Lin felt someone watching him and turned his head, spotting her briefly he smiled quickly before he looked away.
Instinctively he looked towards Gia, on the other side of the room.
She didn't notice.
She was too busy having a silent battle with Iris. Their eyes locked together.
Lin looked from one to the other.
Jon followed his gaze.
"Fuuuuck!"
6 Months Before
"I'll take 20 of those potatoes please, and some chillis"
Iris paid and put them in her tote bag.
She made her way back to the house and let herself in.
Making her way to the kitchen she took out all the ingredients for the evening's dinner party and started the prep.
"Afternoon Iris. How are you getting on with the food for tonight?"
She turned and smiled
"All under control Mrs King."
"I don't doubt it, I'll leave you to it then. The guests should start arriving at 7. Canapés on arrival and main meal service to start at 8. All ok with you?"
"Yes absolutely. No problem at all"
Wanda King was a socialite. Married to tech giant Neil King she had made a name for herself by throwing the most elaborate dinner parties in the whole of New York.
Tonight's soirée a mix of Broadway Stars and musicians.
There was to be an auction later that night to raise money for terminally ill children. Hopes were high that the money would run into millions.
Iris had studied high end catering at college in the UK and after coming top of her class had worked for some well known names.
When Wanda King had heard she was looking for a new challenge she snapped her up.
She enjoyed working for Wanda but sometimes missed just cooking standard home food, longing to just mash up some potatoes and cook some sausages rather than trying to find 6 different ways to showcase a tomato, which ended up tasting just like... a tomato.
She set to work.
"Canapés ready?"
"Yes, here you go"
She passed the servers 2 trays and smiled.
"There are plenty more. Come back when you need them."
Wanda flounced in wearing a floaty kaftan and chunky jewellery that only she could pull off.
"Guests are arriving, thank you for being ready on time as usual. I do hate to be seen to be late."
"No worries Mrs K, the sooner they eat the sooner you can start to take their money."
Wanda laughed.
"This is very true!"
The main hall started to fill up rapidly with people. An excited murmur ran round the room as people shook hands with each other and swapped stories.
Lin got out of the car and held his arm out to Gia, she took it gratefully, pleased to have some support up the stairs in her heels.
"You ok love?"
She smiled.
"Yes, thank you! I'm already desperate to get out of these shoes."
He laughed.
"Lin! Darling! How amazing it is to see you. Gia you look stunning."
Wanda air kissed them both.
"Well Mrs King. Never have I seen you look so ravishing. Mr King sure is a lucky guy. How are you? Is life treating you well?"
"Lin Stop! You're making me blush.
I will be better when the house renovations have finished. They are starting on the staff rooms so I'm having to put everyone in a hotel for a week. It's a logistical nightmare trying to sort! Please come in and mingle, help yourself to some drinks and canapés. The main meal will be served at 8, with the auction to follow on afterwards. I'll catch up with you both later."
