Kissing Kate Read Online Free Page B

definitely make things more manageable.
    “I have snacks in the parlor,” Darlin said. “We can sit and chat until she arrives.”
    In the parlor, which to anyone else would be the living room, Darlin watched as I tried one of her small golden tarts. For Darlin, every snack, side dish, and main course deserved the utmost care, which I guess was why she started Entrées on Trays. Even though she was delivering restaurant orders instead of her own creations, she was still working with food.
    “Mmm,” I said, reaching for another. “What are they?”
    “Spicy mushroom wheels,” Darlin said. “Burl about fainted, he liked them that much. Made with Blue Plate mayonnaise, of course, since he won’t eat any other.”
    Burl was Darlin’s boyfriend. He and Darlin liked to watch Antiques Roadshow together, and whenever he came over, Darlin would fix elaborate trays of appetizers for them to munch on. I’d met Burl only once. He was a narrow, stoop-shouldered man with circles beneath his eyes, and when he’d glanced at me from the sofa, I’d thought of a mole. He’d mumbled an unintelligible greeting, then gone back to his bean dip.
    “Did you know you can’t get Blue Plate mayonnaise anywhere but the South?” Darlin asked.
    “Huh,” I said. I tried to think how to respond. “Has that been a problem for Burl? I mean, when he goes out of town?”
    Darlin looked surprised, as if she’d never considered that before. “You know, I’m not sure he’s ever been out of town. Now isn’t that something?” The phone rang, and she rose from the sofa. “Give me a minute, hon. Bet you anything it’s Pete Rossey wanting his scampi from the Crab Shack.”
    She crossed the room and picked up the phone. “Entrées on Trays,” she said. She winked at me. “You bet, Mr. Rossey. How about some leafy greens to go with it? Got to keep those tubes clear, after all.”
    I took one more mushroom wheel, listening to Darlin and marveling at how easy and natural she acted with someone she’d never met face to face. That was probably my favorite thing about Darlin, how comfortable she seemed with herself. I wished I were more like that.
    Kate met Darlin once, and I could tell she didn’t like her. She didn’t come right out and say it, but I saw her eyes travel from Darlin’s wide hips to the collar of her blouse, where a roll of white skin pushed up from her bra strap. I saw how Kate hugged her arms around her ribs, as if reassuring herself that she would never be fat like that. And later, when Kate and I were alone, I made things worse by describing the Slim-Fast six-pack I’d seen in the back of Darlin’s pantry, so old it was coated with dust.
    “Oh, ick,” Kate had said, laughing and covering her face. “Seriously, that is just so pitiful. I feel sorry for her. Don’t you?”
    I looked at Darlin now and felt ashamed.
    She hung up the phone. “Well,” she said, “I suppose you better head on over to the Crab Shack.” She glanced at her watch. “I really wanted you to meet Ariel, though. I thought she’d be here by now.”
    I shrugged. I’d worked with Harold Schwartz for three months before he decided to cut back his hours, and the most we’d ever talked was when he needed directions from Alpharetta to Mary Mac’s Tea Room. I liked it that way.
    I slipped into my white caterer’s jacket and grabbed my cash bag and walkie-talkie. “Want me to bring you anything?”
    “Maybe a Reuben,” Darlin said. “Or if someone orders from Fat Matt’s, maybe some ribs?”
    “Right,” I said. “See you later.”
     
     
     
    A little before 7:00, as I was on my way to Babette’s Café for an order of cassoulet, I heard a voice that wasn’t Darlin’s over the walkie-talkie.
    “Uh, Ariel here,” she said. There was the dead-air sound that meant she’d let go of the talk button, and then a click that meant she’d pressed it down again. “Over,” she added.
    I smiled. I’d had trouble with the walkie-talkies when