Redemption (Iris Series) (27 page)

“Yeah?  Do you wanna invite him to dinner?”

“Hah!  You’re funny, Yan.”

He hadn’t come out to their parents yet.  She had wanted him to for years now.  He continued.

“One of these days I’ll tell them.  It’s getting too hard to hide it anymore anyway.  I’ll let you know when it’s time.”  His voice was nervous.

“Listen to us, would ya?  We’re finally growing up.”

Dev laughed.  “Well, you’ve always been grown up.  You’ve been like a little mommy to me, you know.  The best sister anyone could ever ask for.”

“And you’re the best brother a girl could ask for, so we’re even.”

“Nah.  You totally got me beat.  Tell me more about this guy.”

She sighed, “He’s my dream guy.  His mom had a heart attack a couple of days ago.  He went back up to Boston to be with her.  She’s in critical condition right now,” she said quietly.

“Oh.  I’m sorry, Yan.  How’s he takin’ it?”

“I guess as good as anyone in his situation would be.  He’s sad.  Scared.”  She paused.  “He’s my first guy friend, Dev, and I respect him tremendously.  And if you can believe this, I haven’t even slept with him yet.”

“
What?!
  Dear lord, who the fuck is this I’m talking to?  Where the hell is my sister?!” he laughed.

She started cracking up and shaking her head.  “I know, I know!”  She sighed.  “Anyway, let me get going.  I have an event that Janie and I need to get ready for, so listen, I’ll call you next week with a time and details and all that about dinner, okay?”

“You got it.  And I’m excited about this catering gig, Yannie.  Proud of you.  I’ll talk to you next week.  Love you.”

“Love you too, Devvie.”

Over the next week,
The Local Yokel
had two huge events.  One was an enormous wedding in Westchester which took up Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and even a bit of Monday with prep and everything that was entailed in the cleanup.

Right after that they had a swanky and large bridal shower for a socialite bride on Tuesday and Wednesday of the following week.

Wednesday night, when Ayanna got home she received a call from Catherine Diaz, the chef from the restaurant where she had worked.

When Ayanna saw who it was calling, she immediately answered the phone.

“Catherine?”

“Ayanna?  Hi!”

“Hey!  What’s been going on?  I’ve seen a couple of articles about the restaurant.  Did you really buy him out?”

“Yup,” she said sounding happy.

“Holy shit.  I can’t even believe this.  I just saw an article yesterday in one of the food blogs and nearly fell over.  I’m so glad you called me!  How are you?”

“It’s been a roller coaster.  He’s really gone off the deep end, Yan, no joking.  It’s such a shame.”

“Oh, fuck,” she sighed.  “What’s he doing?”

“He’s just kinda comatose.  There was no emotion, he just signed the papers, and that was that.  And,” she paused, “his wife left him.”

“Shit,” Ayanna sighed. 

“I know.  I’m sure you’ve read we’ve closed the doors to the restaurant.”

“Yeah, I read it in the article yesterday.  It said you were hoping to reopen soon?  So what’s the plan?”

“Well, I don’t want there to be a long turn around, so I’m hoping to reopen as
Chez Catherine’s
in the next couple of weeks.”

“OMG! 
Chez Catherine’s
?  I
love
it!  How are you doing this so fast?”

She laughed.  “I’ve been thinking about this for a
long
time, Yan.  I’ve had my ducks in a row for a while now, trust me.  My brother’s a contractor and things are already being changed on the inside.  Not huge changes, but enough to make it look different.  I already have a sign out front saying it’s the same chef but under new management, and all that.

“That’s why I’m calling.  Can you talk it up in your blog?  I’m calling as many of my contacts as possible because I wanna get the word out fast. I’m keeping the same wait and cook staff and adding a new manager.”

“Absolutely!  I’ll write something up and put little teasers out each day.  When’s the opening?”

“The soft opening is two weeks from tonight.  I’m inviting bloggers, critics, and family that night.  Then Thursday the next night will be the Grand opening.”

“Awesome,” Ayanna said, taking notes.  “And the cuisine?”

“Similar to
R and R’s
, but with some signature dishes, French leanings, same price point.”

They talked some more details then Ayanna said, “I would love to critique it.  Start working on my food critic skills, and all that.”

“You got it.  I’m confident we’re gonna do great.”

“I am too.  You’re a phenomenal chef, Catherine.  I’m so happy for you.”

“Thanks, Yan.  I loved working with you.  You’ve got a tremendous amount of talent and versatility.  You could seriously do anything, honey.  That’s how good you are.”

Ayanna was touched by her words.  “Thanks, Cat.  That means a lot coming from you.”

