The Caterer

Chapter 31

A LICE CAME OUT OF HER BEDROOM the next morning still on cloud nine. The twins ate breakfast in the kitchen. Alice kissed Annie on the head before going to get a cup of coffee. For the first time in six years, Alice was with someone who cared about her. She told herself she’d never meet a man not like her ex. But Paul was right—if she never trusted someone, she would never know what was possible. It was wrong to let one person taint her view of every other man. Not that her ex was close to the kind of man Delany was and what he did for her. She always felt like her ex settled to be with her, nothing she did was enough, who she was was not enough. Delany made her feel like an equal, called her out of her shell and to take up space as herself.

Tabby leaned on the counter and crossed her arms. “What event did you have last night?” She was fishing. Alice understood her sister felt betrayed, but nothing would spoil her mood.

“I stayed to catch-up on office work. It’s impossible to get anything done with Carver there. ”

“Interesting. When are you going to tell me why you’ve lied to me for the last six weeks?”

Paul came into the room and poured himself a cup of coffee. He stayed facing the pot, but looked toward Alice and shook his head, seemingly as over the conversation as Alice was.

“Five minutes,” he said before leaving them alone.

“Delany asked me to go with his nonprofit. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I know TabiKat was your dream, but you still have a roof over your head and a place to sleep. Your kids are safe. You have running water. Stop using Delany as a scapegoat, bitterness doesn’t look good on anyone.” She went to get her messenger bag, sliding Delany’s suit jacket just under the flap. Paul held the front door open, telling Tabby to have a good day. Alice asked Annie about basketball, ready to think about something else. In the garage, Paul unlocked his BMW X5, the twins running to their doors.

“I think what you did is remarkable,” he said.

“Most people would agree.” Alice got into the passenger seat. They pulled out of the apartment, taking the twins to school before joining the slog into D.C. The metro passed them as they waited to get onto I-395. Alice set her head on her fist. She refused to play her sister’s cat-and-mouse-game. Normally, she’d beg and justify and apologize to no avail because once Tabby set her mind about something, it became like dried gum paste. It was easier to salvage a broken roux than to get her sister to reconsider her opinion. She’d all but written Carrie out of her life, calling her nothing but a backstabbing gold digger—and that was her best friend of fifteen years! Their time at USC and since meant nothing because she betrayed Tabby. Mo Mo practically lived at the apartment for over a year as he and Tabby worked to code WlkmNt. He brought her food and water, was there for her to bounce ideas off of, became her sounding board. He did as much work for the website as she did but to hear her tell it, she did it all by herself .

Tabby decided Delany was nothing but a scoundrel and nothing Alice said could change that. All his good work, how he treated others, how he treated her, would get lost in the fact he bought out Tabby’s company. It was a fight Alice couldn’t win. If Tabby would let go of her anger and give Alice a chance, she would love to apologize and explain. But she refused to do it with that smug superiority in her sister’s gaze, Tabby not actually listening but just waiting to tell Alice what a horrible person she was and how she would never have done the same thing. As if her sister hadn’t done things other people would consider horrible or unforgivable.

Paul dropped her off at the bakery. Alice walked inside calling hello to those working in the front before going to the office and hanging Delany’s coat on the hanger on the back side. She reached for an extra white coat to cover up with, the A/C chilling her to the bone.

Carver stood beside the pastry case in the front.

“And?” He smiled at her.

“We had a lovely time.” Alice took a muffin and went to try and warm up in the office.

Rita arrived midmorning. She was in her mid-fifties, slender frame with flecks of gray in her auburn hair. Her close-set black eyes helped call out her narrow features. Her fingers looked like they should be flying over the piano, not marred by the spices they used in hand tossing their meats.

