Page 15 of Cookbooks and Demons

“If I’m honest, I’ve been thinking of it too. It just gave me this heebie-jeebie feeling that night, you know. I haven’t been able to shake it off. A lot of funny dreams and everything.” She met Helena’s eye. “How about you?”

“No, no funny dreams per se,” Helena said honestly while shaking her head. She had actually never slept better.

Cindy shrugged. “Okay, then it’s just me. It was just such a weird thing to bring up at a nice dinner, you know? But yeah, I guess so? I mean, if demons are real, and that is a confirmed fact, then the place they come from must be hell, right?”

“You think it’s as awful there as they say?” Helena took a sip of her water as if washing the bad taste of those words away. Her heart pounded, but it wasn’t like there was anyone actively investigating her for demon summoning connections, right? The FBI had more important things to do than that.

Cindy chuffed a dry laugh.“Well, yeah. I would think.”

“But I mean, how would they know if we’ve never really been there?” Helena asked. “I mean honestly, if everyone who has ever gotten themselves dragged into hell never leaves, how the freaking … well, hell, do we know what hell is really like?”

“Well, hypothetically…” Cindy paused and rolled it around in her head a moment. “I guess, if it isn’t so bad, why are demons always trying to get outof there?”

Helena nodded at that. “Yup, that’s it, isn’t it? It’s got to be as bad asthey say.”

“I mean, best not to dwell on it?” Cindy offered. “Don’t get me wrong: I’ve certainly seen enough people pass through the emergency room that definitely were headed that way.” She blew out a breath. “Most definitely bad mama-jamas.”

Helena cocked her head. “But if you knew they were bad … you treated them anyway?”

“Well, yeah.” Cindy shrugged. “After all, they may have done something bad, butI’mnot going to do something bad by not helping them. That’s on me then. I mean, how can they have a chance to redeem themselves if I don’t try? It’s what I figure anyway.”

Helena smiled and put a hand over her friend’s on the table. “You are a very good person, Cindy,” sheassured.

“Ha, I try. Some days I succeed. Now can we order some chocolate cake? I’m going to need a dose of endorphins after that.”

“Absolutely—on me,” Helena said as she raised a hand for the waiter to pause and take the dessert order. Soon enough they were cutting their forks through a delectable slice of chocolate mousse cake, topped with fresh whipped cream.

“Oh my God, Heaven,” Cindy declared. “Not as good as what your caterer guy made the other day, but still Heaven.” Helena paused at that statement. Rolling the chocolate around in her mouth, she hadto agree.

Yosef caught her at the top of the next day. Since it was Friday, Helena had already debated about taking one of her allotted half-days off, but she knew that plan had just been squashed when she laid eyes on him waitingfor her.

“Scarlet wants to talk to you,” he said, thrusting the notebook that she kept at her desk at her. In one smooth motion, he traded it for her purse and briefcase. “I’ll drop these off for you. Scarlet is already in the conference room.” And then he was gone without another word.

Lacking anything else to do, Helena proceeded to the conference room.

Like the rest of Scarlet’s “garden,” the conference room was filled with greenery and light with one wall entirely made of glass looking out onto the city. It made the room feel more like a porch than a contained space. Today it was raining, however, and the splats of streaky rain made it feel closer to a greenhouse to Helena. Scarlet sat at the head of the only conventional thing in the room, the table. She was seated in her mobile chair today, which she zipped around the table as soon as Helena enteredthe room.

“There she is, there she is. Come in, and feast your eyes,” Scarlet declared, stopping midway of the table before a folder laid out with papers and brochures.

“What’s all this?” Helena asked, coming up beside Scarlet to look where her gnarled fingers indicated.

“This is a good day is what this is.” Scarlet eagerly slid the brochure over to Helena pre-opened. The glossy paper showed a large ballroom with a glittering chandelier filling it with fairy light. There were elegant, circular tables everywhere draped with creamy white cloths and the chairs around them were all gold-painted and upholstered with matching cream cushions. And there were people, all equally elegantly dressed, like from a modern-day version of a fairy tale, dancing and laughing as only people in fairytales can. The whole image filled Helena with an acute longing to be there and be a part of it.

“I was so beautiful,” Scarlet said wistfully.

That was when Helena realized the foremost woman in a striking red dress that folded around her like a rose was in fact Scarlet. A slightly younger, more mobile Scarlet, whose age only enhanced her beauty, like dust on a precious wine bottle. Only those who were truly cultured could understand it.

Helena almost said so but doubted such an observation would be received in the manner it wasintended.

Fortunately, Scarlet didn’t wait for her to respond. “This was my crowning achievement and now I bequeath it to you.”

Helena practically jumped out of her skin, much to Scarlet’s cheeky amusement. “I’m sorry, Scarlet… I don’t understand…”

“The Winter Rose Ball is in six months, and I want you to organize it.” Scarlet turned her wheelchair back to the head of the conference table. “I have organized the Winter Rose Ball since its inception, and officially I will this year as well, but time does not agree with my desire to do it. If I want this to exist beyond me, I must pass the torch while I am still able to. Therefore, you will be my deputy in this endeavor, but in all practicality,” Scarlet laced her fingers together leaning her elbows on the table as she grinned wickedly at Helena, “you will be the one in charge, with Yosef’s assistance, of course.”

Helena stared at her employer in utter shock, almost dropping the brochureshe held.

“All this because of onedinner?!”

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