“How’s
The Local Yokel
going?”

“Great,” Ayanna said, beaming.

“I hear good things about Janie Callahan.” 

“She’s awesome, Cat.  I would love for you to meet her.”

“Bring her to the soft open if she doesn’t have any plans.”

“You got it.”

“And that hottie of yours who charged in like a raging bull that night,” she chuckled.  “Bring him, too.”

Ayanna laughed.  “I will.”

“Call me as we get closer and let me know the definite head count, okay?”

“Absolutely.  I’m so glad you called, Cat, and I’m so happy for you.”

“Thanks, Yan.  And thanks for bloggin’ it up for me.”

“No prob.  We’ll talk soon,” Ayanna said, and they disconnected.

Ayanna was so excited for her, but at the same time was thinking about what Catherine had said about Robert.  He definitely fell fast.  It had only been about two weeks since the incident at the restaurant.  Catherine must have had a realtor in the wings who was able to do some fancy footwork to be able to close that quickly and get her inspections done.

She knew it wasn’t her fault, but just thinking about how much the man had lost in such a short amount of time made her shake her head at the stupidity of it all.

About an hour later as she was preparing for bed, her phone went off and she grabbed it like a lifeline, hoping it was Jonathan.  Their conversations over the last week and a half had been few and far between.  She missed him something dreadful.

He had called her one other time after that first call the week earlier to tell her that his mom was finally out of the woods and out of the hospital.  The family was getting her settled in the house with a day nurse.  It was slow going, but the doctors said she’d make a full recovery.

She looked at her incoming call, smiled, and answered.

“Hey!”

“Hi gorgeous,” he said.  He sounded wonderful.

“I miss you,” she said, not being able to help herself.

“I miss you too, babe,” he said and she could hear the smile in his voice.

“How’s your mom?”

“Much better.  I should be coming home soon. I’m trying to get there, babe.  You know how much I want to be there,” he said.

“Do you know when you’ll be able to head back?”

“I’m pretty sure I’ll be on my way in the next day or so.  I’m just helping my dad with a few last minute things.”

Ayanna tried not to sound impatient.  “Okay.  I totally understand.  I’ll just see you when I see you.”  She paused.  “Will you let me know when you’re on your way?”

“I’ll be home soon, baby.  I promise.  Are you doing okay?  How have things been going?”

“Good.  I have lots to tell you, but I’ll wait until you get back.  Suffice it to say I’ve been very busy which has helped distract me from thinking about you, JBG.”

“We’ve both been busy, which I guess has kinda been a blessing in disguise, huh?”

“Yeah.”

There was a pause.

“Tomorrow’s Day 40,” he said quietly.

There was another pause.

“Yeah,” Ayanna sighed with a sad smile.

“Do something fun, okay?  Go out and party.  And think of me.”

“I will.  I can’t wait to see you.  Call me when you know you’ll be on your way back.”

“I’ll be back soon, baby.  I’m almost there.”

Ayanna wanted to say more, but a lump formed in her throat.  This love stuff sure did throw her.  Dev was right.
She
didn’t even know who she was at times.

“I can’t wait,” she breathed.

“Ditto,” he said back.  “I’ll see you soon.”

Then he disconnected.

It had finally arrived.  Day 40. 

She took the morning to pamper herself, got a mani/pedi, and then went for a Brazilian wax.  She had always liked getting waxed.  It made her feel sexy and powerful, like she could take on the world.  Given that she was missing Jonathan so much, she needed to feel some of that.

Since she and Janie were taking a much needed break and there were no events planned again until Tuesday of the following week, all of the girls decided to take Ayanna out dancing that night to celebrate her successful 40 day fast.

That morning before running her errands, Ayanna posted to her blog the whole pizza experience and what she’d learned from the fast, then posted the note about the upcoming opening of
Chez Catherine’s
. 

Later that afternoon before meeting up with the girls, Jeremy came over with the tabletop for her dining table.  Ayanna was stunned at how gorgeous it was and was giddy with excitement. 

Although Jeremy was a well-known art dealer in the City, he had a woodshop in his home where he made authentic handmade pieces for himself and his family.  She was so lucky to have him make this for her.  She knew he was talented having seen his custom made pieces in his own brownstone, but the fact that he’d made this beautiful piece of art just for her made her love the guy even more. 

He had gone all out, building a rectangular shaped top in a Craftsman style large enough to fit six people around it easily, but surprisingly compact looking to not overwhelm the small space.

