Page 84 of Second Time Around

“You did what?” Jenna shouted, springing to her feet.

Kelsey winced. “Uh-oh.”

“Why would you do that without talking to me first? Not to mention, there’s a zillion restaurants around here to choose from. Why did you pick his?”

Kelsey blanched. “Sorry, Jen. I thought I was doing a good thing by asking him. Especially after you had him cater our book club meeting.”

Jenna stood in the middle of her living room, hands on her hips and chest heaving. “I never should have let him bring food here. I knew it was a mistake the minute everyone tasted his brownies!”

Kelsey stifled a laugh. “His food is delicious, and since everyone loved it, I thought it made sense to hire him.”

Jenna’s anger dissipated as she realized Kelsey’s intentions were good. She slumped back down on the couch. “You’re right. His food is really good.” Not to mention his other talents…

Kelsey patted her leg. “I wouldn’t have asked if I knew it would upset you this much.”

“It shouldn’t, though. Forgive me for acting crazy.”

“It’s okay. When I was falling in love with Hudson, my emotions were all over the place too.”

Jenna shook her head. “This is different.”

“How so?” Kelsey asked innocently.

“What Beck and I had…it was a long time ago. It’s not like you and Stacy, with your new loves.”

“Old or new, love is love.”

“We were apart for years. A lot has changed since we were teens.” Although not in the physical sense, as they’d proved last night.

“Well, you might not want to hear this, but he seems like a great guy. He was really accommodating and gracious about catering the party, and he seemed genuinely happy for Stacy and your family.”

“I bet,” Jenna grumbled.

Ignoring her, Kelsey continued gushing. “He went over all the catering information with me, and he offered to meet with you, me, and Stacy to finalize the menu.”

“Of course he did. Did he offer to serve the food in a tuxedo too?”

Kelsey smiled. “No, but that’s not a bad idea. I bet he’d look really good all dressed up.”

An image of Beck in his prom clothes sprang to mind. She’d thought he’d looked extra handsome that night, although he’d looked good in anything he’d worn and still did.

“He probably won’t be delivering the food, anyway. He has staff for that.”

“He said he’s going to handle it personally so everything goes smoothly.”

“Hmm. He thought of everything, didn’t he?”

Kelsey nodded. “So, can I tell him yes?”

Jenna thought for a moment and then said, “Let me do it since you’ve already done a lot of the legwork.”

Kelsey eyed her knowingly and a bit warily. “Okay, but you’ll be nice to him, right?”

“Yes, Mom!”

Kelsey laughed. “I do sound like a mom, don’t I? It must be because of Annie.”

“It’s good practice for when you and Hudson have your own child.”