Learning Curves 1 - French Cooking 101 (5 page)

He had felt sorry for his sister, but he understood why the man ran. The guy wanted a fresh start. Who doesn’t want to be looked upon as a knight in shining armor? Even if he remained sober for the rest of his life, that would never happen for him with Mary. A man can never be a hero to the woman who, countless times, held his head to make sure he didn’t crack it open on the toilet seat with a strong heave.
 

And then it hit him.
 

He had never needed to fight for love. Kristina had always been there. From playground to high school to college, she had always been right next to him. That’s why he’d felt as if he’d lost a limb. So instead of having a pity party, he should be rejoicing. He was still alive, and he’d had his first crack at adolescence.
 

He remembered fondly laughing with Kristina as all their friends learned to deal with rejection. Years ago, when they were teenagers and their summer conquests refused to get past first base, his friends had learned what Peter was discovering: sometimes he’d have to fight to get what he wanted.
   

He was pretty sure Ariane was worth fighting for. He just had to figure out how to convince her to give him a chance before he left on Monday.

❦

CHARLES WAS THE FIRST TO arrive. Well, the first one after Ariane. She greeted him with a genuine smile. He really liked her; she was fun and caring. She was a good listener, and he wanted to talk about Jean-Michel so badly, he didn’t even give her a chance to say hello.

“I had such a great time yesterday,” he said with an ear-to-ear grin.

“Oh, I’m so glad you enjoyed the first session of the seminar,” said Ariane, looking pleased.

“No! That’s not what I’m talking about,” Charles blurted.

“So you didn’t have a good time? I’m so sorry. I’m glad you came back anyway.”

“No! I mean, yes! I mean, I had a great time with the class, but then…” He stopped trying to explain when he realized how hard Ariane was fighting to keep a straight face. She had been teasing him.
 

“You evil woman, you!” He caught her by the waist, pulled her off the floor into a bear hug, and waltzed with her.

“Put me down, you crazy boy. You’re going to break your back.”

“No, I won’t,” he growled. “First, I’m not a boy, I’m a man. Second, I work out to get this fabulous body. Third, you’re light as a feather. I’m much stronger than I look, and I’m happy. Also, I’m full of energy.”

“I can see that. Indeed, you are,” said Ariane between bubbles of laughter. “I concede you’re
the
man, a regular Hercules. Now please, put me down and tell me all about it. What did you guys do? Wait, let me be specific. I want the… what do you call it? The version for all audiences. Nothing rated X.”

“I see, you’re being coy. Too bad you’ll miss out on the best parts. Okay, what can I say? We went to the Marais. I had no idea Paris was so gay friendly. I mean, it’s like Manhattan. Men holding hands. Men kissing in the streets. Boy, I felt like a regular Dorothy.”
 

“Dorothy?”
 

Charles did his best Judy Garland imitation. “‘Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.’”
 

“Ah, oui. Dorothée, Le Magicien d’Oz. Toto’s the dog, right? And you’re from Kansas too?”

“No, not Kansas. Arkansas.” Charles laughed. “I come from a small place that’ll become famous only if a tornado comes and destroys it. It’s so small it doesn’t even boast a Main Street. It’s like, you know, nothing in the middle of nowhere. It’s non-existent. And here I am! It’s an incredible wonder. I moved to Los Angeles and now to Paris…”

“I don’t get the cultural reference, but yes, I understand what you mean. It’s as if you moved to a different dimension. Maybe I would feel the same way if I moved to rural America.”

 
“So here I am, walking around with Jean-Michel in these lovely ancient streets. We hit some bars, ran into some of his friends. Let me tell you, that man has
a lot
of friends. Some wanted to be more friendly than others but… Merde—see my French is coming along just fine—I almost forgot. You want the G or PG story. This has suddenly become a much shorter story to tell. We had a few drinks, and we went to my place. Can I tell you he’s a great kisser? Maybe not, because if his kisses were rated, they would be rated triple X. He’s so hot. And he’s even hotter because he thinks I’m perfect. And then he’s… well, so much more than a fabulous kisser. But his job sucks. He has to get up at the crack of dawn almost every day.” Charles sighed.