“Jeremy,” she clapped her hands excitedly, “This is gorgeous!  I might just leave this on all the time,” she said beaming at him as they laid it over her existing tiny tabletop.  “I won’t even need to put a tablecloth over it, it’s so beautiful,” she said, running her hand over the walnut stained smooth surface.  “I can’t believe you finished this in a week.”

He shrugged and looked slightly embarrassed by her praise.  “I’m glad you like it.  I know having your family over for dinner is going to be a big deal and I wanted it to look good.”

She hugged him, “Thank you.  You’re seriously stellar,” she said sincerely.  “I’m so glad you and Ryann found each other.”  She pulled back.  “How are things going between you two?”  Ayanna wiggled her eyebrows.

He rolled his eyes.  “Considering you talk to the woman a few times a week, I think you
know
how well it’s going.  Probably more than I want you to know,” he muttered with a smirk.

“Oh, yeah.  That part is
def
initely going well.  She doesn’t talk about it much, just so you know, unless I twist her arm, of course,” she chuckled.  “But the glow that surrounds her is telling enough.  You’ve turned her into a sex maniac.  I never thought I’d see the day.”

He chuckled.  “Fine by me.  And speaking of sex maniacs, you’ve held off for 40 days.  You look like you’ve survived.”

She sighed.  “Yeah.  But I’m definitely looking forward to breaking my fast.”

“When’s Jon coming back, do you know?” he asked quietly.

She didn’t know why she was surprised that Jeremy knew of her plans for Jon, but she was.  And her face must have shown it.

“I
am
sleeping with your best friend, Yan, so let’s not look too surprised,” he said with a lazy smile.  “Plus, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see the sparks that night at the precinct and restaurant.  He’s a good guy.  I hope things work out with you two.”

She sighed again.  “Me, too.  I won’t know how things are gonna go until he gets home.  Which I hope will be in the next day or two.”

On Day 41, she’d
hoped
to be spending the day barricaded in a room with Jonathan.  At this point however, she wasn’t sure if that was going to happen.

He nodded, his eyes twinkling.  “Well, let me get out of here so you can get ready for tonight.  Manny will be here with Ryann around
seven.”

“I’ll be ready, and thanks for lending us Manny,” she said, affectionately punching him in the arm.

“As if I would let Ryann and you girls out in the City without him,” he said dryly.  “Have a good time celebrating tonight,” he said with a smile then was out the door.

Well, she thought, she would just go out with the girls, have a good time, and come home to her lonely apartment to wait for a call from the man of her dreams.

.....

It was a little after 11 that evening.

The girls had been hopping from club to club, dressed to the nines and mixing it up in some of the best bars in the City.

Ayanna hadn’t received any messages from Jonathan to say he was on his way.  She had been checking every 10 minutes even in the midst of her tipsy state.  Since Manny was driving all of the girls around that night, she figured being slightly inebriated was no biggie since someone else would be getting her home.  She was determined to have the time of her life celebrating one of her greatest achievements.

For about the fifth time that night, however, she’d wished Jonathan was there.

While the girls sat at a table resting, Emily reached for her phone to read a text message that had just come in.  She snickered at whatever it was then she leaned down to rub at her foot. 

“Man, my dogs are
bahk
in’,” she said in her Boston accent with a pained look.

Ayanna chuckled.  “Come on.  You don’t have another round in ya?”

“No way.  Some of us have to work in the morning, you know.  I’m just gonna sit here and work on my drink.
You
, however, should probably be heading home.”

Ayanna did
not
want to leave yet.  Going home to what could’ve been an incredible transition from Day 40 into Day 41 was now only going to be lonely and depressing.

“Not yet,” she whined.  “I don’t want to be alone.” 

“I know it’s still early, but I’m a little tired too,” Ryann moaned as she flopped back into the chair, giving Emily a wink and a smirk then turning back to Ayanna.  “And who says you’re gonna be alone?”

Ayanna stilled. 

“What’s going on here?” she asked, waving her finger between the two. 

“I think it’s time we all headed home, but
especially
Ayanna.”  Janie said, giving Ayanna a pointed look.  “Maybe it’s time for you to go find Manny.”

Ayanna paused.

“What’s going on?” she asked again.  Ayanna’s heart rate started to pick up.  “Do you guys know something I don’t?” 

They wouldn’t tease her about this, would they?  Not with something like this.  Was Emily’s text
—?  Was Jonathan—?  Her brain was stalling.

“I’d say we know a lot of things,” Emily said, a smile touching her mouth.  “But probably the most
important
thing we know is you need to get your ass home. 
Now
.”

Ayanna’s hands went to her cheeks then she stood quickly, knocking the chair over.  “Fuck!  Ry?” Ayanna asked in whirlwind.

