughed in her sleep, Grace shook her head.
Something’s not quite right. I’ll call tomorrow morning and get her an appointment for a check-up.

She rolled down her window as Samuel and Jane approached, “Hi guys! Daniella fell asleep on the drive over here.”

“Poor baby. She’s probably worn out from her first day of preschool. How did it go?”

“Great! She didn’t want to go at first, but then Mr. Simpson mentioned that a friend of his from the zoo was bringing in some monkeys and I ceased to exist.”

Jane chuckled, “Let me guess, she now thinks she needs a monkey as a pet.”

“No,” Grace told her, “I made sure Mr. Simpson impressed upon his young charges that monkeys were not pet material and they couldn’t have one. Even if they begged or threw a tantrum. No – my daughter now wants to go live at the zoo. It seems that it is my duty to take her by the zoo everyday so she can see her new friends.”

Samuel laughed, “You’re joking, right?”

“Afraid not. I was being lectured on how it was mean of me to keep her from her new friends right before she fell asleep.”

Jane looked into the backseat, noticing the dark circles beneath Daniella’s eyes. When she heard the little girl cough in her sleep, she looked at Grace with concern in her eyes, “Is she okay?”

Grace turned to look at her daughter as she said, “I don’t know, but I’m going to make an appointment for her tomorrow. Whatever’s going on with her seems to be getting worse, not better.”

Jane nodded, “How about we do this some other time?” she asked Samuel.

Samuel started to reply, but Grace interrupted him, “Don’t you dare cancel your plans because of us. I’m going to take Daniella home and put her to bed. You two go enjoy the boardwalk and celebrate. I want to hear all about your interview and the menu you’ve chosen for Sunday, but we can do that tomorrow. I don’t have to leave the house tomorrow except to take Dani to school.”

Jane smiled, “Great! We’ll catch up then.”

Grace nodded and rolled up the window. She would take Dani home, feed her a light supper, and then tuck her into bed. Hopefully, she would be feeling much better come morning.

*****

Sara hung up the phone after leaving yet another message. Trent had received several emails from Jane telling him she was having a wonderful time in California, but when she had briefly mentioned that Daniella hadn’t been feeling well, Sara had become worried and started calling her sister.

She knew that Grace was trying to get everything squared away for the new semester at the art center where she taught, and did not want to bother her there. Instead, she had left several messages for her at home, hoping that she would see the blinking light when she got home and call her back.

“Still not home?” Trent asked as he entered the living room with two plates in his hands.

Sara shook her head, “No. But it’s still early out there. I left her a message to call me back. Hopefully they’re just out sight-seeing and nothing’s wrong.”

“I could call Samuel if you’re really that worried about them,” Trent offered, sitting down next to her on the couch.

Sara smiled at him, “No. I’m just being a worrier. I’m sure everything’s fine. This looks amazing.”

This
was Fettuccine Alfredo, which Trent had made from scratch. Sara took her first bite, closing her eyes as the creamy sauce contacted her taste buds. “Trent, I’m not sure who’s the better cook between you and Jane.”

“Why, thank you. I do have to confess that I learned everything I know about cooking from her and my mom. They used to cook up a storm when I was younger.”

“Do you miss your mom and dad?” Sara asked.

“Nah! They’ll come home when they’re ready to. I think it’s great that they can travel around and see the world.”

Sara nodded, taking another bite of her pasta and moaning in appreciation, “I met with Bill today.”

“How did that go? I’m sorry I couldn’t make it, but Jeb needed help taking down those Christmas lights and then we dismantled the nativity set. It sure was cold out there.”

“I bet. The wind was something else this afternoon. I’m going to miss seeing that nativity set each time we drive into town.” Sara thought about the life-sized nativity set that had decorated the front of the church lawn since her arrival in Castle Peaks.

“Don’t worry. It’ll be back up before you know it.”

Sara smiled, “I know. Time seems to go faster each year. Anyway, Bill showed me the preliminary building plans and I was blown away. Do you know how big a facility he wants to build?”

Trent smiled at her, “I figured it would probably be big. Bill Mercer doesn’t do anything half way, and for that you can be thankful. He’ll make sure that the place has the most innovative equipment and best technology that money can buy.”

