Too Many Cooks Read Online Free PDF Page A

kind.”
    â€œBut you will, right? You have to.”
    â€œI don’t have to do anything. Working with celebrities can be a nightmare. I’ve heard horror stories—you have no idea.”
    â€œSo you’ll have to deal with some Hollywood nonsense—so what? You can put it in your tell-all someday.”
    â€œLet’s not get ahead of ourselves. For all we know, this could have nothing to do with Natasha Spencer.”
    â€œI know,” Meg says. Then she lets out another enthusiastic yelp. “But I really hope it does.”
    I lean back in my chair and glance at my response to Poppy’s e-mail one last time before I hit Send. “I know you do,” I say, even though, for reasons I don’t want to admit to myself, what I really want to say is, I really hope so, too .

CHAPTER 3
    The next morning, I awake to the sound of my cell phone humming and buzzing on the nightstand next to me. I rub the sleep from my eyes and grab the phone, whose display bears a long series of numbers beginning with “44020 . . .”
    â€œHello?” I say, my voice scratchy with sleep.
    â€œHello,” replies a young woman’s voice. “Is that Kelly?”
    â€œIt is.”
    â€œThis is Poppy Tricklebank. Have I . . . caught you at a bad time?” Her voice resonates with a plummy English accent.
    I sit up in bed, stretching out my shoulders. “No, this is fine. How can I help?”
    â€œI have Natasha Spencer on the line. She’d like to discuss collaborating with you on a project.”
    My heart nearly stops. “Now?”
    â€œIs that a problem? You said in your e-mail you were free any time.”
    â€œI know, but I thought . . .” I thought you’d give me a little notice. I thought I’d have time to prepare. I thought I’d be talking to YOU .
    I run my hand across my forehead. “Now is fine,” I say.
    â€œExcellent. I’ll put her through.”
    I hold my breath as the line goes silent, in disbelief that I am about to speak to one of the most beautiful and famous actresses in the world. Being a cookbook ghostwriter, I often work with renowned cooks and chefs, translating their celebrated dishes into recipes an average home cook can understand and follow. I like to think of myself as one of those translators at the United Nations, only instead of working for heads of state speaking Russian and Farsi, I work for chefs who use jargon like “robot poix” (pulse vegetables in a food processor) and “5 min—salamander” (broil for five minutes). But even the biggest celebrity chefs are celebrities only to a specific subset of the population. Movie stars cross borders, both cultural and physical. Over the course of her career so far, Natasha Spencer has starred in action flicks and serious dramas, high-brow art films and low-brow comedies. A lot of people know who Jamie Oliver is. Everyone knows who Natasha Spencer is.
    â€œHello, is this Kelly?” says a velvety voice at the other end.
    â€œIt is,” I say, my palms sweating. That’s Natasha Spencer’s voice. No doubt about it.
    â€œHi, Kelly, this is Natasha,” she says. “I’m so glad Poppy tracked you down. I’ve heard great things about your work.”
    I try not to sound surprised. “You have?”
    â€œYou worked on François’s book, yes?” Her American accent bears a faux English lilt.
    â€œI did.”
    â€œFrançois is a dear friend. He recommended you highly.”
    â€œThat’s nice to hear.”
    She takes a sip of something. “Yes, well, anyway, before we talk about my project, why don’t you tell me a little more about your background. Are you professionally trained?”
    â€œNot exactly. I never went to culinary school, if that’s what you mean. But working closely with so many chefs, I’ve had a lot of on-the-job training.”
    â€œAh,” she says.