Freddie's Find Pt. 03

When all the paperwork, account settlings and property disbursements were finalized, Freddie was a wealthy woman. Of course, no one knew as well as Carol and Lewis that Freddie would have given it all back if she could have had more time with Dottie. But life was moving on, and Freddie needed to get to the Atlanta campus to continue her schooling. Maybe there her heart would heal from the loss of both King and Dottie. With lots of hugs and promises to stay in touch, Lewis and Carol sent Freddie on her way and she headed to Atlanta on her own.

CHAPTER SEVEN

The next year passed quickly for Freddie. She stayed absorbed in her class work whenever possible. Outside the classroom though, it didn't surprise Freddie that she migrated to hanging out with the married people within the student population. She was much more comfortable without the pressures associated with hanging out with single people. It didn't bother Freddie that she didn't have too many single friends. She didn't feel like she was single herself. She had already fallen in love. And that wasn't going to change, no matter what happened.

When it came time to work in a local restaurant, Freddie was chosen to intern in a local upscale steak house. She worked well with her mentor, Samantha.

Samantha was a woman of great talent and charisma who taught Freddie about much more than just food. Rather than stay in the kitchen, as many chefs were prone to do, Samantha made a habit of cruising through the tables of the restaurant every few hours, making sure that the clientele were happy with their food. She always took Freddie with her and introduced her to the people who frequented the establishment, making sure that Freddie was recognized and networked.

After awhile, Samantha and Freddie took turns touring the dining room. On one such tour of the tables, Freddie smiled into the faces of a man and woman sitting together, and then squealed in delight! "Hugh! How are you?" she said.

Hugh's face wrinkled in thought before he made the connection. "Freddie!" He jumped up and they hugged as if they had always been friends.

Suddenly, Hugh pulled back and looked excitedly into Freddie's face. He said, "Freddie, I want you to meet Marla."

Freddie turned to face the young woman at the table and said hello.

Hugh spoke to Marla, saying, "Freddie is the one I told you about."

Freddie's brow wrinkled in concern as she listened to Hugh. She wasn't sure what he had told Marla about her, but she didn't want an angry woman on her hands. As Hugh went on, though, Freddie realized that she needn't have worried. Hugh was explaining that he had told Marla about how his time with Freddie in New York had given him the courage to come home and ask Marla out on a date. They had been working in the same building for a year, but he had been too shy to talk to her. But Freddie had changed all of that. Now he and Marla were engaged to be married next month. Truly happy for them, Freddie congratulated them both and started to walk away.

Hugh's voice stopped her, "Freddie, I was in New York last month. Seems the owner of that place you used to work may be having some problems. Heard he was thinking of selling. I asked the bartender and he thought that maybe it was personal, not financial. Have you heard anything?" Freddie bit her bottom lip and shook her head. She managed to mumble some words that she hoped were appropriate and hastily left the dining room.

Freddie rushed to the bathroom and barely made it before the sobs started. Some days she felt like she was going to get over the pain of leaving King, but some days it tore her apart. Hearing that he was having problems was like rubbing salt in a wound. She wanted more than anything to help him, but she knew that she had given up that right when she left New York.

All too soon, Freddie's internship was over. Lewis and Carol both came down for her graduation and they celebrated her success. They watched her walk across the stage and assured her that she was doing exactly what Dottie would have wanted her to do. Freddie was thankful for their support. They really had accepted her as part of their family.

Now, Freddie had been awarded her degree and the time came to seek a real job. The school that she had attended had branches all over the country. Once a year, they took their top students and did a "cook-off" for restaurateurs. The students would prepare their specialties and various people from the industry who needed chefs, would come and sample their offerings. Then the school would coordinate interviews for the students and, hopefully, everyone would walk away happy.

