Page 70 of Whispers of My Skin

“Oh, no!” I exclaim. “What’s happened?”

“It’s the chili, ma’am. I just tried it, and it’s much, much too salty!”

“But how is that possible? It was perfect before I went to get ready.” I groan, holding my head in my hands in despair.

“I really don’t know, ma’am,” she says. “I don’t understand what could possibly have gone wrong, but you try it for yourself, see what you think.”

I’m just about to taste it, when Joel walks in. Great. Perfect timing.

“Is everything ready?” he demands, frowning as he casts his eye over the dishes of food.

Now what am I going to do?

“I’m afraid there’s a bit of problem,” Mrs. Sanchez lets slip.

Joel looks as if he’s about to explode. It’d be almost comical if I wasn’t in the middle of my own breakdown.

“Tara…how could you mess this up!” he growls.

“We’re ready!” Fermin announces as he marches into the kitchen, looking like as handsome as any GQ magazine cover model.

“So, what happened to the food?” Joel demands, arms crossed over his chest, steam practically coming out of his ears.

“I don’t know! I was just about to check it when you came in, but Mrs. Sanchez says it’s a little salty.”

“Tara, you knew everything had to be perfect today,” he bellows. “I told you to hire a fucking catering company, but no, you said you could handle it. Now our guests are out there, expecting at least a half way decent lunch, so what the hell am I supposed to tell them?” Joel is absolutely livid.

“I’m sorry! Really, everything was fine before I went to quickly freshen-up, because I wanted look presentable for our guests, so I really don’t understand what’s gone wrong,” I protest.

“At least have the decency to admit you’ve messed up big time here, Tara. Don’t try and make excuses about the salt, because you’ve obviously made a mistake.”

“I didn’t make a mistake, I did everything correctly,” I yell back.

“Sir, what Mrs. Sadger says is true, the chili was perfect,” Mrs. Sanchez interrupts. “I know because I checked it myself and it was delicious. I went out to serve drinks to the gentlemen in the garden, and when I returned, I checked the chili again to make sure it was ready to serve, and discovered it had somehow become over seasoned.”

“So, you’re telling me the food just turned into a disaster all by itself?” Joel glares between me and Mrs. Sanchez.

And just to make things even more peachy, Cassandra chooses that moment to waltz into the kitchen, with a smug, knowing look plastered on her face.

“Anything I can do to help?” she smiles sweetly.

“No!” We all reply in unison.

“What a pity, it seems our little Tara wasn’t up to the task after all. Probably exaggerated her abilities to try and impress you, Joel. I suppose all you can do now is apologize to your guests, and order in a few pizzas.”

The only thing that stops me from giving that nasty bitch a piece of my mind is Fermin’s hand on my arm, along with the look he shoots me, urging me to keep my dignity intact.

“That’s enough, Cassandra, you’re not helping. Maybe go back and rest in your room so we can get on with sorting this mess out,” Joel orders.

Finally! My husband is putting the bitch in her place for once, which from the look on her face she does not like one bit.

“Mrs. Sadger, we still have the extra chili you had me put aside for the freezer. Do you want me to fetch that? It won’t take long to heat through as I’ve only just put it away.”

Hallelujah! Why didn’t I think of that sooner?

“Yes, yes, of course! And I’m sure Mr. Sadger would be happy to personally check the seasoning of this batch to confirm it hasn’t been tampered with.” I stare at Cassandra, to let her know I’m on to her nasty sabotaging tricks.

“Oh…You have more chili in the freezer? I… I didn’t realize…” That wipes the smile of Cassandra’s face.

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