Are You Lonesome Tonight?. Wendy Etherington

was so quiet and tender-hearted. The food business was tough, and she worried about him being able to survive in a world where Pierre von Shalburgs and Chef Carloses flourished.

      “Let’s see if we can’t work this out,” she said.

      Encouraged, Kerry took a few, halting steps forward. “Yes, ma’am.”

      “Food is as much about presentation as it is taste. Chef Carlos is well known for his perfectionism. If you have to pull out a ruler to make the cuts exact, then do it.”

      Kerry nodded and made a small mewing sound. Carlos lifted his chin.

      “And, Chef Carlos, remember, these last few days before opening are for practice. There’s no need to berate Kerry for a small mistake. Nurture him. He’ll help you look like the genius you are.”

      Carlos inclined his head. Kerry mewed again.

      Crisis number one of the day averted. Hallelujah. She glanced at her watch. Nearly ten o’clock. How long before the next bump in the road appeared? Oh, probably about as long as it took for Tony to appear and—

      “What is that mewing sound?”

      Kerry’s face flushed. “I, uh…found them in the herb garden.” He extended the box he held.

      With her stomach churning, Francesca approached him. Even Chef Carlos wandered over to see the box’s contents.

      A mother calico cat and three tiny kittens lay inside.

      The blood drained from Francesca’s face. Cats? In a commercial kitchen? Cats equaled rats according to the health department, not to mention, Chef Carlos would probably blow another gasket—

      “How adorable!” Carlos exclaimed.

      Francesca stared at him in shock just as the lights went out.

      AS THE SUN disappeared over the horizon outside, Francesca used a flashlight to make her way upstairs to Tony’s office. She collapsed into the chair in front of his desk. “We should have power tomorrow. Thank God for the back-up generators. At least we don’t have to worry about the food spoiling.”

      With the exterior floodlights reflecting off the windows and a pair of candles sitting on either end of Tony’s desk, she had just enough light to see his smile flash. “I knew you’d get to the bottom of everything.”

      “Oh, I don’t know if I got to the bottom of anything. The power company claims there was a snafu in setting up our account, but when I pointed out we’ve had power for a month now, the representative just said ‘oh.’” Francesca shook her head, which had been throbbing since about 10:00 a.m. “I didn’t see the point in arguing. I asked her if she showed a balance on our account, she said no, so I told her it sure would be nice to actually get what we’d paid for, and she promised it would be on again by eight tomorrow.”

      “A.m. or p.m.?”

      “Who knows?” She sighed, frustrated. “Oh, and watch for saucers of milk on the kitchen floor.”

      “Saucers of milk?”

      “We have a family of cats as our first guests. Though I hope not long enough for the health inspector to notice.”

      Tony clasped his hands and leaned forward. She wanted to rest her head on his chest and hold on to him more than she wanted to do just about anything.

      Except maybe rip his clothes from his body.