Page 14 of The Sweet Spot
She’d rendered me speechless with the damn pancakes. I was ready to make an offer to her right that second, but I wanted to try more. Mostly because I was still hungry.
“I came up with some lunch options for you to try. Again, you’ll have some other samples to take home, but I wanted you to have a feel for what I can do.” She pulled out a glass container from the fridge and set it down on the island. She then assembled what looked to be some kind of wrap with an assortment of grilled vegetables that she topped with a sauce. She completed the concoction with what looked like a hamburger patty, but I figured it wasn’t. She plated it and opened the glass container to reveal what was either couscous or quinoa.
“Here, we have a cottage cheese wrap topped with grilled vegetables and my own version of a veggie patty. Like the pancakes, it’s not vegan, but it still packs a protein wallop. The salad is quinoa with fresh veggies and my flax seed and apple cider vinegar dressing with herbs to give it a nice kick. The cottage cheese wrap could also be used in place of dough to make a pizza. I’ll let you try that while I finish up with the dinner option.”
I was starving even after eating all the pancakes, and I’d never had quinoa that wasn’t boring as hell, but one bite in, I couldn’t stop eating it. And the cottage cheese wrap had me questioning why I wasn’t eating more of it. I devoured the whole thing as she was stirring away at a pot of something and checking on whatever she had in the oven. While I waited, she pulled outsome small protein muffins she’d made as well as peanut butter protein balls and some protein bars she’d baked. I tried them all, and while I was getting full, my stomach wanted more.
“Dinner tonight is peasant stew, made from a veggie broth I made myself. This dish is vegan. I made some garlic bread with my vegan butter to give you some carbs. The bread is whole grain. I’ve also made you some portobello steaks topped with my marinara sauce and some melted fresh mozzarella. Again, these aren’t full meals because I could have made you some pasta or rice on the side, but you know what those taste like. I have, however, packed some sauces and seasonings for you to try on your own.”
The stew didn’t look like much. Some crushed white kidney beans, cabbage, and broth, but when I tasted it, I couldn’t wait for the next bite. If she kept making food like this, I was going to fall in love with her.
“I thought about other soups and stews, but this is a favorite of mine.”
“It’s great.”
Next, I tried the portobello steaks. I wouldn’t have known they were mushrooms if she hadn’t told me. I wolfed it all down, finally feeling full but not uncomfortable, but she wasn’t done. She’d made me vegan pudding for dessert. I’d mentioned that I liked chocolate, and that’s what she’d made.
“How was it?” she asked as I licked my spoon. I’d left nothing behind.
“It’s great.”
She smiled, showing off her cute dimples. “You probably want a few days to think about it. In the meantime, I’ll make up your doggie bag so you have an idea of what more I can do. Do you have a dog? Jill and Jeremy have a dog. Her name is Chloe.”
“I don’t have a dog,” sensing that a Wolseley ramble was about to start.
“Doggie bags made me think of dogs. It wouldn’t be a problem if you had a dog, because obviously, I love animals. But the origin of doggie bags dates back to the 1940s! People would take home food for their dogs. We’re talking during the war and postwar when food was more scarce.”
I suddenly thought of rotary phones. Wolseley was full of random information.
“Interesting. Makes sense.”
She blushed a bit, probably realizing she’d gone on a tangent.
“Anyway, you take those few days to figure out what you want to do.”
“I don’t need a few days,” I said, pushing my empty pudding bowl away. “Let’s talk specifics. I need you to prep all the meals and arrange for meals when I’m on the road. It’s a big job. What would you say to fifteen grand a month plus all expenses for food and whatever else you need.”
Her face froze, and I suddenly wondered if I’d insulted her. I’d done some research and asked around. That offer was more than fair. I didn’t know what to say next, so I waited until her face slowly shifted, and she smiled again.
Then she said, “When do I start?”
Chapter Nine
Wolseley
The worst part about being back in the same city with my two best friends was that they were busy with their jobs. While I didn’t love high school like Tangi did, days like today were when I missed it most. The opportunity to just sit around and hang out with my friends. I did get the chance to tell them about my job offer and how I’d accepted it. Jill had chastised me for not negotiating—or letting her negotiate—even though she admitted I was being paid well, while Tangi congratulated me and sent a virtual hug.
While they worked, I’d been making menu plans and doing research. I had to find appropriate meals for Brandon in thirty other cities! After I’d accepted his job offer, he gave me the rundown of what made up his day. I already knew about the five thousand or so calories a day he had to eat, but he broke down how his meals went. I would have a breakfast and lunch ready for him, a smaller pregame dinner, and then a postgame dinner for game days. On nongame days, he wanted three meals and plenty of snacks.
For road trips, he’d provide a schedule, but since the teamprovided some meals, it looked like I would only have to find him meals when the Kodiaks were on their own. At least it wasn’t too onerous. Like a mom, I’d be sending him on road trips with more than enough snacks, and now that I’d found the perfect protein powders, making all those snacks tasty was so much easier.
The time suck was finding meals outside Vancouver, but I had a secret weapon: chef friends from around the country. I spent the entire day mapping and messaging them, and by late afternoon, I had twenty of the thirty cities covered. I sent each of my chef friends Brandon’s criteria and looked forward to their replies. By the time Tangi and Jill were home from work, my brain was mush, and I needed my friends.
To make it easy on Tangi, we met at her place after dinner. Tangi was getting Maddy ready for bed, and Ethan was recovering from the last day of physicals. He’d had dinner and was gaming with some of the guys but planned to make it an early night. I would have my friends to myself.
“Tell us everything,” Tangi said, pouring two glasses of wine. I noted she didn’t pour one for herself, and I’d ask about that later.
“I told you that the tasting went well. I spent the whole day tracking down places to get him meals when he’s on the road. My job officially starts next week. I have a lot of meal planning to do. The last thing I want is for him to eat repeats all the time. No one wants to keep eating the same food.”