“Maybe it’s not a bad thing. This way you got some sleep after all,” said Ariane with a half smile.
 

Ah, ah, that sounded like experience talking. He’d have to probe into that later. “Such a positive way to look at it. Nevertheless, my poor baby didn’t, and he will be dead tired tonight.”

“Who will be dead tired?” asked Mary, walking in.

“Those who did not get enough sleep last night.” Charles winked at George, arriving in Mary’s wake. Looking at George’s frown, Charles realized the man was not amused. No sense of humor at all. Charles quickly turned to Ariane. “So, how will you pair us today? Same as yesterday? Pleeeeeease.” He would be okay teaming up with Mary, but there was no way he would partner with Cro-Magnon.
   

“Sure, why not, if that’s all right with you two,” she said, looking at Mary and George.

Mary looked at George for a couple of seconds and then answered, “That’s perfect for us.”
 

“So let’s get ready. The others should be here promptly,” said Ariane cheerfully and added under her breath, “If they decide to come back.”
 

Why wouldn’t they?
thought Charles. He had the feeling he was missing something. Thinking back to last night, Charles ruled out the lovebirds. They had been fine when they had left. So duh, Ariane was referring to Peter. Why would Peter not come back?
 
Had Peter made a move? Had Peter failed to make a move? Charles’s train of thought was interrupted by a new arrival.

“We’re so sorry we’re late,” said Jena, trying to look sheepish but not succeeding. She didn’t appear contrite at all.

“You should not be sorry at all,” answered Ariane. “It’s your honeymoon. You should savor it, take your time, and only do what makes you both happy.”

“Which I guess they did, and that’s why they are late,” added Charles.
 

“Yes, we did,” answered a giggling Jena. Thomas tried to hide what could possibly be a slight blush by masking his face under the apron he was putting on.
 

“Way to go, guys!” Charles extended a high five to Jena. Looking around the room, he watched his audience. Thomas was grinning. If his wife was happy, he was happy too. Ariane and Mary had tender smiles on their lips. They looked as though they were fondly remembering being that young and carefree. Only George looked sullen. What a killjoy. Charles wondered what Mary saw in him. Judging by the way she glanced at him every other minute, he must have some hidden talents. As far as Charles was concerned, George’s type—somber and brooding—was a definite turn off.
 

“I wonder where my brother is,” Mary said after looking at the large clock over the ovens. “He’s usually very prompt. I hope he didn’t oversleep or get lost. George, would you please lend me your cell phone so I can call the hotel and check?”

Just as George pulled his phone from the back pocket of his jeans, Peter walked in carrying a large white paper bag. “I got us croissants, pains au chocolat, and those devilish little things that have apple sauce in them.”
 

“That will be the ‘chaussons aux pommes’,” said Ariane, “my favorites. Let me get a tray for your bounty.”

Charles watched Ariane rush to the dining room. Peter followed her with his bag of goodies. He heard Peter say something in a hushed tone but didn’t hear Ariane answer. Charles would have loved to be a fly on the wall to listen, watch, and get a clue as to what happened last night. He decided that since he couldn’t hear, no one else would.

“So,” Charles broke the silence, “did anyone look at what we’ll be doing for lunch? I’m sure it’s in our notebooks. Ariane is so organized.”

“You’re right,” said Jena. “All the menus are in there. Okay, ‘pot au feu’ and ‘crème brûlée.’ Oh no, that’s dinner. Where’s lunch? Oh, here it is. Lunch is a green salad and a ‘soufflé au fromage.’ Is that the cheese soufflé? I thought those were very complicated.”

“Not at all.” Ariane came back in the room with a little flush that Charles didn’t fail to notice. “The soufflé is spectacular, but it’s not that complicated. That is why I thought you would enjoy learning it. It’s good to show off. It’s gotten me a couple of thank you letters from wives who used to it to shut up bossy mother-in-laws.”

Peter put the large plate of breakfast pastries in the middle of the working area, and everyone dug in as Ariane spoke.

❦

ARIANE HOPED SHE SOUNDED NORMAL as she reminded them of the program of the day. They would cook, eat lunch together, and get a two-hour break before cooking dinner. She was trying to look cool, but her heart beat like a wild drum.
 

