Safari Island Shifters: The Complete Collection(52)

Being celibate was the only way he could be sure he didn’t hurt anyone else. No more putting a girl through the wringer for a year or two before breaking up and starting all over again. No, he was going to wait until he found his mate. It was the only way to ensure he never broke another heart, or got his own heart broken. He didn’t know how long it would take him to find his mate, but he could wait. It would allow him to focus on his career and himself. He was going to be in a great place when he found his one and only.

By the time he’d showered and gotten dressed, he was feeling great. The tasting was in a few hours in Safari Town. He decided to take a walk through the tourist trap shopping center, where he bought some glass figurines for his mom and a tribal print dress for his sister. After picking up a hand-carved pipe for his dad, he had to run back to his house to drop off the gifts and hustle to the bus. It was way too much of a hassle to take his golf cart into Safari Town.

He bought all the ingredients he would need at the market in town, and then went to Ward’s place.

“Hey.” Ward greeted him with a handshake. “How’ve you been?”

“Pretty good,” Parker said. He didn’t want to talk about his breakup right now. He wanted to focus on the task at hand, so he set up all the ingredients in the kitchen. “Can I borrow your computer and printer?”

“Sure. I have to run an errand really quick. I’ll be back with the couple in about two hours.”

Ward showed him to the computer and left. Parker was glad for the quiet as he printed out the menu with descriptions. It was on nice paper and looked classy but whimsical. He wanted to set the right mood right off the bat.

He set the table with some stuff he’d brought from home, leftovers from the Wild Eats remodel. He’d taken them since it was a pain to bring any kind of furniture to the island. It was an easy way to dress up his dinner parties at home, and now it was going to help him get this job.

Once the table was done, he began cooking. It was much easier this time around. Everything came out perfect and he had time to spare. He plated everything, then sat down in the living room to wait.

He was flipping through a travel magazine when Ward came back with the couple. Parker recognized the bride and groom. Not by name, but he knew their faces.

“Parker Travers, this is Branch Dunkin and Maura Treble,” Ward said.

Branch shook Parker’s hand. “We’ve met. I used to see this guy all the time at Club Safari.”

“That’s where I know you from.” Parker laughed and had to restrain himself from pumping his fist in the air. This thing was as good as his.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Maura said, putting out her hand. “We’ve eaten at your restaurant many times. I’ve been to the one in New York.”

“Have you?” Parker beamed. “I hope you enjoyed the food.”

Maura nodded enthusiastically. “I really did. I can’t believe we didn’t think about you for the wedding.”

“If you’d like to have a seat at the table, we can start my tasting.” Parker showed them to the table.

“You didn’t have to set a place for me,” Ward said.

“I’m using your home. I can’t make you watch them eat. Please, have a seat,” Parker insisted.

Ward sat down. “If you insist. I’ll never turn down food from a world-class chef.”

“We’ll start with the appetizers.” Parker went to the kitchen and brought out three small plates with six appetizers each. He set them down in front of the trio. “I have three options here. You can, of course, choose all three or only one. Whichever you’d like.”

He explained the three dishes and then pointed out the printed menus. “I’ve also listed the items on the menu in case you’d like to refer to that. Now I’ll go and prepare the side dishes.”

He excused himself to the kitchen but stood close to the door. He couldn’t hear much, but it sounded like they were enjoying the food. He’d made cheese wrapped in grape leaves, carrot sticks, and hummus. Simple, but three of his best. The side dishes were all very plain too. Pilaf, beets with vinaigrette, spicy edamame, and tropical fruit salad. He double-checked his plates and then brought them out.

“These are the four side options.” He took the appetizer plates from them. “Ideally, you’d offer all four to the guests on the invitation and have them pick with their RSVP. I’ll have extras on hand on the big day, but it cuts costs to have guests make their choice early.”

“Thank you.” Branch dug into the pilaf. “Those grape leaf things were awesome. If this is half as good, we’re going to be in trouble.”

Parker smiled. “Thank you. I’ll go and prepare the entrees.”

This was where he shone. He’d created simple dishes, but they tasted phenomenal. He was starting to think he should do all his menus under a time constraint. After waiting enough for a few minutes, he walked out with the final plates.

“I have roasted pumpkin squash and a summer pasta for you to try.” He set the plates down and took the dirty dishes to the kitchen.

There was a knock at the door when he was about to come back. He could hear loud Southern accents and lots of talking. The accents were adorable, but he knew it had to be his competition showing up early. He poured extra drinks and plastered on a big smile. He didn’t want them to see him sweat. He was feeling good about the tasting, but nothing was ever a done deal.