Mustard and Love 13

Brett swallowed the last of the pie. It really was very good. If nothing else, that girl could cook.

A shadow fell over him. He looked up into the electric blue eyes of Daphne. His heart jumped. Gosh, that woman was beautiful!

She did not smile. “How are you doing today? Are you enjoying the food?”

 Could it be that she was jealous? That would be something. “I am. I was just talking to the chef. What’s her name again? Isabella?”

Daphne nodded.

“She wrote down the name of some of the spices I should try.” He patted his pocket where he’d put the napkin with Isabella’s phone number. “Actually, I don’t cook a lot. I just like coming here. And not just for the food.”

I worked. Daphne broke into her amazing smile. “I’m glad you like it here. What appeals to you besides the food?”

Brett looked at his hands. “The atmosphere. You know. The people too. Especially one of them.”

Daphne laughed. It was a low sexy sound. “As the manager, I’m glad you enjoy it.”

He looked up, making himself blush. “Do you think I could, maybe, give you a call one day?”

“I’m working right now. I can’t get too personal. But I get off at five today.” She turned away, called, “Have a nice day,” over her shoulder and left.

Wow, that had been easy. Brett smiled to himself as he finished his coffee and got up to leave. He’d have to watch out for Isabella, though, when he showed up tonight. It would probably be safest to follow Daphne in his car and then catch up with her. He couldn’t wait to have some fun with her.

Mustard and Love 12

Brett sat at one of the tables in the restaurant section to the store, a coffee and a piece of spiced pumpkin cake in front of him. Most of the tables were occupied. Seems like the taste treats given out in the store were turning the restaurant, too, into a success, Isabella thought fleetingly.

Brett rose when he saw her. “Hi! I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the pumpkin cake. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten better.”

Isabella smiled. “Thank you. It’s all in a day’s work.”

“I don’t want to pry your secrets from you,” Brett said with a chuckle, “But I’d love to enjoy more of your company, too, if it’s at all possible.”

He paused.

Isabella didn’t answer right away. One the one hand, she should spend her evenings with Tony, but on the other hand, it would be so nice to go out with a courteous and handsome guy like Brett.

Brett watched her and added, “We could go to a movie and take Tony with us, if you want. Then we’d all have fun. And maybe we could have something to eat and talk a little, either before or afterward.”

Why not? This didn’t sound like a traditional date, and she knew they’d all have fun. Or at least she and Tony would. She nodded and pulled a pen out of her pocket. “Here is my phone number. Give me a call. I need to go back.” She scribbled her number onto a napkin, gave him another smile, and hurried back to the kitchen, feeling vaguely guilty. You have nothing to feel guilty about, she chided herself. You’ll go on that date and have a really good time. As she put the final spices to the pork, she glanced through the window in the door. She could just see the table Brett was still sitting on. He seemed to be in animated conversation with Daphne. She fleetingly wondered what they had to talk about, but then forgot all about it when she realized she almost added Spanish pepper to the pork instead of the Indian one.

Mustart and Love 11

The next morning in her kitchen at work, Isabella couldn’t concentrate. She kept seeing Fernando’s face, older and more drawn, his brown eyes beseeching her to believe him. But how could she? His story was just too far-fetched. Getting kidnapped and being kept a prisoner for two years was unbelievable. Why didn’t he go to the police the moment he was free? He brought Brett into this story because he was simply jealous. He must have reconsidered having left her. Maybe he had grown up and decided that he did want a family, after all. He must have seen her talking to Brett and made up that ridiculous story, hoping she’d believe him and take him back.

Isabella put the last touches on a spiced apple betty and put it into the oven. The customers would get a treat today! She checked out the ingredients for her next project, which Serena had laid out. Marinated pork with rosemary, another dish she knew just how to spice right.

Daphne burst into the kitchen. “The store is full today. Do you have the next set of samples ready?”

Serena grabbed the tray that held ten small dishes, each filled with a generous sample of the spinach-fruit salad Isabella had created earlier. “Here they are.”

Her high voice still made Isabella suppress a wince.

Serena smiled at Isabella. “I’ll take them out while you get the pork ready.”

Isabella nodded.

Somehow, the pleasure she usually felt in creating and serving her dishes had left her. She got the marinated pork from the refrigerator, trying to focus on what she was doing.