“I still can’t believe that he wants me to run this center. I’m really not qualified.”

“Then hire people who are and just administer the place. You’ve lived through the tragedy that cancer brings and come out on the other side. Bill only wants others to have the gift you gave he and his wife.”

Sara nodded her head, “I guess. I placed a couple of ads in some medical journals and at a few of the medical schools across the country. Bill and I agreed that it will take someone fairly young and innovative in their techniques to make this happen.”

“Why not contact the person who helped you with your mom?” Trent asked.

Sara’s smile faded, “I already tried that. Unfortunately, Mr. Calwell died a few weeks before Christmas of a heart attack.”

“Wow! I’m sorry to hear that.” Trent squeezed her hand, “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I spoke to his wife and she’s doing well. Her daughter moved back in with her so she’s not alone. She sounded sad, but I think she’ll be okay. Her daughter runs an assisted living care facility and has convinced her mother to join in on some of their outings.”

Trent nodded, taking away their plates and returning them to the kitchen. “So, did you and Bill come up with any other suggestions for luring natural medicine practitioners to Castle Peaks?” he asked as he returned to the living room.

“Yes. He wants me to put together a special preview session. He’s having someone build a model of the facility and we’re going to invite anyone who’s interested in learning about the center to attend an open house in a month or so.

“The goal is to have the center built and operational before the end of summer.”

Trent raised his eyebrows, “That’s aggressive.”

“That’s what I thought, but Bill assures me he’s already talked to several contractors and they say it can be done.”

Trent sat back against the couch, wrapping an arm around his wife’s shoulders and settling her against his side, “So, now that we’ve got the business of the day out of the way, how about we focus on us for a while.”

Sara turned her face up to his and kissed is cheek, “Why Mr. Harding, I thought you’d never ask.”

Trent leaned down and kissed her tenderly. They had been married a little under two weeks, but it felt so comfortable when they were together. After kissing for several minutes, Trent broached a subject they had left off the night before, “So, did you give any more thought to what we discussed last night?”

Sara sighed, “Kids?” When Trent nuzzled her neck and nodded, she giggled and then nodded her own head, “Yeah. I kept envisioning a little boy or girl running to greet me when I got home this afternoon. I do want kids. I was thinking maybe a dozen to start…”

Trent pushed away from her with a shocked looked upon his face, “A dozen? You can’t be serious! I was thinking more along the lines of two, maybe three…”

Sara couldn’t help but burst out laughing, “Got you. I’m still having trouble with the concept of being completely responsible for one tiny human. The thought of a dozen is beyond comprehension.”

Trent looked so relieved, she started laughing harder. “That was mean! Here I was, trying to have a serious conversation about our future progeny, and you…”

“Progeny? Who uses a word like that? Kids. Babies. Munchkins. Pick one, but progeny? Sounds like something futuristic rather than a human baby.”

Trent laughed, “Okay, but don’t I get some credit here for using such a big word?”

“No. Especially not that word.”

Trent tickled her, “Fine. But, on a serious note, you’re okay with trying to start our family now?”

Sara was silent for several minutes; she had thought of nothing else all day and her only concern was that she and Trent hadn’t been married that long. And had known each other even less time before they got married.
Were they ready to have a child?

“I want kids, I do. I just want to make sure we don’t rush things and jeopardize what we have.”

Trent kissed her softly, “That’s not going to happen. I love you, and any children we create will just be an extension of that love and someone else for me to shower with my affections.”

Sara melted, “Then yes, I’ll think about it. About starting a family.”

Trent pulled her up from the couch, taking her hand in his and almost dragging her towards the bedroom, “Trent. I didn’t mean right now.”

He stopped long enough to look her in the eye, “Did you have another suggestion for how we should spend the next few hours?”

Sara blushed, shaking her head, “No…”

Trent turned and continued the trek towards their bedroom, “Good. Neither did I. Isn’t that convenient.”

He entered their bedroom, turning around and then walking her towards their bed backwards, “It looks like now would be the perfect time for us to look at the subject more thoroughly. Any objections?”

Sara shook her head and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “No. No objections.”