Freddie had been invited to attend the cook-off in Washington, D.C. Freddie chose to prepare a steak dinner. Samantha helped her pick her selection and hone her skills. She knew that by choosing to prepare beef, she was cutting off a goodly number of potential employers who were looking for vegetarian or low fat dishes. But Freddie wanted to stay true to her own talents and she had excelled in the classes that had focused on meat of any kind. So, she decided to take that chance.

On the morning of the job fair, Freddie took her time preparing her favorite meal. She placed a perfect filet mignon on the plate along side-scalloped potatoes and steamed asparagus. On the side, she placed a thick piece of Texas toast. Then she sent up a quick prayer and placed her entree on the sampling table. Now, it was time to wait!

After lunch, the interviews were announced. Freddie went to her first one, full of butterflies. The lady who interviewed her wanted her to come to Florida to become the junior chef in an upscale chain restaurant. Freddie had eaten at one of their restaurants, and although she didn't let on, she really felt she would be out of place there. The only way she could think to describe the place was that it was the kind of place where Leona White would have been very comfortable! Fortunately, the lady seemed to sense that Freddie wasn't her type. They parted on good terms, though, and they each went on to their next interview.

For her second interview, Freddie was a little less nervous. When she entered the room, her potential boss was there along with his head chef. They were from New Orleans. Freddie liked the looks of their menu and had some suggestions that seemed to impress the head chef. At the end of their interview, they both agreed to consider each other for the second round of interviews the following day. After shaking hands, they all three left to find their next assignment.

By now, Freddie was feeling pretty confident. She walked into her third interview and was surprised to see that the two men in the room had their backs to her. She closed the door behind her and cleared her throat. When both of the men turned to face her, Freddie had to grasp the chair in front of her to keep from falling down. One of the men was an older man, with light hair and a handsome face. In fact, it was almost the same face as the younger man. And the younger man was King Griffin!

The silence in the room lengthened as King and Freddie stared at each other across the room. Freddie noticed that King seemed older. His face was more lined and there was actually gray at his temples. Freddie thought that it made him even more attractive. But she doubted that he wanted to hear that.

The man beside King placed his hand on King's shoulder and King broke his stare with Freddie. He turned to face the man and suddenly seemed to remember why he was there.

King turned back to Freddie and said, somewhat coldly, "Freddie Sommers, this is my father, Alexander Solomon. Dad, this is Freddie Sommers." Surprised, Alexander reached across the table to extend his hand. Freddie took it, partly so she could avoid looking back into King's eyes.

"Please to meet you, young lady. I didn't realize we would be interviewing someone we already knew," Alexander said.

"Trust me, Mr. Solomon," Freddie said, "I'm as surprised as you are. And the pleasure is all mine."

When King snorted, Freddie and Alexander both turned to look at him. But King just shook his head and said, "Shall we get started?"

It wasn't exactly the reunion Freddie had hoped for with King. In fact, she had never imagined that it would hurt so badly. He was acting so distantly toward her. It was almost as though he didn't want to remember that he knew her, let alone had made such sweet love to her the last time he had seen her. Freddie winced as she remembered Leona's words. Maybe King had just been curious.

When they sat down to the interview, Freddie tried to forget that King was the love of her life. She wanted to impress him, but she wanted to do it in such a way that she could be proud of herself. She waited for King to begin the interview, but he was just sitting across from her, staring at her angrily.

Freddie was puzzled about how to proceed. Not only did she feel like King ought to be the one to start the interview, but she really had no idea why King would be at a cook-off in the first place. He had incredible chefs at his restaurant, and plenty of applicants to fill any vacancies that came around. She wondered if Hugh had been right about King having troubles at the restaurant and motel.

As the silence lengthened, Freddie had to force her body to stay still to keep from fidgeting. Finally, Alexander cleared his throat again. The sound seemed to burst King into speech. He suddenly stormed, "Just why did you have to leave?"

Freddie's eyes widened at his outburst and she looked from King to Alexander, then back to King. She was struggling to come up with an appropriate answer when Alexander spoke forcefully, saying, "King, this isn't the time or the place. Ms. Sommers is here about a job."

