eat?â
âNo.â Amber waved a sheet of paper in front of her. âI have my grades,â she said, joy bubbling in her voice.
âAlready?â Lexi knew the school year was drawing to a close, but didnât expect a report card for a week or so.
âThey came out today. I got mine in homeroom,â Amber informed her with a smile.
Good news, Lexi thought. Amber wouldnât be this happy if she was failing a class. Her sister handed her the computer printout that served as a report card. Lexi scanned it, then reread it slowly.
âNot bad, huh?â
âExcellent. Really great, Amber. You pulled up your grades.â
âExcept for math. Iâm going to get a head start on algebra by studying at home this summer.â
Problem wasâAmber didnât have Lexiâs self-discipline. She had good intentions but no follow-through. She had to attend summer school.
As if guessing her thoughts, Amber said, âI worked really hard this term to bring up my grades. I worked even harder after I found out about the contest. Iâll study at night after I work with Charmayne.â
Lexi didnât want an argument right now. After all, the report was good. Now was not the time to harp on Amberâs shortcomings. Or to suggest she might not win the contest.
âThere is bad news. I saved it for last.â
Uh-oh, Lexi thought. âWhatâs wrong?â
âRick Fullerton is going to be one of the judges in the final round.â
âThatâs not so bad. I think heâll be fair.â
âHa!â Amber grunted. âHe isnât buying as much from us, is he?â
âNo,â Lexi agreed. Rick had been giving her the cold shoulder since their meeting at Black Jackâs, but at least he was still buying some of her baby vegetables.
âIf I donât win, will I have to go to summer school?â
Lexi wanted to say losing might be a blessing in disguise, but she didnât. No sense in burdening Amber with another worry. They could deal with this when the contest was over. âWeâll see. Iâm not making any promises.â
Â
The next morning was Saturday, the busiest day for City Seeds. Chefs or their helpers appeared before she opened the gates. They were anxious to select produce for weekend specials. As usual Rick Fullerton was at the head of the line. He personally selected produce. Brad had been coming, too, but he wasnât here yet.
âHi. Looking for anything special?â she asked Rick with her warmest smile.
âJust looking,â he replied. After poking around for about half an hour, Rick left with two boxes of her best baby vegetables.
There was still no sign of Brad, and she was a little concernedânot about him buying produce elsewhere. She was unnerved by how much she wanted to see him.
The group had thinned as most chefs raced back to their kitchens. Her cell phone vibrated, and she pulled it out of her pocket. The caller-ID screen read, Black Jack. Brad was calling!
âHello.â
âHey,â he said in his husky voice. âHowâs it going?â
She mustered a level yet friendly tone. âFine. Most of my regulars have already been here. Iâm down to half a box of Asian red wave lettuce. You can have it if you want it.â Sheâd warned him that the heat was ending the season, so he wouldnât be able to prepare his highly successful salad much longer.
âIâll take it. Got any of that baby squash left?â
âYes. Probably enough for the available lettuce.â
âIâll send someone by to pick up the produce.â
âOkay,â she replied in a voice that seemed to come from some distance away. All she could think was that she wouldnât get to see him for another week. How had she allowed this man to mean so much to her?
âIâm giving the new sous-chef special training this morning. I should be through by three or so.
Sharon Kleve, Jennifer Conner, Danica Winters, Casey Dawes