Page 3 of Wrapped in You

"I told you. I left my scarf here when I was helping Sophie a few weeks back," Mary explained.

"Sophie catered here?" Joe asked.

He sounded vaguely surprised. Sophie felt the surprise like a knife. He knew we didn't cater here. He thought my company was failing. He just didn't want to say it to my face.

But just then, Mary opened the door, and all two hundred and twenty guests burst to their feet to cry out, "Surprise!"

Joe stood with his mouth open, and his eyes glinted with tears. He stepped deeper into the room as Cindy and Sophie ran up to hug him.

"Happy retirement, Dad!" Cindy and Sophie said in unison.

Joe threw his arms around them. "My girls!" he cried. "My darling girls!"

The party erupted after that. Everywhere Sophie looked, she found Willow Creek residents in joyous celebration, drinking glasses of wine, laughing with Randy the bartender, shaking Joe's hand, or eating one of the flavorful hors d'oeuvres that Sophie had concocted herself. Sophie paraded through the party, making sure everyone was happy and well-fed.

This is when I'm in my element, Sophie thought.This is my purpose.

Please, let me keep Culinary Tastings.

Please let Culinary Tastings survive.

Sophie disappeared into the kitchen to check on the caterers, who smiled and announced everything was going smoothly. When she emerged from the kitchen again, she narrowly missedrunning smack into her ex-boyfriend, Jeremy. Jeremy wore a black turtleneck and carried around a burnt-red cocktail.

"Sophie. Hi!"

Sophie's stomach tied into a big knot. "Oh, hey, Jeremy."What are you doing here?She pressed her lips together and tried to pretend that Jeremy was just an old friend, that they hadn't dated for twelve years, that she hadn't planned the entirety of their wedding before he'd gotten cold feet and broken up with her. "Thanks for coming."

"I've always known Joe," Jeremy said, tilting his head toward her father. "He's like a second dad to me. I wanted to help him celebrate."

He was practically your father-in-law, she wanted to shoot back.

"Sure," she said. "That makes sense."

"This is a great party. So Christmassy, even though it's not even Thanksgiving yet! But I know how you are about the holidays," Jeremy said.

Sophie flared her nostrils. When they'd first broken up three years ago, she'd thrown herself even more into her love of Christmas. Jeremy had always thought she went "overboard" on decorating and baking and Christmas music listening and Christmas movie watching. Cindy said, "I love that you're using your love of Christmas as revenge."

Now, Sophie looked across the room to find her father in conversation with Mayor Ben Ackley. Mayor Ackley ate a stuffed mushroom with his eyes closed as her father nodded along to everything he said.

And then, her father raised his hand, smiled at her, and beckoned for her to approach.

"Gotta run," she told the ex-love-of-her-life. She drifted across the room to sidle up to her father and Mayor Ackley, still feeling Jeremy's eyes on her back.

Maybe the catering company would fail, and I'd move to New York City and never see Jeremy again.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"Sophie!" Mayor Ackley said. "This is a fabulous party. Everything I've eaten is divine."

Sophie blushed and laced her arm through her father's. Her father beamed.

"I can't thank you enough, Soph," her father said with a soft smile. "At the end of a forty-year career, I love knowing how hardworking my eldest daughter is. You're an entrepreneur! You go after what you want."

Sophie's blush was painfully hot. She wanted to remind him that her company was on the brink of ruin!

But Mayor Ackley interrupted her dire thought process.

"I don't want to give anything away," he said conspiratorially. "But you might have heard we're hosting another film this year."

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