After all this time she should have been over him. She should just forget that he ever came to her door yesterday. She all but threw him out. He surely won’t ever return. And she didn’t love him anymore. How could she after what he’d done to her and their child? She was glad to see Serena return with the empty tray.

“Isabella,” Serena shrieked. “That gorgeous Brett Doukas is out there again. He asked me if you were there.”

Isabella shrugged. “I guess you told him I was.”

“I did. He was wondering if you could come out for a moment.”

Isabella was just about to tell Serena that she was too busy, but stopped. Why not? She was free, he was a very nice, handsome guy, and Fernando had betrayed her. And maybe, just maybe, she could find out something from Brett, something that might prove Fernando’s story. “Okay,” she said. “Can you cut the pork up the way I showed you yesterday? I’ll go and talk to him. We don’t want such an important customer to be unhappy.”

Mustard and Love 10

Fernando stood before her looking into her eyes, gathering his thoughts. She’d forgotten how slowly he spoke. At the memory a sword went through her heart.

Finally he spoke. “I never meant to leave you and Tony. I wanted to marry you, remember?”

“So what kept you from doing so?” She couldn’t hide the venom in her voice.

“I was kidnapped that day.”

“You what? Kidnapped? I don’t believe you. You better come up with something better than that.”

“Please hear me out. My friend Brett Doukas, who had just started with Mamie’s All Foods Company, asked me to see him after classes. He had something interesting to tell me, he said. Instead, when I entered his apartment, I was hit over the head and woke up in the basement of some apartment.”

Isabella wanted to scream at him. He was lying. If that were true he wouldn’t be here right now. He’d be at the police station, at the least. And who would keep a man captive for three years? And Brett was supposed to have done that? No way. “Get out,” she almost screamed, but kept her voice low with an effort so as not to wake Tony. “I don’t ever want to see you again and hear your lies.”

Fernando held out his hands. “Please, Isabella. It had something to do with that trip I took while you were pregnant. I went to Costa Rica for three months, remember? You hated to have me gone so long, but it was part of my doctoral work, and I had to go.”

It took all her effort to keep the tears at bay. She ripped the door open again. “Leave now. And don’t come back.”

Fernando hesitated. “Tony? Can I see Tony? Please?”

She shook her head. “Not now. I can’t stand any more. Maybe… maybe some other time. You need to go now.” She pushed him toward the door.

With one last look at her, eyes beseeching her to have compassion, he left.

Mustard and Love 9

“Nighty night, Sweetie.” Isabella gently kissed Tony’s forehead.

“Nighty night,” his sleepy voice answered, and his eyes closed.

 Isabella left the room, leaving the door a touch open. Time to relax a little before she, too would be going to bed.

She put on a kettle of water for a nice cup of chamomile tea to relax with when the doorbell rang.

She startled. Who could want to visit her that late in the day? Her mother lived far away in Florida. She hoped nothing had happened to her.

She looked through the peephole. 

A stranger stood there, someone who… she didn’t even dare think it. Fernando? It couldn’t be. She ripped the door open.

Finally face to face with him, Isabella didn’t know what to say. She stared at him, her heart beating out of control. She hated him for what he’d done to her. No, she loved him and was glad to see him. She didn’t know what to say. Her impulse to slam the door into his face was stopped by the look in his eyes.

He looked older, sadder somehow. “Isabella? Can I come in?”

Still speechless, she held the door open.

He stepped in, and she slammed the door shut after him.

Fernando looked around the tiny apartment and his eyes fastened on her. “I’m sorry, Isabella, but it really wasn’t my fault. Let me tell you what happened.”

Isabella stood, arms akimbo, tapping her foot. “You better hurry. And you better have a good story to tell.”

Mustard and Love 8

Tony focused on his ice cream, and Isabella took a sip of the very good coffee and leaned back.

Brett watched Tony eat. “He sure looks like Fernando. Did you and he get married then?”

Isabella shook her head, not trusting her traitorous voice. ‘We split up three years ago.”

“That’s too bad. But tell me more about you. I already know you’re a great cook. Do you like cooking?”

Isabella’s sat straighter. This was a much more comfortable subject. “I do. I studied with Chef Moreau, from France.”

