Chapter 1 - Surprise! Surprise!

Chapter 1

As she made her way down the crowded sidewalk, she unsuccessfully avoided running into yet another holiday shopper. With only two days left until Christmas, there was a sudden urgency in the air. The drastic drop in temperature didn’t help either. It only made everyone seem to hurry along faster. Shivering from a quick blast of arctic air she muttered to herself, “What a wonderful time to run out of eggs. I thought I was so careful when taking inventory of the kitchen’s supplies last week. I guess in all of the hustle and bustle of the season and the adventures of planning the wedding, I made an oversight. No matter, I’ve got the eggs now and I still have time to help pull together tonight’s menu before leaving for rehearsal at the church.” She let her thoughts drift dreamily to tomorrow, the wedding she had always hoped for and planned ever since she was a little girl. Making a quick mental list she started to tick things off. The poinsettias and other flowers are being delivered to the church this afternoon. The organist will be at the rehearsal tonight to go over the music, one last time. My wedding dress and shoes are packed in the car to be left in the bride’s room at the church after rehearsal. Shelly will be arriving at the airport in about an hour and will be picked up by the wedding coordinator. She thought, “It will be so good to see Shelly again. We haven’t seen each other since cooking school.” It seemed like a lifetime ago.

Turning the corner making her way back towards the restaurant, she was met with yet another cold gust of wind and quickly pulled the collar of her coat around her a little more tightly. She made her way down the street and ducked in between two buildings. Hurrying down the alley leading to the rear of the restaurant she fumbled with the latch on the back door leading into the kitchen. It finally opened and she stepped into her sanctuary. The kitchen of the restaurant was small but functional. It didn’t matter if it was microscopic it was her kitchen. She had taken a huge risk a few years ago when she walked away from her college degree and job, but she hadn’t been happy or fulfilled. So she made up her mind to throw it all away at the age of thirty and decided to try her hand at something she loved to do, cooking. After graduating from culinary school, she had been hired as the head chef and had helped transform the restaurant into a profitable business for her friend, the new owner, Jacques. Sure, it had been a challenge, but they had rolled up their sleeves and never looked back. Looking around the room she smiled to herself with an overwhelming sense of pride in their accomplishments. Following Jacques’ vision of the perfect dining experience combined with her know how and hard work they could not fail. They had saved the restaurant, which, once on the brink of being closed, had been completely renovated and was now a four star French Bistro. Not less than two years ago this kitchen had been in mere shambles. The walls, then a faded, drab and discolored grey had been painted a cheerful, bright yellow. The floor which had been cracked and gouged in numerous places was replaced with new tile. The pots and pans hanging from the cast iron rack suspended from the ceiling in the middle of the room had been dull and dingy and now they gleamed. The stainless steel counter tops and appliances had been, well, less than desirable but now were so reflective, that they always took her breath away. They had put Jon Claude, an interior decorator, to the task of remodeling the remainder of the restaurant. The dining area had been literally falling apart. The seat cushions of the booths and chairs had been worn thin and had been all but ripped to shreds. Jon Claude replaced them with a beautiful ivy moiré fabric. He had put dividers between the booths as well by using wooden arbors and decorated them with live ivy. The walls had been painted in a soft celadon green and the trim and wallpaper border had darker sage green with gold accents on it. He had replaced the old light fixtures with two gorgeous chandeliers that he had found at an antique shop and had added little white twinkling lights throughout the room to give it a mystical feel. The stone fireplace had been restored and was now used during the winter season. Everyone who ever came to the restaurant always commented on how cozy it was and how beautifully decorated it was.

It seemed that ever since starting here, her life only continued to get better and better, she thought to herself. Not too long ago, she had met the man of her dreams. Sighing audibly she giggled just thinking about him. Brad was, well, in her opinion, perfect. From his blonde hair that was never out of place and his dreamy blue eyes that could make you melt from a thousand paces, to his muscular build, he was absolutely gorgeous. Not to mention his smile, oh that smile. When he smiled he lit up the room. It made her stomach flip flop when she thought of how it made the dimples stand out at the corners of his mouth. He was very charming too. He was so polite and thoughtful that everyone loved him, and he had this endearing sense of humor and knew just how to use it. He was always making her laugh.

Thinking back she remembered the first time she had met Brad. It was her day off and she had stopped at the market downtown to pick up groceries for her apartment. While there she overheard one of the clerk’s unsuccessful attempts in assisting a devastatingly handsome man in finding ingredients for an extremely difficult recipe to prepare and she had felt compelled to help them. It was ironic that she should have been there at that time. She had originally planned on doing her shopping later that day, after stopping by to visit her sister, but Kimberly hadn’t been home. While helping him to gather the ingredients he told her of the dinner he was trying to put together for his mother. She was wildly impressed. Brad had been very thankful for her assistance and had invited her for drinks later that week. She had reservations about going out with a total stranger but decided that there was something special about this man and she wanted to spend more time together and to get to know him. They had made the arrangements of what time and where to meet. They decided that in lieu of “the bar scene” that they would meet at a little diner instead. That night with Brad had been the best date she had ever had. It was enchanting. They had sat and talked at the diner until the early hours of the morning. He had suggested that they enjoy an early breakfast and continued talking until mid day. Because it had interrupted her wonderful date, it was the only time she had ever resented her position at the restaurant. Hearing someone clear their throat brought her crashing back to reality.

“Alexandra, are you thinking about Brad again?” Jacques asked teasingly. “You have that wistful look on your face. What wonderful thing has Prince Charming done this time?”