Delany emailed ideas for Helene’s birthday that weekend, Alice ready to see what she could pull together. She worked on the back end of things for a bit, Carver doing almost nothing while she was gone. She sat through meetings for upcoming events, trying to get back into a rhythm. Things felt different now. After seeing what people faced in New Mexico, the loss of everything, the way a simple meal could affect their day, petty trivialities didn’t appeal. Maybe that was why she had no time for Tabby’s theatrics. Yes, she shouldn’t have lied, but she was over the torch Tabby cultivated to keep from having to try again. Pre-acquisition Tabby would never let Bobbie keep her out of the industry. She would have figured out a way to start over, yes, without the funding from The Stooges, but she knew more now than she did before. Tabby acted like her only ideas were the ones Array now held. Delany was an excuse, and Alice would not indulge her sister’s need to keep being the victim. Alice picked herself up after Jonas pushed her out of Cornelia’s kitchen and the industry. Tabby could get over what happened with Macon and move on.

#

DELANY SANG ALONG WITH BEYONCé while the elevator got to his floor. He smiled wide, not caring who saw. He was crazy in love. Alice Gibson held his heart, and he only wanted to see her again. Hollywood couldn’t have written a better first date. They were in the zone, where the magic happened. Throwing the game winning three at the Final Four was nothing compared to how it felt when Alice moaned as he kissed her and pressed closer. It took all his restraint not to ask her to stay the night. But he cared about her and wanted to show he was there for the long haul. After three weeks together things felt off without her close. Just let him whisk her away to somewhere warm and private but he had to work. The day was going to be alright because she waited at the end of it.

The elevator opened on his floor. He walked toward his office, Katy leaving his paper and coffee on his desk.

“You’re happy today,” she said. Delany smiled and set his hat onto the edge of his desk. “Date went well?”

“I’m the luckiest man in D.C! Send some flowers to the bakery, something with peonies and maybe a hibiscus in it.”

“I’m on it. Moe is here to see you.” Katy walked out. He logged into his computer and beat his fingers on his desk like a drum until Mr. Manuel came in. Delany stood and shook his hand, asking how everything was going. One thing he appreciated about Mr. Manuel was he knew he was getting the truth. When he said things were going well and the employees were finding a rhythm, the cultures of the previous companies almost opposite in tone, Delany knew he wasn’t just trying to appease the boss.

“What's going on?” Delany asked after Mr. Manuel gave him the update.

“We’re having some issues with BackDoor. We’re working on the feature that integrates the data into a snapshot, enabling systems to be pulled up almost as a desktop versus individual files. Tabby started to program it before everything happened.” He chose his words carefully. Delany leaned into his desk, starting to ask Moe about the sale from his perspective. “Unfortunately, no one in the office knows app coding as well as she did it. We decided to start a new file to see if we could figure it out, but now the app overrides the backups.”

This wasn’t the time to dredge up what happened over the summer. The timetable for BackDoor was quick, but they wanted to get a second app out before the press died down.

“What do you suggest?” A coach told him once to ask those around him for solutions. If he wanted Macon to be able to run while he was gone, he needed to empower those he hired to do their jobs. He never wanted a funnel like Bobbie cultivated.

“I’d like to call Tabby, if I may.”

“Do you think Mrs. Black would be open to helping us?”

Moe bobbed his head. “I think Tabby sees these apps as an extension of herself. If I can approach things from that angle, she just might be willing to help.”

He sat back. “Offer her whatever you think is reasonable. I’d love for Mrs. Black to hate us a little less.” It might be a step toward maybe getting her back in the building, and it might help Alice too. They never spoke about the phone call she got in New Mexico, Alice seemingly unwilling to talk to him about it .

“I’ll call her.” They both stood. Delany shook his hand again before Moe walked out the door, saying hello to Bobbie who came into the office with his brow pinched.

“What did Mo Mo want?” Bobbie pointed toward him. “Do I need to take care of something?”