King turned toward his father and they seemed to have a silent conversation before they both turned, once again, to face Freddie. "Dad's right. I'm sorry," King said in a voice that was pure business-mode. He continued, "Please, let me show you what we are interested in."

As King laid out the sketches of a steak house that he was about to open, Freddie forgot about the tension in the room. She got caught up in the proposed menu and the whole concept of the authentic Texas style dining experience in downtown Manhattan. Soon, she was tossing ideas around with King and Alexander. Freddie nixed a few of the suggested entrees and offered replacement suggestions out of her own expertise. King asked her about the decor he was considering. That launched them into a whole other area of debate, ending up with something that sounded like a dream come true to Freddie.

When the timer buzzed, King, Alexander and Freddie all looked up at each other in surprise. They had gotten so caught up in the plans that they had forgotten where they were. Freddie was surprised when it was King who was the first one to lighten the mood with a laugh. He said, "Well, Freddie, after having talked with two other candidates today and having interviewed countless others over the last few weeks, I think we can honestly say, no one has seen this as clearly as you. I think Dad will agree with me, if you are interested in this job, it's yours."

Freddie couldn't believe her ears. King was offering her the chance to come back into his life - to create something new and exciting with him. And he was offering it to her because she had impressed him - she had something to offer him this time.

Alexander heartily agreed with King's offer. With a blush of pleasure on her cheeks, Freddie stuck out her hand to King and said, "You've got yourself a deal, Mr. Griffin." King and his dad both shook hands with Freddie, then they made their way to the interview center to let them know that they had reached an agreement. After they finalized the paperwork required by the cook-off, Freddie suggested that they meet together for dinner in her hotel. They agreed on six o'clock and parted ways.

Freddie's feet hardly touched the ground as she walked back to her hotel. Not only had she found a job that sounded perfect, she had also found King again. Although their initial moments together hadn't been too smooth, things had warmed up after that. She couldn't wait to see the restaurant and plan the opening day extravaganza.

Dinner was an exciting meal for Freddie. Even though King seemed somewhat moody and quiet, Alexander Solomon was entertaining and delightful. He told Freddie all about his family and how excited they had been finding out about King. Alexander was open about the problems he had feared with King - that King was only after his money, that King was going to be jealous of his other children, or that King might try to make him feel guilty about not having been a part of his life. But, as he finished, Alexander beamed. King had done none of those things.

At one point, Alexander leaned forward to Freddie and said, "You know, I wasn't expecting my own son to come to me already a self-made millionaire." Freddie's eyes flew to King's eyes. King suddenly looked very uncomfortable. Alexander noticed the interplay between the two. He said, "King, don't tell me that you didn't tell the girl about the killing that you made at RedHat. When the company went public, King was sitting on a pile of stock options - the boy went from engineer to millionaire over night!"

Freddie felt like doing the proverbial "duh" slap upside her own head! That's the part of King's story that he had left out when they had talked about living in Raleigh! She had known he wasn't telling her the whole story, but she had just let it go. Why hadn't she realized that anyone who left RedHat immediately after it went public did so because they could retire on easy street for the rest of their lives. And she had just gone on believing he was the deliveryman. At least it hadn't taken her too long to figure that part out - but she had completely missed the rest. Well, at least she didn't have to worry about him thinking she was after his money now - she had her own.

When it came time to order dessert, Freddie almost choked on her drink when King ordered Key Lime pie. She shot him an incredulous look, wondering if he had forgotten the last dinner they had shared together. When he looked directly into her eyes and said to the waiter, "With only one fork," Freddie knew he hadn't forgotten. He was tormenting her and he was doing it on purpose. She gave him a quick glare, hoping that Alexander didn't notice. King just smiled an angelic smile and asked his dad if he wanted any dessert. Alexander chose a chocolate sundae. When the waiter asked Freddie if she wanted anything, King cut her off and answered for her, saying, "She can share ours." Alexander frowned at his son, but refrained from commenting.

