Page 99 of Riding the Curve

“I’m ready.”

We spend the rest of the evening hosting the rehearsal dinner.

Exhausted by the time we fall into bed, I curl into the comfort of Emerson’s arms. Though I’m trying the best I can to conceal it, I can feel the nervous energy radiating off me.

Even with closed eyes, Em must be able to feel it, too. His fingertips begin sweeping up and down my arm. “Rest, babe. Everything will be okay. At the end of the day, we have each other. That’s all that matters.”

Praying that I’m making the right decision, I burrow deeper into his chest and eventually fade to sleep.

CHAPTER 36

Henley

“Oh, hell.”

My world spins as I peer into the box of special-ordered beef missing over half of its contents. The same Wagyu that was handpicked by the groom to be the main star of dinner for tonight.

Harper immediately sets down the piping bag she was holding and Melody pauses slicing lemons for the open bar. Both pairs of eyes assess me as I try to pull myself together.

“We only have enough for barely half of the guests.” Somehow, my voice comes out calmer than the voice screaming inside my head.

“Oh boy,” Harper whispers under her breath. “How can we help, love?”

My eyes flitter around the room, searching for something—anything—I can use to pivot and turn this situation back around.

Deep breaths. Figure it out, solve the problem. It’s just steaks.

I rush over to the fridges, opening each one and digging through the drawers, gathering inspiration as I go. When I open the last shelf, I almost cry at the sight.

Though I may not have all the Wagyu, I find everything I need to still transform this dinner into the best meal that they’ve ever seen. I can do this.

“I’ll be right back! I need to speak with the bride and groom,” I shout from behind me as I rush out the doors.

“Alright, team, changes of plans. We’ve got some major changes, and not a whole lot of time to execute them.”

I stare back at the seven junior college culinary students I was able to recruit for the weekend, thanks to the help of my old professor. Their eyes are wide, but they all nod back with a loud, “Yes, chef.” Now they’re just awaiting my instructions.

“Since we’re short steaks, we’re going to pivot to a surf and turf dinner. We have enough large prawns and scallops to give a little tasting of each. We’re still going to continue with the garlic and rosemary mashed potatoes, as well as the oven-roasted asparagus. I’ll need two of you to work on prepping the seafood, two on the meat, and the final two on the sides.”

The students pair up and I thoroughly walk through the prep and cook of each element of tonight’s dinner. It makes my heart swell as I watch them take notes and ask questions as I cook. Their eyes light up with intrigue, and excitement oozes out of them with each task I assign. Just like baking with Harper, being in the kitchen with these students reminds me once again why I love cooking for others in the first place.

After a few hours, we’re all prepped and ready to begin cooking. I take a steadying breath and call my team around the center island of the barn kitchen. “You’ve done an excellent job with the prep, are we ready to begin dinner service?”

Bright smiles grow wide as they answer back, “Yes, chef!”

“Then let’s make this one hell of a dinner that they’ll always remember!”

Flames burst free on the stoves, and the entire kitchen comes to life once more.

For the entire hour of cooking, I jump into each section. Making sure the meat is braised and sautéed with enough aromatics. Checking the temps of each one, and allotting enough rest time before we begin the process of slicing and distributing them onto the plates. The shrimp are butterflied and pan-seared to perfection. The lemony garlic butter glazed over them gives the right acidic punch needed to elevate all the flavors of the meal.

The students I assigned to cook the mashed potatoes and asparagus bring a sampling for me to taste. Once the potatoes hit my tongue, I hum with delight. They are just the right amount of creaminess to the bite of the garlic. And the asparagus is cooked beautifully, still retaining its crunch.

The final part of the process is the scallops. I know it’s risky to go with scallops because they can overcook in seconds. That means I have to cook them in batches as the plates go out. I had assigned myself to this station so that all the responsibility would be on me and not the students. As they plate the rest of the dinner, I sear the scallops then plate them right as the servers come in to take them out.

After an hour, every guest has been served. I prepare a few plates for the team and, while they enjoy their meal, I gather the courage to peek into the barn to see the guests’ reactions.

Everyone is smiling and laughing as they indulge in their dinner, making me feel like I’m floating on cloud nine. I did it.