“Mr. Manuel was giving me an update.” He sat and looked at his emails, nothing he particularly wanted to take on. His cell phone sat just off to the side. He debated texting Alice good morning. Might be a bit bold, but this girl made him want to be upfront. There was no pretense with her, only raw honesty. All the pressure and pretense of the life around him fell away with her. Delany knew he could be himself, really himself, letting her into the thoughts and ideas that never got shared. He’d never met another person he connected to like that. Maybe this was how it was supposed to be, finding someone to be real and unfiltered with.

Bobbie said his name. Delany looked up; he’d missed something. Bobbie sat in the chair across from him, his left foot on his right knee, a game ball under his hand.

“What’s going on with the Jonas deal? Legal won’t give me a contract. I tried to get it done while you were gone but they kept dragging their heels.” He tossed the game ball from Delany’s first championship. Delany told him before not to do it. His best friend was uncoordinated, and there were things around them that couldn’t be replaced. Alice would have to wait.

“We’re not hiring Jonas.” After tasting his food and hearing what he did to Alice, Delany would not support or associate with a chef like that. Even without Alice in the picture, better chefs lived in D.C. Delany hired Derek Collins as The Cora’s general manager. He had overseen successful hotels in Miami and New York City and got the vision of what Delany wanted. Delany planned to get his unbiased opinion on what chef to hire. Bobbie caught the ball again .

“Bulldog, I’ve vetted the viable chefs in D.C. Jonas will bring in the clientele. His reputation is impeccable.”

“His food sucked. I’m going to talk to Collins about hiring Alice.”

“The caterer?” Bobbie set his hand over the ball on his leg. “I know you’re sweet on her, but she’s a bad omen. No one wants that girl. Why do you think she runs a food truck?” He shifted the ball to throw it again. Delany stood and caught it midair and put it back on its holder on the bookshelf before leaning next to it.

“This is my dream project, Bobbie. I don’t want Jonas involved.”

Bobbie put his foot down and leaned into his knees. “That’s a mistake. Jonas is looking at new locations. If we miss this chance to get him, it might not come again. Trust me on this, Bulldog. The hotel will be better for it.”

Maybe he was exhausted coming back from New Mexico, but Delany thought he was being clear he didn’t want Jonas. In fact, he never asked Bobbie to find a chef or be involved in The Cora at all.

“I’ll call Jonas and get him to do another meal. He was having an off day.”

Delany stood, his heart beating faster. “Listen, The Cora is my project.” He talked over Bobbie. “We are not hiring Jonas. Do me a favor and go do the job I hired you for and pretend my hotel does not exist. You have no say in anything that happens within the specs of that building. Got it?”

Bobbie sat there with his mouth ajar, paled if possible. “Yeah, Bulldog. Of course.”

Delany started to tell him to stop calling him that but swallowed back his frustration. It went down bitterly.

“Go do your job, Bobbie. There are plenty of other things you should be focused on.” Delany walked out of the office, needing to clear his head and not be near his best friend.

#

TABBY TOOK ANOTHER DRINK of her wine, a morning show on the TV. After all she had done—putting her neck out there, starting that stupid company, leveraging her family’s savings, her marriage, time with her kids—her little sister chose to repay her by gallivanting with the scoundrel. She would still be wallowing on K Street in that little food truck if not for her! Instead of showing any appreciation, Alice acted like Tabby did nothing at all. As if letting her live rent free for a year while she pushed Alice to do more than wallow was a given. Paul told her to see the bigger picture. She did see it—her little sister thought she could have her tasty pudding and eat it too.

The cleaning lady called into the apartment. Tabby turned off the TV. She didn’t like to be there while the woman cleaned, it made her feel pretentious. She stood and put her wineglass in the sink, steading herself on the counter. She was in no position to drive. Fortunately, there were a dozen coffee shops and cafes within a mile. A walk might do her good. She grabbed her purse and told the woman to have a lovely day.

The September humidity weighed her down. Within a few blocks, she shed her lightweight pullover and slipped her hair into a messy ponytail. A few people jogged past her on the path that ran alongside the river. Her cell phone rang. Tabby scoffed. What in the world could Mo Mo want?

