Lush Read Free Page B

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    Lush
    family. Her perception of musicians, especially at his and Adri-
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    an’s level, used to be that of spoiled, self- centered jerks, but all 02
    the ones she’d actually met had been lovely and warm. Centered,
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    even.
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    “What about you? Has this been a lifelong thing? Cooking?”
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    “I’ve always liked to cook. When I was little I used to make
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    snacks for my brothers to get them to let me play with them. Of
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    course later I fi gured out they got into a lot more trouble than I 08
    did, so playing with them involved punishment and/ or injuries. My
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    god. The stuff they used to do.” She rolled her eyes.
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    “Anyway, it became a way for me to pay for things I wanted.
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    Then I started these dinners at my house. One day a month. Peo-
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    ple kept saying they thought I should go into business. I started
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    to believe it. First I had a food truck, which taught me a lot
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    about business and dealing with regulations and all that. The
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    dinner club grew more and more popular. I started getting a
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    few catering jobs, which began to multiply. So I quit the truck
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    and put down roots in a shop I share with my friend Jules. It’s
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    her shop actually and, oh my god, you just asked a simple ques-
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    tion and here I go. Sorry, I talk a lot.”
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    “I like to hear you talk, so that’s a win. How about we sit
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    over here and look out over the party and you can tell me more.
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    Jules is the blonde with your brother, who was staring daggers
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    at me earlier, right?”
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    She laughed. “He was? Oh, he’s so silly. But he’s my brother.
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    My other one probably did too, but he’s wilier than Cal.”
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    He pulled a chair out for her and she sat, happy to be off her
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    feet ’cause the heels she had on were pretty and all, but they
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    hurt like hell.
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    Lauren Dane
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    “So hang on one sec.” He dashed off, returning with a tray
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    fi lled with all sorts of small plates. “I’m starving so I fi gured we 03
    could eat your food while you tell me the rest.”
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    She sipped her beer. “I warned you. By the way, that sauce
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    there”—she pointed—“is perfect to put on top of the straw-
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    berries.”
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    He tried it and nodded. “What is this deliciousness?”
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    “Roasted strawberries with balsamic reduction. You like?”
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    “Hell yes, I like. Now, you started working from a shop.
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    Continue. I’ll be eating and listening.”
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    “She runs a bakery called Tart. Probably, as you can fi gure
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    out, the best tarts you’ve ever tasted, along with a variety of
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    other awesome baked goods. So I put out some stuff from that
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    evening’s catering gigs if I have extra so people can buy it along
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    with her pastry. I also moved my supper club to that space twice
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    a week and we’re fully booked for the next fi ve months. So sud-
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    denly I’m very busy, but really excited about the prospects. It
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    doesn’t hurt that my friend is marrying a rock star who gives
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    my card to all sorts of people who like to throw catered dinners.”
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    “Wow. That’s amazing. Congratulations.”
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    “Thank you. To you as well.”
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    Music started up in the background and he shoved a few
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    mushrooms into his mouth. “I’ve got to run. We’re doing a lit-
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    tle something for Miles. He wanted to do a warm-up. You know,
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    before the wedding. Which is a secret, so, god, don’t tell Gillian.”
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    “I can’t wait to hear it. And, of course, your secret is safe.
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    Gillian will be so pleased.”
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    It wasn’t something she’d really shared with Gillian, but she
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    did love to watch a man at his art. Be it painting, dance, food
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