When had she gone to the dining room to get a plate, Peter had followed her. Did he bring the pastries for that purpose? Okay, no. That was silly. She was being ridiculous, paranoid. He had just seized the opportunity to get an instant alone with her. He had not touched her but stood so close. A clear invasion of her private space.
 

Looking directly in her eyes, he had said, “I’m not giving up on you.”
 

She acted as if she had not heard him, but the simple statement got her all confused. Again. But that was not the time to be confused. She had to teach and concentrate, not think about Peter.

Thinking about him was what she had done most of the night. Her conclusion remained the same. No matter which way she sliced them, the facts were clear. He was visiting France for a few days. Next week, he would be nothing more than the memory of a sweet temptation she had resisted. There was no alternative. Well, no acceptable one.
 

She could stop resisting temptation and go for it. Carpe diem. Then when he left, she would be an emotional wreck with no one to comfort her anymore. Holding back was the only way, and she should lose no more time dwelling on it.

Avoiding eye contact with Peter, she lectured about basic and simple cooking techniques. She showed them how to prepare her favorite salad dressings and presented easy variations: cider or balsamic vinegar, dijon or seeded Meaux mustard, thinly sliced scallions or, for those who could digest it, cigarette-paper thin slivers of garlic.
 

When she got them started on the soufflé, she was back to her normal self—cheerful and confident. “You’ll see it’s going to be…” Ariane searched for the proper expression. She could only think of a French one. “Simple comme bonjour.”

“Simple as pie?” suggested Charles.
 

“A piece of cake?” proposed Jena.

“A walk in the park?” added Mary.

Ariane looked at them in turn and asked, “Are all those things easy?”

“Yes,” three voices answered.

“Good. Soon you’ll have a new expression: easy as a cheese soufflé!”

 
She made them separate the yolk from the white of the eggs and beat the whites. They had to weigh, measure, and prepare in little cups all the ingredients they would use, warm up the ovens, and cover ramekins with butter and flour.
 

Then they prepared the basic roux.
 
Butter melted and flour was added. Then they added the milk, egg yolk, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and finally the cheese. So far, so good.
 

Next came the only difficult part: gently folding the mixture with the beaten egg whites without losing the fluff. There was a trick to it, and she had found that the best way to teach it was to hold her student’s hand and give them a feel for it. She showed Jena, who got it right away. Thomas couldn’t be bothered. If Jena got it, he felt he didn’t need to try. George had a strong resistance to Ariane putting his big hand over hers.
 

“Man, you have control issues!” Ariane teased him. “We’re not dancing; let me lead. I promise, the second you get it, I’ll let you do it alone.”

Grumbling something Ariane didn’t understand, he let her show him. She could see it was a very uncomfortable moment for him. To end his misery, she quickly let him finish by himself. He made a halfway decent job of it. Who knew such a big guy could have such a tender touch? Mary, probably. She was beaming.

When Ariane got to her last team, she saw that Charles had done a perfect job and wore a happy grin.

“My grandmother’s specialty was lemon meringue pie,” he explained. “Beaten egg whites are my delicious childhood friends. I would never mistreat them. I watched you and got it.”
 

“Yes, indeed, you did. This is a great job.”
 

Ariane looked at Peter. He had not even tried. He had been waiting for her and had a smirk on his face. The insolent man was challenging her to touch him, to make him hold her hand as she had done with George. She could do it. She stepped close to him, held the large spoon, and waited for him to put his hand over hers. She made sure the rest of her body stayed clear of him. No big deal, just a hand.
 

No, it wasn’t just a hand. It was a warm hand, an electrifying hand. She worked the spoon with him, up and down, letting the mixture meld with the beaten egg whites without crushing them.
 

Unlike George, he didn’t resist. He let her lead, but at the same time, he slowly shifted closer until he was leaning against her. How had he managed that? Her heartbeat went up. To calm it down, she took a big breath. It didn’t work. She tingled all over. Her brain vanished from her body, and she couldn’t remember why she’d ever thought going for him would be such a bad idea. Oh man, she was in trouble.