The Promise

Chapter 13

The next two days saw the auditors hard at work. Sarah Ferguson stopped by the second day with a copy of the class action suit. She and Sadie talked strategy while I helped the auditors with data demands. In the middle of it all, we prepped the kitchen for the night's dinner. The Leach showed up just before "Sugar Magnolia" to get some background on the City Kitchen. His articles had created a frenzy, and he needed more information to keep them going. I took him to Houser, the resident expert on the subject. Bob had no trouble fitting in and making friends. He liked to listen and Houser liked being the expert. It also helped that I slipped Bob a brownie to grease the wheels.

The media spent several days camped out in front of the City Kitchen. Detective Burkhardt made sure there were enough police that the media kept their distance. A couple of reporters tried to sneak through as homeless and were caught. Maggie pointed them out and looked good doing it in her new parka. It was a zoo, but no one left hungry so Sadie was happy.

The day of the banquet brought with it a wonderful surprise. In the past, Sadie would run the kitchen as normal then rush to the banquet site leaving a crew to clean. It made for an extremely hectic day. Before noon, two men and a woman, all dressed in white chef attire met with Sadie.

"Mr. Morgan sent us," the tall blond man said with an air of authority, "I'm Tom Flounder and this is Randy and Karen. We're here to replace you for the day and let you concentrate on the banquet." Morgan Catering was the firm catering the banquet. I guessed they wanted to make sure Sadie wasn't upset with their flip flop. Sadie looked them up and down and decided they could handle it.

"That would be lovely," Sadie said with a grin.

"Do you think we could meet David Thaxton?" Karen asked. I blushed at the request. I was not used to my fleeting fame. Sadie laughed and introduced me.

"The beard makes you look older," Karen said as she shook my hand. I could see undeserved admiration in her eyes.

"It was just a disguise," I informed her, "I'll shave it soon."

"I sure hope so," Sadie interjected, "I've hated that thing since the first day." I now fully hated the beard myself.

"And you could use a haircut," Karen added, "have you thought about what you're going to wear tonight." I tried to say something, but Sadie jumped in.

"I was thinking black pants and shirt. It would look dashing with his frame." Sadie had obviously put some thought into it. I was going to try to tell her I didn't have anything like that when Karen jumped back in.

"He would need black wingtips, short-heeled with a matching leather belt." Karen examined me closer. "Maybe the shirt should be collarless with a hint of gray to offset the pants."

"Ladies," I said, a little exasperated, "I don't own anything like that. I was just going to wear some khakis with a polo shirt." Sadie shook her head and smiled.

"We're going shopping, David. There's no way I am going let you look like a dork." Karen giggled at Sadie's demand. I just sighed and agreed.

Sadie spent the better part of an hour with the crew, explaining the planned menu and how things worked. She explained the "Sugar Magnolia" dinner bell and was adamant about the 4 o'clock time. Tom took notes and complemented Sadie on the cleanliness of the facility. He put her mind at ease and guaranteed her that no one would leave hungry. He certainly seemed competent, and I could tell Sadie thought so as well.

It took four police officers to get us out of the City Kitchen. We were able to make it out the back with limited exposure. A plainclothes officer, Roger Cummings, was assigned to drive us where we needed to go.