Love and the Single Mom

Thursday's Soup of the Day: Squashed Pear There was that man again. As Margo Evans accepted change from a customer, her attention lingered on the guy who'd just entered her bistro. He was in his mid-thirties, dressed in a business suit. Just as he had yesterday, he claimed a table in the back near the kitchen even though several seats by the windows were available. Immediately he pulled out a newspaper and notepad from his briefcase, and before he'd even ordered anything to eat, his BlackBerry started to ring. It was two-thirty in the afternoon. A slow time between lunch and rush hour. They had only one other customer, a woman in her forties who was reading a novel as she sipped her coffee. Stillthe guy had his nerve. Gritting her teeth, Margo pulled out the sign her daughter, Ellie, had made for her last night: No Cell Phones Please. Ellie must have used every marker in the sixteen-color pack. It was a terrific sign. Margo taped it so that it hung down from the counter facing the guy in the suit. But he was hunched over his BlackBerry and didn't notice. How annoying. She didn't mind if her patrons took the occasional call, but if he planned to stay several hours, as he had yesterday, she was going to have to make him aware of the rules. She went around the counter and slipped next to Emma Greenfield. Em's kids were in high school now and she worked Monday to Friday, eight hours a day. "Do we have a zucchini chocolate cake in reserve?" "I think so." "Good. Nora's stopping by for coffee later, and that's one of her favorites." Nora Clark was a new friend Margo had made a few months ago. One of the perks of owning a bistro was that she was always making new friends. But Nora was special. Like Margo, she was a single mom, too, and they always had lots to talk about. "We've got the cake," Em assured her. "But we're running low on the soup." Margo peered into the cauldron and saw that Em was right. They were down to the dregs, and if yesterday was anything to judge by, the guy in the suit was going to order several bowls of the stuff. "Those soups of yours are the most popular item on the menu," Em said, as she wiped down the espresso machine. The beautiful red La Marzocco had been costly"even more than Margo's beloved Garland stove in the back"and Em treated it with the same attention that a car lover would bestow on a vintage automobile. "Yes, the soup always sells out, doesn't it?" In fact, business was generally brisk and the feedback on the food was excellent. So why wasn't she making any money? Margo couldn't figure it out. Lots of people had warned her about the work and the risks involved in starting a new business"particularly a restaurant, where hours were long and competition tight. Among those who had been the most cautious were the loans manager at the bank, her ex-husband Tom and her former associates at the law firm. She'd known they were right, but she hadn't appreciated just how right they would turn out to be. Margo pulled the stainless steel soup container from its slot and headed for the kitchen. As she passed the guy in the suit, their eyes connected briefly. Had they met before? Several times yesterday she'd had the feeling that they had. For a moment it seemed as if he was going to say something to her, but then his BlackBerry beeped and he turned his attention back to that. He looked like a typical businessman in his mid-thirties. The kind of customer she saw many times every day. He was conservative and cleancut and totally boring". Except for his eyes. His smile was kind of cute, too. With her hip Margo pushed open the door to the narrow kitchen. Centered on the back wall was the stainless steel Garland. She stirred the pot of thick, fragrant squash and pear soup that simmered on the back burner, then refilled the cauldron andCarmichael, C. J. is the author of 'Love and the Single Mom ', published 2007 under ISBN 9780373713981 and ISBN 0373713983.