“Nothing but ask me to marry him. I can’t believe that it’s tomorrow!” She exclaimed as she twirled around in a circle hugging herself. “I’ve never been so happy Jacques, never.”

“Well, I hope that when I find my Prince Charming that he makes me as happy as Brad makes you Alex,” said Jacques.

“I thought that you and Jon Claude were getting closer?” She asked. “He seems to be as wonderful a man as you are. Besides, you two are so cute together.”

“We are darling, we are. I’m just envious, that’s all. You are so ridiculously happy! It’s disgusting. No one should be that happy,” Jacques said teasingly.

“”Well I am,” she declared, smiling all the while.

“Now that that’s settled, come into the dining area, I have some things to go over with you before you desert me for this wedding and honeymoon of yours. Besides, I’ve got a ton to do to prepare for your rehearsal dinner tonight.”

Following Jacques into the dining area, she was taken aback by the sight before her. The entire staff was in attendance. Every inch of the room had been decorated. A fire had been lit, and soft music filtered through the speakers throughout the dining room, giving the room cozy warmth. Balloons and streamers of every color were hung everywhere and were intertwined with the little white twinkling lights. A cake, beautifully decorated with a rich butter cream frosting and adorned with an elegant bouquet of roses, was the centerpiece on one of the tables along with a bowl of champagne punch and a vase of flowers. A vegetable tray, a bowl of fresh fruit and a platter of other finger foods and sandwiches were on another. Gifts were stacked neatly on a table placed next to a chair with balloons garnishing it. It was spectacular.

“SURPRISE!” They all exclaimed in unison.

“Oh my gosh, this is incredible! When and how did all of you put this together?” Alex asked staring around the room in awe and putting her hand to her chest.

“That’s why we sent you out for the eggs.” Jacques replied. “I had to hide all of the eggs to get you out of here so the gang and I could set this up. It was pure luck on our part when you decided to walk to the market.”

“I’m utterly speechless. I don’t know what to say.” She replied.

“Well everyone, we got the reaction that we wanted,” said Jacques, while the staff beamed and applauded.

“Congratulations Alex,” several of the staff said in unison.

Jacques directed Alex to the chair of honor. “Sit here, my darling. Let’s get this party started!”

Alex sat down and was instructed to open her gifts. Many were items for her new kitchen as well as other necessities for the house the she and Brad was in process of buying.

One of the waiters named Tom asked, “When do you and Brad settle on your house?”

“We are supposed to when we return from our honeymoon,” she replied.

After she was finished opening her gifts, she rose from the chair and went to the cake table and said, “Before I cut the cake I would like to thank all of you for putting together such a wonderful party. This is truly the most extraordinary thing that anyone has ever done for me. But more than that I want you to know how incredibly special all of you are to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.” She was so overwhelmed by the party that she was moved to tears.

“Alex darling,” gushed Jacques as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “What’s wrong?”

“I just can’t believe that this is really happening for me. I’ve waited so long for this and now it’s finally here. I’m just so excited. I can hardly wait.”

“No one deserves it more than you do dear. Now, no more tears and unhappiness, it’s your bridal shower, so put on your happy face and enjoy it.”

“Thanks Jacques, I appreciate it. You always know how to make me feel better. You’re the best friend and boss anyone could ask for,” she said as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.

“You’re welcome. Why don’t you get ready to cut your cake, I’m dying for a piece,” Jacques replied.

As Alex was cutting and serving slices of the cake to everyone, one of the staff was serving the punch. Once everyone had a piece of cake and a glass of punch, Jacques raised his glass and said, “Attention everyone, attention. I’d like to propose a toast. Raise your glasses to the most wonderful person and friend that we have ever had the pleasure of knowing and working with, our own dear Alexandra.” Turning towards her he continued, “Alexandra, we wish you and Brad the best life has to offer. No one deserves it more than you; to Alex!”

Everyone cheered, “Here! Here!”

After numerous well wishes from the staff, Alex, Jacques and a few of the others carried the gifts through the kitchen and out the back door to Alex’s car. Alex said her goodbyes to them and got in behind the wheel of her car. There was a light snow beginning to fall dusting the streets. Jacques shivered and motioned for her to put her window down. He leaned into her window, kissed her gently on the cheek and said, “I am so excited for you and can’t wait to see you walk down the isle tomorrow.”

Alex covered his hands with hers and choked back tears as she said, “thank you for everything. Not just the shower, but for putting your faith in me and giving me the chance to succeed at your restaurant. You will never know how much it has meant to me and I don’t think I’ve ever thanked you before.”

“Darling, you are the one I should be thanking, not the other way around. I only bought the place, but you are the one who has pulled it all together. Now, enough of this, it’s supposed to be a happy time.”

“Oh, I am happy Jacques, so very happy. I guess I’ll see you later on. Don’t forget we had to add two more to the dinner party.”

“I’ll see you in a little while,” Jacques said. “And don’t you worry about this place. We are quite capable of taking care of everything.”

Once back inside of the restaurant Jacques realized that Alex had left her gloves, purse and cell phone on the counter in the kitchen. Rushing out of the door he tried to catch her, but she was already turning the corner at the end of the alley and didn’t see him waving to get her attention. No problem he thought, I’ll give it to her later when they arrive for the rehearsal dinner. I’d better get a move on if we are going to have everything ready for when they get here. Walking back inside, he called, “Marie, may I please have your help in the kitchen.”

Marie entered the kitchen from the dinning room and said smiling, “One step ahead of you, boss. I’ve already got things started.”

“Glad to hear it,” he said, “because we have a lot of work to do.”
*****