The Secret's in the Sauce Read Online Free PDF Page A

and said, “Don’t ‘precious’ me, Vonnie Westbrook. And do not think I don’t know about David and Velvet. I am, after all, a deputy sheriff. I get paid to know things.”
    “Does it bother you?” I asked. “At all?”
    “The only thing that bothers me is that David will, no doubt, get hurt.” She looked at Vonnie with compassion. “And I really don’t want that, Von. He is, if nothing else, my friend.”
    “That’s nice, dear.” Vonnie stepped toward her and patted her on the arm. “And I believe you mean it.” She took a deep breath and sighed. “Shall we go inside then? I can smell the coffee from here, and I’m anxious for another piece of Lisa Leann’s delectable wedding cake.”
    In other words, subject closed.
    Over cake and coffee I heard the story—once again—as to how the catering club came about.
    The first time I heard about it was from Vonnie, who came by the morning after Vernon and I had returned from our honeymoon. She and I curled up on the family room sofa like the old friends we are while Vernon went to his old house to help the movers load up the U-Haul truck.
    “It all started the morning of your wedding,” Vonnie told me. “Actually, it goes back to last year’s Christmas tea when we were all saying in jest that we should open a catering service because so many of us were such good cooks.”
    “I remember that.” I pulled my feet closer to me. “You call it last year’s tea, but it was a mere few weeks ago.” This being the middle of February and the tea occurring just before the New Year, after all.
    “Nevertheless, on the morning of the wedding, when everyone was at the boutique helping out, Lisa Leann got a phone call that Mandy had gone into labor.”
    “I remember that too. But how does that lead to a whole new business venture? For crying out loud, Vonnie, I was gone just a little over a week.”
    “Well, naturally Lisa Leann had to leave, which of course left the rest of us at the boutique to handle things.” Vonnie threw her hand about in the air and tossed her fading blonde hair. “I don’t know who said it for sure, but I think it was Lizzie who said something about the Potluck Club Catering party, and the next thing you know, an idea was born.” Vonnie grinned, and I could tell that, even at less than two weeks into the venture, she was quite pleased with it. “While you and Vernon were basking in the sunshine, we all met over at Lisa Leann’s and put everything on paper.”
    “A game plan,” I commented.
    “So to speak. Anyway, we managed to get an advertisement in the paper, which came out on Thursday, and two days after that we got a call to do our very first event.”
    “Which is?”
    “Hannah Lowenstein’s bat mitzvah. They had hired a caterer from Breck,” Vonnie explained, referring to Breckenridge as the locals so typically do. “But apparently Mrs. Lowenstein and the woman who owned the service had something of a misunderstanding . . . don’t ask me about what.”
    “Hannah Lowenstein? Is she Ed Lowenstein’s girl?” I asked. When Vonnie nodded, I added, “I had no idea she was that old.” The Lowensteins live right down the street from Vernon and me. I discreetly cleared my throat. “I don’t mean to throw a monkey wrench into this, but you say you have a game plan.”
    “We do.”
    “But what about some sort of legal business agreement? In my line of work I see all sorts of disasters when you don’t have a good legal agreement.” I own an accounting service that I operate from my home.
    Vonnie laughed lightly. “Don’t worry, Evie. We will. And, yes, you will be very much a part of this too.”
    I hate it that she knows me so well.
    It nearly killed me not to participate in the Potluck Catering Club’s first event (I was still focusing on getting Vernon moved in, which included helping him get rid of some of the tackiest household items I’ve ever seen, not to mention a few things I knew were left over from his