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Epilogue - Renee
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2024-10-29 19:42:56It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.
Stone with dark stuttrs, white pillars, bright-green trees and lush, red bushes. Graceland Mansion was eerything I'd imagined, and more. And that wa just the outside.
It had taken us longer to get here than we'd initially thought. Trying to plan around John's school schedule, and dealing with the rapid growth of Three Sister's Catering when we added elegant children's parties and landed one of our biggest clients to date, had made it difficult.
But now, six months later, we were finally in Memphis, and I wa currently trying to teach Amora about the wonder that is Elvis.
"He's the King of Rock 'n' Roll for a reason," I was explaining as we walked to the Meditation Garden. "He still holds the record for the most Top 40 hits, he was in 31 movies, made over 150 albums and singles, and has been inducted into 5 halls of fame."
"You should totally work here," Amora said in between licks of her hand-dipped ice
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Renee' "Three Sisters Catering" my sister Jennifer said, her face beaming as she raised her glass of champagne. May it be a smashing success. "And make us happy," my twin, Suzanne, added as our glasses came together with a tink. "Allow us to share our gifts with others," I said, my eyes tearing up as I looked at the happy faces of my two favorite people in the world. "Salude," we chimed, then tipped the pretty flutes back. I sighed as the chilled bubbly liquid trailed down my throat. Champagne taste happy, like celebration, and drinking it I just knew we'd made the right choice in opening our own business. Even if our Aunt Cathy told us we were nuts, or the guy who ran the restaurant on the corner glared at us everytime we wwalked by ... I felt it in my gut. I'd always dreamed of not only cooking and baking for a living, but also of doing it my own way, in my own buisness. It just so happened thaat my sisters were my best friends who just so happened to share the same dream
Catering with Love Renee'
"Where the hell is Suzanne?" Jennifer asked with a scowl as she stomped into my kitchen. "Ah, I think she said she was going to check out decorations for the upcoming Wilson event," I answered as I rolled out dough on the floured table. "Why, what's up?" "Mrs. Chapman just cornered me for fourty-five minutes about her daughter's baby shower," Jennifer complained. "Suzanne promised me she'd handle it. She knows how that woman drives me batty." "Where'd she catch you?" I asked as I kneaded. "On my way out of the bathroom at the deli." "Yikes," I said with a chuckle. "She blocked the sink, so I had to listen to her gripe while I waited to wash my hands. She held me hostage, Renee'." I laughed ar the look of pure horror on my younger sister's face. "What else do you have this afternoon?" I asked, trying to take her mind off of her hostage situation. "I'm going to pick up the new business cards, then run over to the event space and make sure everything is on schedule for tonigh
Catering with Love John
Hugging her had probably been a bad idea, but, damn, it sure felt good. I started out innocently enough. I really had stepped into Three Sisters Catering with the intention of begging, pleading and bartering for a party for Amora. Then she had stepped out from the back ... the sexiest brunette in a chef's coat I'd ever seen. And the way her curves had fit snuggly against me, her head resting perectly just below my chin ... Well, let's just say my body hadn't reacted to a woman in that was since well before my wife left me. I'd ended up stuttering and stumblinga my way out of there. I think I winked for God's sake. What a tool. The important thing was that she's said yes, they'd consider catering Amors's party. I'd been trying so hard to give Amora everything she needed since Kayla had walked out of our lives. I couldn't always give her what she wanted monetarily, but she knew she was the most important thing in my life, and I really wanted to make this birthday special. It was t
Catering with Love Renee'
"What's this?" Suzanne asked, the tone of her voice causeing me to look up from tarts I was finishing up for tonight's event. It took me a minute to realize what she was talking about, as she waved a piece of paper in the air. "Oh, it's a last-minute tea party for a little girl," I replied, tryig to sound like it was no big deal. "No shit, last minute," my twin exclaimed, one hand on her hip while she used the other to shake the paper at me. "I don't have time for this. Literally, don't have time. Why did you say we'd take this on, Renee'? You know wer're jam-packed for the next four days." "I know that. I do, and I don't expect you to do a thing. I'll take care of it." "You'll take care of it!" "Yep," I said, then grew wary when Dru narrowed her eyes at me. My sister never missed a thing. "Why, Renee'?" she asked as she stalked toward me. "Why, after a year of cooking and baking, like the genius you are, but not crossing over into event planning, management or budgeting will yo
Catering with Love John
"You want a snack, Mor?" I asked as my daughter settled at the kitchen table to do her homework. We had a strict do your homwork first thing after school policy, so our evenings were with usually the same. Amora would walk the two blocks from her school to mine, we'd ride home togther, and she'd do her homework while I make dinner. After, she usually caught up with one of her friends while I graded papers or worked on lesson plans, and before bed we'd watch a couple episodes of whatever show we were binge-watching. Currently, we were on 'Heartland' which we both were loving. "Sure," Amora replied with a half shrug as she started on her math worksheet. I smiled at the back of her head, thinking how great it was that we were finally in a place where we were both content, and my daughter was happy. Kayla's abandonment had hit us both hard, and Kayla had taken quite a while to recover. I'd spent many nights holding her while she cried herself to sleep. It was hard for me, a thirty-ye
