Gilt by Association Read Free Page A

tiny cream cheese hearts in the centers. I also have access to soup bowls shaped like hearts that would be great for tomato bisque. I can use red rose petals to decorate the plates, and carnations are edible, too. They can taste spicy, peppery, even clovelike. Chrysanthemums have a more bitter taste so I could use some of their petals in the salads.”
    Nikki paused and thought about that. “Some people have allergies to flowers in food, though, so it might be better just to decorate the buffet with them rather than use them in the dishes. We wouldn’t want anyone to have an allergic attack.”
    â€œGoodness, no,” Louise said, her hand covering her heart. “No flowers in the food. Nevertheless, red rose petals on a white tablecloth would look fabulous.”
    â€œNot everything has to be heart-shaped,” Caprice reminded them. “I just made a batch of white chocolate and cranberry cookies. They’d be a great Valentine treat with chamomile tea, hot chocolate, or coffee.”
    â€œNot to mention strawberry cheesecake, and cherries with meringue,” Nikki suggested with a lift of one brow. “The choices are endless with this kind of theme.”
    â€œI spoke with Jamie Bergman at Garden Glory,” Louise informed them. “I placed an order for peace lilies, grafted hibiscus trees and, of course, palms. Jamie had the terrific idea of planting flowers in the base of the palms. She’s going to look into exactly what varieties are available and get back to me.”
    Louise was one of those clients who liked control over the home-staging. Since she knew plants and flowers well, Caprice had let her handle that, though she or her assistant would actually place them.
    Caprice tapped Nikki’s electronic tablet. “What about our main dishes? When guests come to one of my stagings, they expect substantial food, too.”
    Nikki nodded. “I was thinking of prosciutto-wrapped stuffed chicken. Sliced correctly, the slices could look like heart shapes. Fettuccini would go well with it. Shrimp scampi is another possibility. I also thought about using those heart-shaped bowls for individual casseroles of shepherd’s pie with lamb and pork. This time of year, with this weather, that kind of food can warm your heart.”
    â€œThat sounds wonderful,” Louise agreed. “But back to incidentals . . . Let’s not forget chocolate-covered peanut butter creams. They’re my favorite candy.” Her eyes seemed to grow a little misty as she added, “Chet and I shared a few of those the first night we met.”
    Louise and Chet had been married for thirty years. Caprice’s mom and dad had been married thirty-seven years. So the idea of a lifelong union wasn’t foreign. Yet Caprice could hardly imagine being married to someone for that long. Still she wanted that kind of committed, all-in-for-life marriage. If it was happy. Was Louise still happy? Was Chet?
    Back to the subject at hand, Caprice said, “We’ll make sure we have your favorite peanut butter creams.” In fact, her mom had mentioned she might send Louise a box for Valentine’s Day.
    Rachel approached the table, her expression worried. “I don’t mean to interrupt, Mrs. Downing, but the snow is falling rather heavily again.”
    The blinds in the nook were closed. Louise looked toward them and nodded. “Thank you for telling us.”
    â€œI think we’re ready,” Caprice announced. “The house is staged exactly the way we want it except for the plants, and Garden Glory will deliver them the day before the open house. The menu sounds perfect. By next weekend, we’ll be all set.”
    A few minutes later after Rachel procured their coats and they hugged and said their good-byes, Caprice walked Lady to her van.
    She happened to glance at the frosting of snow on the driveway and caught the glare of headlights as a truck sped away from the