Page 47 of Cooking Up a Christmas Storm
‘So I heard,’ Veronica murmured. ‘You’ll have to ask them to send a paper P45 then. If you don’t have one already.’
‘Right. Yeah. I didn’t think of that.’
Veronica was still staring at her. If she said anything else about her NI number she was going to slip up even further, but she couldn’t talk about the grand plans for Hogmanay either. Not without sounding like the fraud she was. There must be something. ‘Actually, while the potatoes are boiling I thought I might try to film some more social media stuff.’ Jodie glanced round the room for a safer port than the elder Dowager Lady. ‘With Flinty. And Bella. And maybe…’ She turned back towards Veronica and her voice tailed away. ‘Well, with whoever wants to.’
‘I’m tired.’ Bella slumped onto a stool. ‘Do Flinty first.’
‘What are we doing?’
‘I’m filming people’s food tips for social media. To promote the cookery school.’
‘And Flinty helps out sometimes with classes. She has brilliant tips.’
Great. Jodie pulled out her phone. ‘Can I ask you some questions then? About cooking and food?’
‘And sprouts,’ Bella chipped in.
Flinty sat up a little straighter. ‘I don’t know.’
‘You’ll be great,’ Jodie reassured her.
‘Where do you want me? Should I get my hair done first?’
Veronica’s lips pursed even further than normal.
‘You look perfect,’ Jodie insisted. ‘And you can sit right there.’ She asked Flinty about her favourite foods and her cooking tips, and closed with, ‘And how do you feel about sprouts?’
‘Love them,’ Flinty declared. ‘And I have a tip. I bet you’ve been told you have to cut a little cross in the bottom. Utter nonsense. Just makes them soggy. Save yourself the time.’
Jodie stopped filming. ‘That’s great. Maybe we could do a whole love-em-or-hate-em thing with sprouts.’
‘I still don’t see how that actually uses any up?’ Bella questioned.
It was a fair point.
Veronica cleared her throat. ‘So if you’ve finished with that little distraction, maybe we could get back to the Hogmanay plans?’
Of course. She wasn’t going to be diverted entirely, was she? Maybe Jodie should be grateful. At least she wasn’t asking about National Insurance numbers any more. ‘Basically for Hogmanay there’s four main things. The music, getting people to come, the venue, and the food.’
‘Yes, dear. I have read the plan.’
Of course she had. ‘So for music I’ve booked the ceilidh band. Tickets are on sale and I’ve shared that all over the place. And today is food. Bella’s in charge of that, though.’
‘And the venue?’
Jodie frowned. ‘Well, here.’
‘Again, you don’t need to state the obvious.’
‘Veronica!’ Flinty’s tone was exasperated but affectionate.
‘Oh, don’t mollycoddle the girl. She’s here to do a job.’
‘The ballroom,’ Jodie continued.
‘And what needs doing in there before however many people arrive expecting the party of the year?’
She’d put her finger on the thing Jodie had been trying her hardest to ignore. The ballroom was a mess. At best it needed the full Marie Kondo. At worst it would probably turn out the supersized cobwebs were holding the roof up and the whole thing would collapse around her ears.