Catering with Love Renee'
I may have gone a little overboard, but once I'd started thinking about different tea party ideas, I couldn't help but want to make it a birthday this little girl would never forget. I'd chosen a delicate tea set with pretty pink rosebuds, lots of pretty pastel decorations and flowers. Tons of flowers. Colorful macaroons, sweet little sandwiches, tiers of cupcakes coupled with strawberry punch, lots of ffun candies and cut outs for the photo booth, all teamed together to make a nine-year-old's birthday dream come true. My sisters and I had loved playing dress up as girls and being in the kitcchen had always been my passion, so it hadn't been hard to tap into my inner child when deciding what to do for Amora. I just hope she likes it. I was getting out of my 4Runner and heading to open the back when the front door opened and John came out of the house and jogged toward me. I don't know why, but I found him jogging towrd my in loose fit jeans and bare feet strangely sexy. "Hey, h
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The next couple hours were a whirlwind of giggles, tiny sandwiches and enough sugar to ensure that I was in for a long night. Renee' was amazing. Not only were her decorations on point, and her food was delicious, she'd kept the girls entertained and had successfully given my little girl the party of her dreams. I hadn't seen Amora smile this much since her mother left, and I was eternally grateful to Renee' for that. If I hadn't already planned on asking Renee' out, and I guess I sort of had, even though we'd been interrupted, I defintely would have wanted to take her out after seeing interact with my daughter and her five boisterous friends. Now the tea party was over and the girls had all escaped to the backyard to jump on the trampoline while Renee' and I cleaned up. She was currently boxing up the props she'd used for the tea party photo booth, while I was slyly popping leftover macaroons in my mouth. "I saw that," Renee' said with a chuckle. I turned, mout full and a sheepis
Catering with Love Renee'
"So, how did it go with Mr. Adorable Dimples?" Jennifer asked as we stretched out. We were off Mondays and that's when we got together with our adult recreation soccer league. The three of us had been playing soccer since we could walk and enjoyed getting out and playing whenever we could. Which wasn't as much as we'd like, now that business was booming. "I already told Suzanne the whole story last night ... It was good," I said vaguely, hiding my smirk when Jen started to pout. "Well, I was working last night so I missed the girl talk. You can't hold that against me, Nea, I was bringing home the bacon," Jennifer complained as she crouched down. "Fine," I said with mock experation, "I'll give you the cliff notes." Jen kept her eyes on me as she waited expectantly. She had recently cut off her long black hair that matched mine and Suzanne's in length into a cute bob, and dyed it a bright red. It totally suited her. "The party was great, fantastic even. I had a blast decorating an
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Catering with Love Epilogue - Renee
It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.Stone with dark stuttrs, white pillars, bright-green trees and lush, red bushes. Graceland Mansion was eerything I'd imagined, and more. And that wa just the outside.It had taken us longer to get here than we'd initially thought. Trying to plan around John's school schedule, and dealing with the rapid growth of Three Sister's Catering when we added elegant children's parties and landed one of our biggest clients to date, had made it difficult.But now, six months later, we were finally in Memphis, and I wa currently trying to teach Amora about the wonder that is Elvis."He's the King of Rock 'n' Roll for a reason," I was explaining as we walked to the Meditation Garden. "He still holds the record for the most Top 40 hits, he was in 31 movies, made over 150 albums and singles, and has been inducted into 5 halls of fame.""You should totally work here," Amora said in between licks of her hand-dipped ice
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Another Monday, another workday, another day where I was just passing through life. Not really living it, instead floating from minute to minute, waiting for the day to end.I'd been in such a funk that I was starting to get on my own nerves, and as I walked through my classroom, making sure my students were focused on their own quizzes and not peeking at anyone else's, I vowed to sort my shit out that evening.Maybe I'll ask the guys to go out for a drink.As if I'd conjured him, I saw Wy's face pop up in my window to my door. I held up a finger to indicate I couldn't talk not, but would get back to him later. Raqther than nod in response as usual, he got this big goofy grin, gave me two thumbs up, and pushed my door open.What the ...?I stopped in the middle of my room when Renee' stepped through the door he's just opened, a piece of loose-leaf paper clutched in her hands.I drank in the sight of her and like a man drowning. THe soft bill
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I was going through the motions.I’ve been working on auto pilot since John walked out of my apartment. Waking up, shower, shuffle downstairs, cook, bake, clean, sleep, repeat. Luckily, we were full staffed and Claire has become my right hand, so we hadn't missed any deadlines, and when I made chicken and dumplings instead of chicken pot pie, Claire had fixed things in time for the event.Susanne had come to me only second after John left, saying her twin vibes had been tingling and she’s known that I needed her. Soon after, Jennifer had shown up, and the two of them have been my shadows ever since. Even going so far as to sleep in my apartment each night.I felt heartbreak when my dad left, but nothing like what I feeling with the absence of John in my life. Never pain so acute. And the worse part was that I knew I'd caused John the same amount of pain. Even if I felt like I was doing it for the right reasons, I still hated the thought of him hurtin
