Fed up

service, and all you’ll have to do is repeat after me.” Adrianna still looked stressed out, but at least she’d moved close to Owen and was leaning against him. “Relax,” I said. “There’s nothing to worry about. This is all fun stuff going on, okay?”
    I cooked the pasta and the shrimp, and tossed them together with the vegetable mixture. As we ate dinner in the living room, we talked food.
    “How’s the menu coming?” Owen asked.
    “Oh, I almost forgot! The food is going to be out of this world! Even though it’s still August, I know you wanted a fall menu, so Josh is going to put out an amazing spread with that in mind.”
    “I know I’m a pain, but I always wanted to get married in the fall, and since that won’t work out,” she said, patting her belly, “we can at least eat like it’s fall. I’m probably driving Josh crazy.”
    I brushed aside her worries. “Not a big deal. You know how Josh loves a challenge. He’s going to do an extravagant pumpkin stew cooked in a pumpkin, a salad with dried cranberries and maple vinaigrette, tenderloin medallions, a roasted rack of lamb with grape-chili jam and goat cheese sauce. What else? I can’t remember it all right now, but you’ll love it.”
    “Sounds amazing,” Owen said happily.
    “Josh is off on Friday to prep all the food. I think he’s coming here to do it. I’ll actually get to spend some time with him, so it’ll work out well for me.”
    I sounded more optimistic than I felt. When Josh was here, he’d be in his chef mode, and we’d have no real conversation. Still, it would be good to be together, and our shared focus on the wedding might restore our relationship.
    I sent Ade and Owen off with the promise of a beautiful ceremony with vows that didn’t rhyme. After cleaning up the kitchen, I spent an hour at the computer writing the service and quit only when I was so tired that my fingers started typing in Dr. Seuss style. I collapsed in bed with the intention of sleeping in the next morning. The prospect was shattered by the sound of feet pounding on my front door.
     

 
    “CHLOE? Let me in!”
    I glanced at the clock. What the heck was Josh doing here at eight a.m.?
    I flung back the sheet and forced myself to stagger to the door. “Hi, honey,” I managed sleepily. I rubbed my eyes and stared in confusion at Josh. My boyfriend had evidently kicked my door because his arms were full of trays and containers covered in plastic wrap. A small cardboard box was teetering off the top of the pile, and I grabbed a squirt bottle just as it began to fall. “What are you doing here? Oh, my God! Is today Friday?” I really was not awake yet. Panicking, I thought, Oh, no! It’s the day before the wedding!
    “No, no. It’s Wednesday. I just got the rest of the week off, and I thought I’d start cooking for Saturday. I’ve got a ton to prep, and my kitchen is a wreck.” In my opinion, the entire apartment that he shared with his sous-chef, Snacker, was a chronic disaster area, but I didn’t say so. “The goddamn stove broke again, and Snacker left a huge mess in there. Seriously, there’s no way I’m doing his dishes again, and he’s working at Simmer while I’m off, so who knows when they’ll get done. Can I use your kitchen?”
    “Yeah. Of course.” I plodded into the kitchen and set the squirt bottle box on the table. “Coffee. I need coffee.”
    I worked on brewing a pot of caffeine while Josh returned to his car for more food. I was psyched to have Josh here but totally surprised that Gavin had given him so much time off. Josh was lucky to get one day a week. Maybe Gavin had finally come to his senses and realized how badly he’d been treating his gifted and hardworking chef. Josh had had no vacation time whatsoever since he’d started at the restaurant last year, and Gavin must have realized that Josh was about to crack. Oddly enough, even though Josh would be cooking like a madman for the next few' days, I knew that he was looking forward to catering the wedding. Chefs! For me, a vacation meant blue skies, burning sun, sterling ocean, fruity cocktails, and skimpy bathing suits, but Josh wasn’t the type to lounge around on a beach and do nothing all day. What did he do when he finally had time off? Cook.
    “Okay, I have to make the pasta and then marinate the vegetables for the strudels...” Josh said to himself as he checked off a mental list on his fingers.
    “What kind of pasta are you doing?” My