“Hello.” She found a bench in the shade and sat.

“Hey, Tabby, do you have a minute?”

“I have all the time in the world for you.” She didn’t care about her tone.

“Thank you for making time,” he said. Tabby rolled her eyes. Get a backbone for once and tell her what a jerk she was being. How did she lose her company to this worm? “We need your help.”

Tabby laughed. “That’s rich, Mo Mo.” She waited for him to speak again. “You’re serious. ”

“It’s for BackDoor. We need help getting the backups to not save as individual files.”

“And what do you expect me to do about that? I don’t work there anymore, remember?”

“I do.” He paused. “I was hoping maybe you’d help us. I can pay you as a consultant.”

“You want me to work as a consultant?” Her voice rose at the end. A jogger looked at her as he went by. Tabby closed her eyes and told herself to breathe.

“Can I meet you at The Willard and show you what’s going on?”

Choosing her favorite spot in D.C., nice touch. At least he had the decency to not ask her to meet at Array’s offices.

“Would this afternoon work?” Tabby asked, unsure why she agreed to help. Only, BackDoor was her baby and she wanted it to succeed even if that scoundrel got all the credit. She would always know who coded it and he would know it only worked because she stepped in to save things.

Tabby walked through the bar at The Willard. Mo Mo stood from the table. Pressed shirt, gray slacks, purple-striped bowtie. Maybe running things forced him to grow up.

“Thank you for meeting me,” he said.

“What is the app doing?” Tabby reached for his laptop. One of her kids was sick and she needed to make it work. Tabby half-listened as Moe explained the problem. She got into the coding and scoffed. They let total amateurs touch her work, no wonder nothing worked. A server came to the table, Moe ordering her a cucumber mojito.

She put her head down and started to troubleshoot. It required her to remove entire parts of the code, but she could rewrite it in her sleep. The app store was still an anomaly for most people. Someday it wouldn’t be such a dismal place. Tabby was ahead of the curve with no way of getting her talents out there. This was the one favor she’d give Mo Mo and that ridiculous Delany Clare.

Cyndi texted when she got the twins from school. Tabby looked at the time, unsure where the afternoon went. She asked Moe to run the update on his BlackBerry waiting for it to come up on the laptop. She turned it to face him, the data showing as one cohesive screen.

“Thank you, Tabby.”

She shook her head and stood, shoving her phone back into her purse.

“I have some contacts if you’re still looking.”

She paused and looked at him. “Your boss has told every tech firm in a fifty-mile radius not to touch me.”

“That’s all Bobbie. Listen, have them call me. I’ll tell them Delany offers nothing but a glowing recommendation…”

“Would he?” Her chest tightened. That scoundrel would not assuage his guilt by helping her land on her feet.

“Yes. Listen, I’m sorry for how things went down. I am. I was going to sell you my shares, then Carrie took me to meet with Bobbie. He told me a verbal agreement was as binding as a real one and since I already said I’d be willing to sell to Macon…”

“That’s not true, Mo Mo. You had control of your shares until you signed them away.” She looked over the restaurant not seeing it, her purse weighing a ton. She could still have her company. “If you just talked to me, told me what was going on, I could have helped. Paul could have done something. It didn’t have to end like this.” Emotion rose in her throat, Tabby tamping it down. Tears were for weaklings and fools.

“I should have. But it was the three of them against me. Harry told me to stay quiet. Bobbie was threatening me. I was scared, Tabby.”

She scoffed. “Yeah, you’re a scared little shit that cost me everything. ”

“And I can’t undo that. But I know Delany would support you getting a job anywhere you wanted one.”

The only job Tabby wanted Mo Mo currently held. Even if she’d stayed, she wouldn’t be leading things. Mo Mo sold her out to become top dog. Tabby built TabiKat without his help; she would not rely on the traitor now.

“I am not going to take career help from a man who couldn’t find the gumption to do the right thing.” She reached for her purse and walked out.