Not Quite Over You. Сьюзен Мэллери

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СКАЧАТЬ “Big chunks? Little chunks?”

      She got out a massive cutting board, a serving spoon and large knife. “I keep it sharp, so be careful.” She set two bowls in front of him. “The bigger one is for the melon. The smaller one is for the seeds. The fastest way to do this is to cut the melon in half, then seed it.”

      She demonstrated. She placed the flat side down on the cutting board and cut it into two-inch slices. “Cut off the rind then chop the slices into big cubes. Those go in the bowl.”

      “Got it,” Drew said. “How much do you want me to do?”

      She showed him the case of honeydews. “All of them. There are more bowls in the cupboard by your feet. When you have five full bowls, come get me.”

      “Will do.” He winked.

      The unexpected movement caught her off guard. She felt a flash of heat low in her belly. No, no and no, she told herself. She wasn’t going down the Drew is the sexiest man I’ve ever known path. Not now, not ever. This was work only. Work and maybe an awkward conversation about the child they’d given up. There would be no funny business, regardless of how he winked at her.

      Drew went right to work. He cut and chopped deliberately, being careful to keep his fingers away from the blade. After a couple of seconds, she realized she couldn’t monitor him—not if everything else was going to be ready on time.

      She left him in the trailer and went outside. She pulled the portable, custom-built bar from its storage hatch at the back of the trailer and carefully lowered it to the ground, then wheeled it into place. She locked the wheels, then began stacking the plastic racks that held the glasses. Beer would be served in the bottle, so no glasses needed there. She had wineglasses for the Sangria, champagne flutes for the mimosas and highball glasses for those who only wanted water. The soda/coffee/tea station was self-serve and across the way, so not her problem today.

      She put out two small squat tables and set a big galvanized steel beverage tub on each. The beer was in the refrigerator and there was plenty of ice in the freezer. She would put out both right before the ceremony started. The placement—behind the bar—would keep the beer handy, but not available for guests to simply grab and run. Silver liked to know who was drinking what. Part of her job was to make sure no one got too drunk and ruined the event.

      She set up the folding tables and chairs. The ones she used were slatted black faux wood. They were lightweight, durable and could fit into nearly any theme.

      She only put out six tables with four chairs each. They were there for quick conversations, not to be a gathering place away from the main party. Silver placed them on the far side of the bar so they wouldn’t impede the flow of traffic, then opened the boxes of decorations.

      The casual beach wedding theme was easy. She put woven mats on the grass by the trailer. There was a mason jar candle in the bride’s colors for every table. She placed faux coral around the mason jars and made sure there were a couple of long gas lighters behind the bar. Once the wedding had started, she and Drew would light all the candles so they would be burning nicely by the time the guests came out for the reception.

      She stacked driftwood by the bar and strung twinkle lights around the entrance to the trailer before stepping inside to check on Drew.

      “How’s it going?” she asked, moving beside him to inspect his work.

      “Great.”

      He’d filled four bowls with cut-up honeydew and was working on the fifth.

      “You work fast,” she said.

      “Speed isn’t always important but today I want to impress the boss.”

      She ignored the speed comment, not sure exactly how he meant it. Regardless, she had to stay focused on the job at hand. “So far, I’m impressed.”

      “Good to know.”

      She had to reach around him to pull glass pitchers from an overhead cupboard. Despite her best efforts, she brushed against him. It was worse with the stainless steel beverage dispenser. She had to shimmy and bend down, only to end up rubbing her butt against his.

      “Sorry,” she said, avoiding his gaze. “Small space.”

      “I don’t mind.”

      She didn’t mind, exactly, either; it was just so unnecessary. They were working. Focus, she told herself. Be strong. Businesslike. Pretend he’s Georgiana. Because with Georgiana, she never noticed the tight space. They just did what had to be done without any fuss.

      “Done,” Drew said.

      “Good. Rinse your hands, then get out the Vitamix. We’ll work in small batches.”

      She showed him how to fill the container with ice, sugar and honeydew.

      “You want to make sure the mixture is completely liquefied. No lumps. Then you’ll taste each batch to make sure it’s sweet enough.”

      “How will I know?”

      “I’ll taste the first couple with you so you can learn what we need.”

      He looked at her. “You’re good at this.”

      “It’s my job.”

      “No, it’s more than that. You like this and it shows. The people who hire you are lucky to have your expertise and dedication.”

      The unexpected compliment left her flustered. What on earth was wrong with her?

      “Thank you.”

      “Welcome. Now I’m going to master the Vitamix.”

      While he worked, she pulled out a three-gallon open container and poured in rosé, Burgundy, pineapple juice and fruit punch, along with the juice of both lemons and limes. She used a big, long-handled spoon to mix everything together, then tasted its result. Not her thing, but good, she thought. She’d started with chilled ingredients, so the Sangria was already cold.

      The large container went into the industrial refrigerator that took up nearly a quarter of the trailer. She would fill the beverage dispenser right before the wedding started and set it outside on the bar. There was a built-in compartment for ice, which kept the drink cold without diluting it.

      As she worked, Drew liquefied batch after batch of honeydew. She made random checks on the sweetness, then put the filled pitchers into the refrigerator. The mimosas were a combination of the honeydew mix and champagne. She would pour into the glass from each hand, creating a bit of entertainment along with the cocktail.

      A smooth event was all about prep work, she thought as she grabbed both a champagne flute and a wineglass. She poured water into each, added a drop of purple food color from the bottle she kept tucked in a drawer and left the glasses on the counter.

      “If you have to pour, that’s how much,” she told him, pointing to the glasses. “Sangria in the wineglass, mimosas in the champagne flute. If they ask for you to add more, tell them we’ll be here all night.”

      Renee hurried over, clipboard and tablet in hand. “We’re nearly ready. Are you ready? Is everything okay?”

      Silver СКАЧАТЬ