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friend’s extraordinary luck with recognizing good men.

Chapter 4
    “Sabine, thanks for coming in on a Saturday—and on Valentine’s Day no less. Why didn’t you tell me you were going to the bachelor auction last night? I would have gone with you. Now I’m messing up your date time for a client panic attack that’s probably unwarranted,” Blanche declared.
    Sabine eyed her first line supervisor. The woman was barely better in regards to men than the evil witch she’d bid against to win Koka. “The panic attack was justified. Besides, the auction was no big deal. I only went as a favor to a friend.”
    “Some favor. I would love to do one of those if it meant winning a date with the uber sexy, Todd Lake,” Blanche said, laughing at her own joke. “So the big date is tonight—right?”
    “I wouldn’t call it a date exactly. Chef Lake is fixing me dinner. Then tomorrow morning we’ll have individual interviews about how it went. I’ll make sure I mention the company and our excellent work record. You should pick up a copy of the special edition tomorrow afternoon,” Sabine suggested, hoping to derail further queries about Koka.
    Blanche nodded and waved her hand. “Of course you’ll make us look wonderful. But what’s more important is that you butter up Mr. Lake so he’ll cater something for us sometime. Imagine the press coverage. He’s Seattle Live’s hottest moneymaker. People—and by that you know I mean women —flock to any appearance The Sexy Chef makes anywhere. You will have found yourself a PR gold mine if the man likes you.”
    Sabine frowned. “He’s a really nice man, Blanche. I’m having dinner with him, not trying to recruit his services.”
    “Didn’t your ex recently remarry? Honey, your ego must need stroking in the worst way. Why else would you have bid so high for him? Trust me—you’re recruiting his services and not just his cooking ones,” Blanche said.
    “No. It’s not like that at all,” Sabine protested, shaking her head.
    Blanche laughed as she walked to the door. “Really? Did you buy a new dress to wear to dinner? Pair some heels with it if you did. I heard that he’s like six foot four or something. With shoulders that wide, the man should have been a pro ball player.”
    Sabine frowned. Did she need a new dress for her date? Koka hadn’t called yet and it was only hours until their “date” was supposed to happen. There was no time for shopping even if she had wanted to go buy something new. Besides, she’d been at work all day.
    “I don’t need a new dress, Blanche. It’s not that kind of date. This is just something we’re both doing for charity,” Sabine declared, raising her head.
    But Blanche had already disappeared and she was left wondering if she should have taken the date more seriously.
    ***
    The ride from her house to Koka’s had only increased her clothes guilt. Seattle Live had sent a limo. Even though the Seahawks were attending a Supersonics game for charity, she had cruised through heavy traffic listening to a smooth jazz concert in the backseat while sipping champagne. By the time she had climbed out at the modest, but well-kept house nestled in a prominent gated community some forty-five minutes later, she told herself she would have been way too tipsy to walk on high heels anyway.
    Thanking the driver who informed her he’d return later, she walked slowly down the pristine sidewalk, her bag slung tightly over one shoulder and clutched under her arm.
    But at the door, Sabine looked down at her black ballet flats before she rang the bell.
    “I should have at least worn the red ones. He’s going to think I only own one pair of shoes.”
    She told herself it was all that champagne on an empty stomach that brought on full-blown guilt. Wishing now she’d worn a dress, or at least a skirt, she sighed over her light-weight blue tunic fluttering softly over another pair of black leggings that she hoped like hell made her look thinner