Page 27 of Already Home

“We have beginner classes starting all the time. My grandmotherteaches them. She’s incredibly patient.”

“I’d like to try.” She thought about the classes she had linedup at her own store. “Maybe when things calm down a little.”

“Don’t hope for that,” Robyn said with a smile. “Not inretail.”

“Good point. How about when my schedule starts to makesense?”

“Better.”

Jenna excused herself and returned to her store. Violet hadalready set up for the class, and several women and men chatted by the chairs.She saw her mother and waved.

Beth broke away from the group and hurried toward her.

“They’re very excited about the class,” she said in a lowvoice. “Advertising in Sun City was brilliant. Especially for a class like this.People who live there have plenty of money and are the type to be interested incooking.”

“As long as it brings in customers,” Jenna said.

“It will. You’re going to be so successful. I can feel it.”

Beth hugged her, then gave her a push toward the kitchen area.Jenna grabbed an apron and pulled it over her head, then washed her hands.

“Are we ready?” she asked, smiling at the rapidly growingcrowd. There had to be more than twenty people in the store for the class. Theyonly had seating for thirty. Something she’d never thought of as a problem. Thespace would get a little crowded when everyone got up to cook, but she toldherself that would make it more fun.

“Low salt doesn’t have to mean low taste,” she began, repeatingthe name of the workshop. “Salt does many things to food, but what we’re mostinterested in is how it brings out the flavors. Most people believe that no saltmeans no flavor. What we’re going to discover today are ways to make a meal evenmore delicious using herbs, rubs, spices and sauces. Are you ready to getstarted?”

Everyone nodded.

“Come on up,” she said.

The cooking class quickly spiraled into a disaster, with notenough burners, pots and utensils. But no one seemed to mind. The soup teamexperimented with the spices she’d put out for them, while the men who’d takenover the grill pan admitted that her custom rub really did make the chickentaste great. Jenna moved from group to group, offering suggestions and answeringquestions.

She watched anxiously as the chili group tasted their food.She’d played with that recipe, adjusting a few things, and now wondered if she’dmade a mistake. Although her changes had been minor—a teaspoon each of coffeegranules and mocha powder—she couldn’t help doubting herself.

She hated her indecision, she thought grimly. But the two menand three women were all grinning as they tasted, and then went back for biggerspoonfuls.

“This is delicious,” one woman said, glancing toward Jenna.“What did she put in the spices?”

Jenna sighed with relief. Facing the self-defeating voices inher head was the first step in getting herself back. Maybe that spark was stillthere. At least the chili was good.

“You’re going to have those prepacked ingredients, aren’t you?”one gray-haired woman asked her.

“Yes. They’re up front. You can also buy the rubs individuallyor as part of a basket.”

The class had so many different dishes that the ingredientshadn’t fit in a paper bag. Violet had found a craft supply store with a sale onbaskets and had bought them out.

“Oh, I like the baskets,” a second woman said. “But when I comeback for more ingredients, can I just reuse the same basket?”

“Of course,” Jenna said, making a decision on the spot.

“Good. I want what they’re having.” She pointed to the chiligroup. “My sons love chili.”

When the class was finished, Jenna helped Violet ring up allthe purchases. Beth joined them, doing the bagging. They sold every basket,nearly all the spices and rubs, ten cookbooks and over five hundred dollars’worth of pots and pans.

After the last customer left, Jenna leaned against the counter.“I love Sun City.”

Violet and Beth laughed.

“That was a fun class,” Beth said. “I’m going to make thatchili and not tell your father it’s low-salt. You know how he is—anything newmakes him nervous.” She paused and winked. “At least when it’s new in thekitchen.”

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