Running Wilde (The Winnie Wilde Series Book 1) by Sue Ann Jaffarian, Meg Chambers Page A

this is my very dear friend Winnie Wilde,” Kathy said, remembering her manners and making the introduction. “Winnie, this is Chef Zoe Hull. She’s the owner and Executive Chef of this place.”
    “I believe we met briefly at Ann Marie Hattersley’s birthday party a few weeks ago,” Winnie said, holding out her right hand. The two women shook. “I’m one of her writing students.” Winnie pointed at her nearly empty plate. “The beet salad was divine and I might already be addicted to these mini sandwiches.”
    “Thank you,” Zoe said, pleased with the praise. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve taken the liberty of changing your order. I’m preparing something different for you, a specialty that is not on the menu, and my pastry chef is whipping up a special dessert.” She hesitated, then asked with concern, “Any allergies I should know about?” When Winnie and Kathy both shook their heads, Zoe said with a grin, “Good.”
    On her way back to the kitchen, Zoe paused to say hello to a few other diners, then stopped their waiter to have a few words. A minute later, a bottle of wine arrived in an ice bucket, along with fresh glasses to replace the single-glass wine they had originally ordered. The waiter uncorked the new bottle and poured them each a glass. They took a sip and nodded their appreciation to the waiter, who left, leaving the bottle in the bucket.
    Winnie took another sip of the wine. It was a crisp and elegant white, perfect with the food on the table, and she was sure it would accompany the surprise dishes beautifully. “So, what’s the story with Chef Zoe?”
    Kathy grinned like a kid who’d won a prize. “I met Zoe through Ann Marie a while back. At the party we spent almost the entire night talking and hit it off.”
    “I don’t remember that. Where was I?”
    “In a corner talking about writing with a bunch of Ann Marie’s nerdy students.”
    “I am one of Ann Marie’s nerdy students,” Winnie reminded her.
    Ignoring Winnie’s comment, Kathy continued, “Zoe seemed interested, but I never followed up on her overtures. After seeing you take such bold chances of the heart, I decided I wasn’t about to sit on the sidelines. So I made reservations here for dinner tonight.” She took a sip of her wine. “I didn’t tell her we were coming. Zoe must have seen the name in the reservation book. The plan was to scope out the place and maybe have a quick word with her to see if she was still interested.”
    “Interested?” Winnie asked with amusement. She held up her glass to Kathy in a toast. “I believe you are being downright wooed, my dear.”
    “Speaking of which,” Kathy said after downing another egg. “Let’s get back to the sleepover. How did it go?”
    Winnie reached for an egg. “Hey, don’t hog those.”
    “You’re avoiding my nosiness,” Kathy said, passing the plate of eggs to Winnie, who in turned traded it for the plate of remaining grilled cheese mini-bites.
    Winnie took her time answering. She popped an egg into her mouth and chewed, then washed it down with some of the delicious wine. “It was the most fun I’ve had in a long time,” she admitted with a sly grin. “After our quickie, we ordered pizza for dinner and ate in the den while watching a movie. We also talked a lot.” She paused. “Ben’s really an interesting guy; a free spirit but with both feet on the ground and a solid head for business. I wish I’d met someone like him when I was in college, instead of Edward.”
    “Maybe,” Kathy said, studying Winnie, “you did and at that time in your life you weren’t interested in that type of person.”
    They continued eating in silence while Winnie digested what Kathy had just said. “Maybe you’re right, Kathy,” she finally agreed. They’d finished their salads and a bus boy came by to whisk away their plates and replace their cutlery. The waiter replenished their wine glasses.
    Winnie nodded without looking across the table.