Page 6 of Once Bitten, Twice Fried
She made a beeline towards the check-out counter, but she hadn’t walked three steps before she abruptly stopped. A book from the cooking section caught her attention. Even after all these years, the face on the cover still gave her heart a twist.
“That’s the French version of Zoe’s new book. Our girl is going places.” Yasmine beamed, picking up the copy.
Julie couldn’t help but glance at the pictures as Yasmine flipped through the cookbook. Zoe was stunning in every one of them. She looked so happy and professional in her cute apron and smart casual outfits. A picture of Zoe, all curves and eyes looking straight to the camera, sent alarm bells going off in Julie’s head. Was it the years that had been extremely nice to her, or was it the professional make-up? Julie hoped Yasmine couldn’t see how red her cheeks were.
“Look at this. She’s such an amazing chef. And to think that we got drunk with her in cheap student bars,” Yasmine laughed.
“Yeah, that’s crazy.” Julie picked up another cookbook, trying to hide her face. Her ears were drumming. She had trouble listening to what her friend was saying.
“I really hope she’ll do the catering at my wedding.”
“Wait, what?” Julie’s blood froze as she almost dropped the book.
Was Zoe the secret caterer? Was she supposed to be the surprise?
“Oh shit.” Yasmine put the book down and clapped both hands over her mouth. “Forget about it! I wasn’t supposed to tell you!”
“You hired Zoe for your wedding?” Julie’s voice was trembling.
Yasmine sighed. “I guess the cat’s out of the bag now. I sent her an email but she hasn’t responded yet.” She smiled. “Isn’t it exciting, though? I know that you haven’t been able to see her after university, but you guys were such good friends back then. I thought it would be so fun to be the three of us again, at my wedding!”
Julie fought to hide her panic. She had never explained why she’d avoided Zoe after Zoe’s year abroad came to an end, and didn’t want to start doing it now, nor anytime soon.
She tried to give Yasmine the warmest smile.
“That’s such a wonderful surprise!”
Chapter 4
Tom was great. Hearing him going on about his show in Edinburgh was very refreshing, Zoe thought. At least, it made her not think about her own job for a minute.
“You can’t imagine how busy we were up there. I didnae have any free time, not a wee bit!” He exclaimed, running a hand through his short black hair. He still had a bit of Scottish brogue in his voice, which made Zoe smile - it was clear he’d been immersed in his role. Tom had gotten home only yesterday evening, after being away for three weeks. Having him back felt a bit weird after all this time, but Zoe was happy having someone to talk to again in the mornings.
“How do you feel about it? You just crashed into bed last night. You were so exhausted.”
“It’s the kind of exhaustion that makes you feel alive, y’know? It’s going to be a big hit, I think. A gritty crime show like that is all people want these days.” Tom was pacing back and forth in the kitchen, taking a glass out, then thinking for a minute and picking up a mug instead before settling for the glass again. He was restless from the excitement.
“What’s so gritty about-”
Zoe was interrupted by the sound of the tap. Tom was generously filling his glass with water.
“Sorry love, I didn’t hear you. What were you saying?” He turned around smiling wide while he was drinking.
“I was asking what was so gritty about it.”
“Oh you know. Psychos. Bad cops. Young women being murdered. All that.”
“I’ve never seen such grittiness before.” Zoe chuckled.
Tom frowned. “I mean it does follow a formula but it’s going to add quite a lot to the genre. You just have to watch it.”
“Come on, Tom. I was joking.” Zoe looked at her phone. It was almost 10:30 am. Nicki was supposed to pick her up to go to one of her interviews planned this week, the one with the women’s magazine.
“It’s alright, love.” He paused. “What are your plans today?”
“I have an interview in the morning - I’m leaving in 10 minutes - then we’re filming the new season this afternoon.” She looked at Tom. Seeing as he was not saying anything, she added: “Why? Do you have any plans?”
“No, I just wanted to know. I might catch up with a friend later this evening. He says he has a potential new project for me.”
