Dinner Difficulties

Chapter Twenty-one

Goldie stuck the roast in the oven and shut the oven door. “Okay, now I need to peel the potatoes.” Opening the bag, she dumped seven potatoes into the sink. Was that too many for two people? Well, no matter. That was all the potatoes remaining from her ten-pound bag, and she could have leftovers tomorrow.

         As she peeled the potatoes, she glanced over at the kitchen counter and her heart took a dive. On the counter sat a pottery plate and a pottery bowl in the pretty Rose pattern—two of her pieces that now had cracks in them. Mrs. Langford had discovered the cracks earlier and called her.

         Who was damaging her pottery? It was obvious the pottery didn’t crack by itself. Someone wanted to destroy Goldie’s workmanship. She didn’t know who to blame, although Henry Nesbitt’s face kept popping into her mind.

         Once Goldie set the potatoes boiling on the stove, she picked up the damaged plate and bowl and walked out of the house. Entering her garage, she placed the pottery on her work table. Then she looked at all the pottery on her shelves.

         She had sectioned off various “lines” of pottery. In one corner, four plates with the same number of cups and saucers had been painted with red and yellow leaves. Goldie called it her Autumn line.

Then there was the Butterfly line, with blue and purple butterflies flitting among the greenery. Goldie had never taken them to the Gallery Connection since Noreen always talked about making a line with a butterfly pattern.   

Knowing Noreen, the butterflies might be painted brown and gray.

“Oh! I forgot about these!” Goldie picked up a blue bowl covered with white stars. Smiling, she ran her finger over the shiny surface.

“This pottery looks good, if I do say so myself.”

With a sudden inspiration, she collected two plates from the Star line, along with two cups and saucers. She would wash them up, and present Ryan’s dinner on them. The Star line almost looked Presidential. He would be impressed.

 Dishes in hand, she ambled back to the house. As soon as she walked inside, she stopped in her tracks.

Something was burning!

Setting the dishes on the counter, she sprinted to the stove. Smoke billowed over the potato pan. She grabbed it up and stared inside. All the water had boiled off, and the potatoes were charred beyond recognition!

Her shoulders drooped. She had used all her potatoes!

At least she still had the roast. She opened the oven—and discovered a problem.

The oven was cold.

She has forgotten to turn it on!

Hitting the palm of her hand against her forehead, she moaned. What was she going to do?

She glanced at the clock. Ryan would be here in twenty minutes.

Grabbing the Stroudsburg phone book, she flipped through the yellow pages.

“Restaurants.” She ran her finger down the list before noticing a half-page advertisement for the Blue Haven of the Poconos. At the bottom of the ad was one line that caught her eye.

“For gourmet carry-out meals, call…”

“That’s it!” She punched the number into her cell phone and waited for someone to answer.

“Blue Haven. This is Darcie. May I help you?”

“Hi.” Goldie glanced at the potato pan, still smoldering in the sink. “I need a gourmet meal for two tonight, and I need it quick. Um, do you have any suggestions?”

“Our Chicken Marsala is the special this evening. It comes with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and grilled mixed vegetables.”

“Perfect! How soon could I pick it up?”

“Uh, I don’t know.” Darcie paused. “Let me ask the chef.”

As she waited, Goldie sighed with relief. She could wash the Star pottery, then run to the Blue Haven and pick up the food, and…

“He said about ten minutes.”

“Great!” Goldie smiled. “Thank you, Darcie. I’ll be right there.”

Cutting off the call, she laughed. She would present Ryan with the best gourmet dinner he had ever eaten.

He’d never know she didn’t cook it.

* * *

Uh-oh! Doesn’t Ryan work as a chef at the Blue Haven?

Until tomorrow…