 “And what brought you to work for the Spice Experience?”

“The hours are so much better. I have more time to be with my son, and that was worth it.” She played with her coffee spoon. “Also, being able to create new and interesting taste experiences with unusual spices was very attractive to me.” She took another sip of coffee. “Have you seen or heard of Fernando in the last year or so? Maybe he’d like to know how his son is doing.”

Brett’s eyes were bright, as if he were smiling at a private joke. “I’m so sorry. I haven’t. I’ll ask some of our old classmates if they’ve seen him and let you know.”

Tony clattered his spoon into the empty ice cream bowl. “Can I have more, Mom?”

“No, sweetheart. That was plenty.” She cleaned his face with his napkin. “We need to take you home. It’s already past your bedtime.”

“Do I have to?”

“Yes. But first we’ll have a fun bath, okay?”

“’kay.”
Bret had watched them, smiling. Isabella had the feeling that his smile hadn’t quite reached his eyes. She still had no idea whether he liked Tony or not. This guy was hard to figure out. She drank the rest of her coffee and rose.

Brett also rose. “You know, being a food chemist, I’d love to talk with you more about spices and what you do with them. Could we meet again sometime?”

Isabella hadn’t considered a second date, but then again, it wasn’t such a bad idea. And talking about the spice would be fun. Most people she knew could care less. Maybe she had found a kindred soul in Brett. But she wouldn’t be too eager. “See me at the Spice Experience. We can talk then.” She helped Tony from his booster. “I really need to go.”

Mustard and Love 7

“Bye, bye,” Tony called and followed Isabella to the car, where she strapped him into the child’s seat.

At home, she prepared a light lunch of tomato soup and sandwiches.

 It would be best to take Tony with her to her, dare she say it?, date with Brett. Maybe that would scare him off. But she had to admit, it felt good to be seen as a desirable woman by a handsome and even rich guy. And maybe he and Tony would hit it off. In any case, she’d be able to see how those two reacted to each other. That could tell her a lot about Brett.

She carried two plates with tuna sandwiches to the table and poured the soup into two bowls. Tony climbed onto his booster seat, obviously hungry. Isabella helped Tony say grace and they dug in.

“Did you have a good time?” she asked Tony.

“Yes Mamma. I shared with Mike.” Between bites of his sandwich, he told her of his day.

Her thoughts were wandering. It was good to see Tony so happy at the Happy Tots childcare. She remembered when he was born. When she came home with the baby, Fermnando had the house smothered in red roses. A large banner hung on the living room wall, over the fireplace. She’d almost dropped the baby when she realized what was written on it. One arm snugly holding Tony, she threw her other arm around Fernando. “Yes, I will! I truly want to marry you!”

“Even though I’m still in school and don’t have a job yet?”

She nodded between kissing his cheek and mouth.

He held her close, one arm around the arm with which she held the baby. “I’ll do my best to work enough so you don’t have to. And when I’m done with my graduate work, it will be possible that we’ll become very rich.”

His last words drowned in kisses.

That had been three years ago. Shortly after that wonderful day, Fernando hadn’t come home, and a week later all of his clothes and a lot of his other belongings had disappeared.

She’d never heard from him again. Her inquiries at the university had come to nothing, also. He had disappeared, probably because he couldn’t handle a ready-made family.

Isabella sighed. She ate the last of her soup, rose and cleaned up the dishes and Tony. “We’ll be going out for a little while,” she told him. “You can have an ice cream if you want.”

Tony threw his chubby arms around her. “Nice! Can I have strawberry?”

She hugged him back, glad she had decided to take him with her. “Anything you want sweetheart. Let’s go.”

Mustard and Love 6

Brett felt like whistling. That had been easier than he thought. Isabella had been alone a long time. She was ripe for the picking. A little sympathizing, getting her to trust him, and maybe his long search would finally be over, and he would hold the secret in his hands, the secret Fernando had died for.

Deep in the shadows of the trees that surrounded the parking lot, a tall young man, watched Isabella pull from the parking lot. His dark eyes were sparkling with unshed tears. I can’t keep her out of this any longer, Fernando Miguel Rivera thought, It’s time to tell her, even if it’s just to protect her.