“Manny’s already at the curb.  Luke is sending his driver to come get the rest of us,” she said, the grin nearly splitting her face.  She got up and hugged her tight.  “Now go enjoy Day 41, honey.”

“Ry, please don’t joke about this.  Are you shittin’ me?” she asked, nearly crying.

Tiffany screamed with a laugh, “Just go, already!!”

Ayanna nearly tripped in her haste and all of the girls began whooping and hollering.  She squealed as she ran for the door.

……

The entire car ride home Ayanna had to fight off hyperventilation.  When she arrived to her building, she quickly said hello to George the doorman who
smiled at her, then she ran to the elevator.  By the time she got to her hallway she was forcing herself to take deep calming breaths.

She looked down at her shimmery gold sleeveless dress with her red sandaled heels.  Would she have time to change? 
Did
she need to change?  Where was he, at his place?

She leaned her back against her door and bent forward using yoga breaths to calm down. 

She finally turned around, inserted the key, and turned the knob. She walked into her living room and all of the lights were off.  But it was completely lit with candles.  All tea lights.  There were easily a hundred of them.

And before she could stop herself, she covered her mouth and began to cry.  A movement near the kitchen entrance caught her eye and she turned her head.

There he stood. That wonderful, gorgeous, sweet, dream of a man.  A lazy smile on his lips, his beautiful blue eyes shining and looking at her with a mixture of tenderness and lust.  He was standing there barefoot in jeans and a t-shirt.  No glasses on his face.

She didn’t think.  She just reacted. And ran into his arms.

The Yummy Ammie 
Thursday, August 13

“DAY 40” by Ayanna Sarin

My best friend loves 80’s flicks.  So, naturally as the BFF I’ve sat through many a John Hughes film. 

Two things you may not know about me: 

One, 40 days ago, I gave up my most favorite food.  Dare I say, the best food ever conceived. 

Two, little did I know I would be calling upon my own inner 80’s muse to help me share with you the slice of self-discovery from this 40 day fast. 

One of the more memorable moments from a popular 1985 Rob Reiner film exemplifies the best cinematic scene with John Cusack describing what is, indeed,
The Sure Thing -
for even the worst representation of this culinary perfection brings joy. 

“When I recollect my most truly excellent experience,

the current images buzz through my brain: 

The big bubbles of crust that expand right up through the sauce,

glistening pools of oil as still and inviting as a mountain lake. 

The ropy knots of cheese had gathered to achieve perfection in the center

as the slices are pulled apart
…” 

And let’s not forget the importance of the cheese to sauce ratio, folks.

You guessed it. 

I’m talking about pizza.

Today, my friends, is Day 40, and tomorrow I am very much looking forward to breaking my fast.  My Lenten journey has brought me to a deeper appreciation of an oft consumed American staple, sometimes enjoyed three to four times a week in my own kitchen.

I say ‘enjoyed,’ but as I reflect on the past several weeks of sacrifice, I’ve made many realizations.  The most important discovery is this, and can apply to life in general:  When the best things are taken for granted, it’s often wise to back off of them for a while to allow yourself some time to contemplate, enabling you to appreciate them in a new light for when they’re reintroduced into your life again. 

What was once simply enjoyed, is now
valued
.

The senses are opened to a whole new experience…

…the array of cheeses that cradle us with such comfort…from mild and creamy, to sharp and spicy...

…
the assortment of crusts that hug the warm goodness of cheese…from thin and crunchy, to soft and pillowy…

…
the range of sauces that explode on the taste buds...from tangy and fiery, to flavorful and zesty…

…
the variety of toppings that cling to the slice like a lover’s kiss...from sweet and salty, to savory and sublime…

These revelations are difficult to realize when a traditional pizza joint is on every corner and the food is so readily available, not to mention, consumed. 

I’ve discovered I no longer want to settle for a “sure thing” in my culinary adventures which can sometimes bring a ‘ho hum’ quality to the experience. 

Rather, I would like to strive for the ultimate expression of that dish, one that embodies the different nuances of the flavors that when combined can give me a little slice of heaven, and maybe a new experience every time I enjoy it.

And hopefully, open my eyes to a whole new love.

Join me for the rest of the week,

as I share with you creative
artisan pizza recipes from friend and fellow chef

Janie Callahan, owner of
The Local Yokel
catering. 

A different one each day this week will be coming your way!

Ayanna catapulted herself into Jonathan’s arms, nearly knocking him over.  Clinging to him wit
h her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms tight around his neck, he clung to her as well burying his face into her hair.  He had one arm under her ass and the other curled around her upper back, his hand in her hair at the base of her skull.