After the desserts were served, Freddie pointedly declined sharing either one of them. She wanted to kick King under the table, but he was too far away. Even Alexander seemed annoyed with his son, and the conversation slowed to a halt. Finally, Freddie announced that she needed to get up to her room to pack for the flight back home the next day.

King looked surprised. He said, "You don't live in D.C.?"

Freddie shook her head and said, "No, I'm based at the Atlanta school. I went there after Dottie died."

King looked taken aback. He asked, "Who is Dottie?"

Freddie sighed before she answered. She hadn't meant to tell King all about the past two years, but she knew she couldn't work closely with him and not tell him. She was too open a person. So she took a deep breath and said, "After I left New York, I moved in with an elderly lady in South Carolina. Her name was Dottie. She was dying of cancer and wanted to stay in her home. I helped her fulfill that wish. After she died, she made a way for me to go to chef's school. The closest one was in Atlanta, so that's where I went. I graduated in their top 10%, so I got to come to the cook-off. That's why I'm here."

Alexander was the first one to speak. He said, "By any chance, is the lady you are talking about Dorothy Klover?"

Freddie looked at him in surprise, "Yes, she was. Did you know Dottie?"

Alexander shook his head, "No, but Maria is very close friends with her daughter in law."

Freddie's face burst into a smile, "You mean Maria knows Carol?"

Alexander just smiled and nodded, then added, "I thought that story sounded familiar. If you are the 'wonderful, sweet angel' that came from out of nowhere and saved them all from having to put Dorothy into a nursing home, then you are quite well off yourself."

Of all the things that Freddie had been expecting Alexander to say, that hadn't been one of them. She was careful not to let people know about her inherited wealth. But obviously, Alexander did know. Freddie could feel the heat rising in her face.

King came to her rescue. He said, "Dad, Freddie is really uncomfortable talking about money - her own or anyone else's. Maybe you should drop the subject." Alexander looked questioningly at Freddie, but seemed content to not bring the matter back up again. Freddie decided that she needed to change the topic of conversation.

"So, when do you want me to report to duty, King?" Freddie asked.

King's brow furrowed in thought. After a few moments, he said, "How soon can you start?"

Freddie looked at him, trying to see if he was kidding. But she didn't see any signs of teasing in his face. With a bit of teasing in her smile, she said, "Well, I only have enough money for about two more days in the motel I'm staying in - I'm only there out of the goodness of a friend of the family, and even their cut rate is killing me."

Although Alexander looked confused at their verbal exchange, Freddie was thrilled to see that King recognized the same answer she had given him the first time he had hired her. He even gave her a half smile as he shook his head. Even if there were still a lot of unresolved issues between them, at least she and King were going to be able to work together.

Alexander and King suggested that Freddie come to New York as soon as possible. Freddie calculated how long she needed to close things up in Atlanta. When everything was taken into consideration, the three of them arranged to meet at King's motel in one week. Alexander and King both stood as Freddie moved to leave. Freddie suddenly felt very awkward, saying good night to them. Without warning, Alexander leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, murmuring how glad he was to have finally met her. When he pulled back, Freddie was left facing King.

King looked as uncomfortable as Freddie felt. She stuck out her hand and King stared at it for a moment. She was momentarily afraid that he was going to ignore it. But then, King took her hand and shook it. Freddie had forgotten what it felt like for King to touch her. Just as it had the first time they had shaken hands, time seemed to stand still for Freddie. If she closed her eyes, Freddie was certain that she could feel King's lips on her mouth. She wasn't sure how long they stood there, holding hands and staring into each other's eyes, but when Alexander gave a slight cough, they both pulled back simultaneously. King abruptly turned away and sat back down at the table, leaving Alexander to make the parting remarks to Freddie.

As Freddie made her exit, she realized how much she had wanted King to kiss her. How was she ever going to manage to work side by side with a man who she would never stop loving?