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ZombieThat was my new persona...a dead man walking.I have never, not when I was a teenager, not when my wife said that she was leaving, felt the way that I did when Renee' said my love wasn’t enough.Suddenly the literatureI taught, the poems I'd read, the songs I heard on the radio, all took all new meanings. Hurtful, heartbreaking, painful meaning.I’m not sure how I drove home, made it through the night and the rest of the week. I know I'd gone to work, because I had papers to grade, and I knew I'd taken care of Amora. Helped her with her homework, made her meals...although I couldn’t eat. I didn’t have the appetite for it. And I knew I hadn’t slept.No, I'd spent the last four nights, staring at the ceiling, fighting the urge to call her and beg her to change her mind, my time with Renee' playing on a loop like some awful romantic comedy.The first time I saw her walk out of the kitchen, the day I
Catering with Love Renee’
"What do you mean?" John asked, his face conveying his confusion.I looked pointedly from him and Amora and whispered, "Now is not the time..."John looked down and his daughter, who was watching me with a shocked expression and then brought his gaze back to mine and stated "I’ll be back."I watch numbly as he grasped Amora, and started walking her way from my door and down the hall. I noticed Amora still watching me as I quietly shut the door, crossed to my chaise, and resumed the position I have been in.FetalSobs irrupt again, as decades-old sorrow filled me, compounded by the fresh pain I was feeling now.It felt like only moments before rapid knocking sounds sounded at the door, like gunfire at to my heart, and I rose, my stomach sinking at the thought of what I was about to do.What I had to do...I open the door without looking without waiting to acknowledge who was there and spent on my he
Catering with Love John
There was a war of emotions happening within me. A fight between annoyance and relief.It was annoying that Kayla had re-entered my life only to gather her things, but a total relief that she wasn't contesting the divorce and it was still going through on schedule. I needed that part of my life to be in the past, needed to move forward, needed to be able to focus on the fall with Renee'.So. I was cruising down Main Street, feeling pretty good, even if I did have another meeting with Kayla looming.I pulled up to the curb in front of Three Sisters and was hopping out of the truck, eager to get back inside and see my girls, when Renee' came rushing around from the back of the building, crying and visibly shaking as she called out for Amora.My heart leapt out of my chest as fear coursed through me."Renee'!" I shouted, jogging over to her on the sidewalk.Her head was turning quickly from side to side as she searched the street, and she
Catering with Love Renee'
We'd finished eating in silence after John left, my Beef and Broccoli tasteless, so I barely ate at all.After we cleaned up, I took Amora into the back. I gave her a brief tour, making sure she knew where the bathroom was, showing her our office, the kitchen, and the different walk-ins. I thought breifly about taking her up into my apartment, so she could hang out and watch TV or something, then figured it was too far and maybe for my first time watching her, I should keep her close.So, we were in the kitchen and I was explaining the flowers I was making, the type of cake it would go on, and telling Amora about the party the next day. If thre was ever a person who looked or acted more bored, I'd never met them. Still, I kept trying."You can make flowers with frosting, fondant, gum paste...""He's never going to fall in love with you, or marry you, you know," Amora broke in, her tone full of anger.I looked uo from what I was doing, put my tools
Catering with Love John
I parked outside the lawyer's office and walked slowly in, giving myself time to try and calm down. To breathe.Mr. Hurlyey had said it wasn't bad, but the worry that had formed on my drive over was that Kayla was going after Amora. I remembered that she'd said just a few days ago, and I knew my lawyer would categorize such a thing in the bad category, but still, that's where my mind had wandered and stayed for the duration of my trip.No way am I letting that happen, I promised myself as I opened the door and went into th waiting room. I turned my phone to silent, then crossed to the receptionist to let her know who I was and why I was there, then went to sit down. Before my butt could hit the chair though, my lawyer stepped out, and I knew he must have been waiting for me."John," he called, giving me a welcoming smile, which eased my worry a tiny bit.He wouldn't be smiling if my world was about to fall down around me, right?W
Catering with Love Renee'
He said we'll be there soon, and I doubted he meant Tyson or Wyatt, or even Tanner, although I would have been less nervous with any of them...yes, even Tanner...than I was about his 9 year old daughter that obviously hated me."It'll be fine, Renee'," I assured myself out loud as I worked on the flowers for the various cakes that would be served at the anniversary party. Not 50 of them, thank goodness, although that would be cool, but each table would have their own cake centerpiece that would be a miniature version of the actual anniversary cake.that meant I had a lot of flowers to make. Calla Lilies, which were the flowers she'd had in her wedding bouquet.Still, when John had offered to bring food, I'd jumped at the chance to see him."Talking to yourself again?" Suzanne asked as she walked in, her trustyclipboard in hand."Of course," I replied with a smile, then gave my sister a once over and whistled. "Wow, you look great.'
