Rendezvous Restaurant (Chicago):
The dinner crowd was in full swing with waiters and staff running about as the step-siblngs walked into the three star establishment. After being seated and ordering, they munched on appetizers and conversed while awaiting their dinner. Jessie tried to keep from looking over to the semi-enclosed kitchen area, but occasionally she couldn't help herself.

Having caught yet another glance over, Grace spoke up. "You've been jittery all night. What is it Jessie?"

Jessie began to think of some lie to tell, then just gave up and sighed. She had to tell someone. "It's Katie."

"Katie. As in 'your Katie'. As in 'left for college never to come back into your life again Katie'? Where?" Grace was stunned.

Jessie's eyes shifted in the direction to which she'd been trying so hard to avoid since they arrived.

"Here? As in here, here?" Grace's eyes bulged.

"Yeah." Jessie confirmed looking away.

"How do you know?" Grace was confused.

"Cause she told me that she worked here." the blonde confessed

"How...when did she say..." Grace stammered.

"We sort of bumped into each other while I was out with Zoe." Jessie continued.

Grace was about to start her inquisition before Jessie interrupted her. "I...I...um..."

"It'll be OK." Grace reached over to Jessie to comfort the suddenly sullen girl.

"Thanks". Jessie fake smiled. "I just didn't realize how hard this would be."

Grace smiled, trying to be supportive.

"I mean, I hadn't even thought of her in years. I had moved on. It was surprising at how easily, after only a few hard months, that I had. Now, I know that 'life goes on', but she was the love of my life! How could I just move on like that? How could I not have missed her? What's wrong with me? Maybe somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew something was missing, but I never felt it. Everything just seemed fine, until I saw her again. I don't know. Maybe it would have been better if we had never met again, but we have. The problem is, that now, I know what I was missing. And now I just feel so guilty. Like I somehow betrayed the one person that mattered the most to me." Jessie was close to tears.

"Jessie, you moved on. You had to. That's just what people do. You can't blame yourself for doing what you had to do to survive. We all do.

Meanwhile in the kitchen. Head Chef Katie Singer was not quite herself. She'd been belligerent and had been barking orders to her beleaguered staff.

"What's up with the boss lady tonight?" Sous chef Martin whispered to a colleague.

"Maybe someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed?" Sous chef Rico laughed.

"Maybe her girlfriend kicked her out of bed." Martin winked.

"Maybe someone should keep their fantasies to themselves." Rico warned his colleague.

Katie just glared at her two underlings while whisking the contents of a big silver bowl.

B&W: "This isn't me. I'm usually 'the happy go lucky fun boss'. Not tonight. I know why: I stopped missing the one person I swore I'd never stop missing. I can never forgive myself for that. I mean she was my everything. How could I just get over her like that. And it had been easy...too easy. I mean after we broke up. I quietly moped for few months, but then there were classes, parties, concerts to go to. I mean I was going to school in the big city and there always seemed to be something going on. And before I knew it I had forgotten that I had lost the love of my life. I was going out, getting numbers, fooling round with random hot girls. I was living the dream, whatever that even means. I doubt I ever really thought about her, except in passing. Like good memories of a first love. Where everything was new as freshly fallen snow. Just as lovely, just as pure. A memory to make one smile, to share a silent toast to, but that's all. But when I saw her, it all came crashing down on me. The memories, the tears, the fear, the magnitude of all I thought I hadn't missed - all that I'd lost. It devastated me and made me realize what a fool I'd been. How could I be so stupid? How could she forgive me? How could I ever talk to her again. Knowing what I'd done? But how could I not talk to her?" Katie looked solemnly into the camera. ~

A clanging pot brought Miss Singer back to reality.

"Don't spill that risotto! If I have to tell you..." Katie stopped herself short. She realized that she'd been taking out her frustration on her innocent staff.

"Um...I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I've not been myself tonight. You've all done your best and I'm just ... I'm sorry...I'm...I'm..." Katie suddenly couldn't seem to speak. She was lost in her thoughts again.

Katie sighed. She just knew she had to get out of the kitchen for a while. As head chef, it was usually her job to walk round and mingle with the guests from time to time. To make them feel welcome and make them feel at home. She really enjoyed that part of her job. Heck, she generally liked everything about her job. And a break from her thoughts was just what she needed at that moment. So Katie ripped off her apron, put on a fake smile and launched herself out into the waiting public.

Katie was about halfway through her rounds. Chatting up both newbies and regulars. When she turned mid-laugh to see her ex-girlfriend sitting with Grace at a table on the other side of the restaurant. Katie finished up her current conversation, gathered her strength, flipped her hair, and sauntered over.

Jessie felt her before Katie even let herself be known.

"Hello Grace...hey Jessie. How are you liking things so far?" Katie gave her best smile.

"Everything's fine." Jessie blushed.

"We're good" Grace replied politely.

"That's good. Have you ordered?" Katie tried to play it cool. Just do her job as usual.

"Yeah, um Christine already took our order. Thank you." Jessie smiled.

"Well I better get back to the kitchen. Was nice seeing you both again." Katie trotted back.

Upon reaching the kitchen, Katie went looking for Grace and Jessie's order.

"Hey Marnie, where's the order for table 25?" Katie inquired while shuffling papers.

"Bob just took it off the hopper" Marnie replied before grabbing the ready platter.

The tall dark blonde rushed over to find the slip. Finding it she went to work. Humming while she plied her craft. Knives, ladels and other utensils flying around as she went. Her new demeanor didn't go unnoticed by her bewildered staff.

"Hey turn the music up, please. We need tunes back up in this mother." Katie laughed.

Two twenty-something sous chefs shuffled to peer round the counter to see the reason for Miss Singer's rejuvenation.

"Rico, what are you doing?" asked Martin.

"Trying to see who's at table 25. Ah she's a cutie!" Rico exclaimed.

"Which one?" wondered Martin.

"Does it matter?" Rico shrugged. "As long as the boss is back to her old chipper self again?"

"I'm hoping it's the petite blonde." Martin winked.

"You're just hoping that it is. So you can imagine the two of them together" Rico rolled his eyes heading back to his station.

"A man can dream." Martin smiled.

"That's about all you can do, my friend. Now come on this souffle's not gonna whisk itself." Rico prodded.

The step-siblings savored every morsel of their delicious supper. They were about to inquire about their check when a dessert cart was wheeled up to their table.

"Um...we didn't order this." Grace said while eyeing the delectable dessert.

"This is on the house, courtesy of Chef Singer." smiled waitress Christine.

"It looks amazing!" Jessie ogled the confection.

"You're in for a treat! This is Chef Singer's signature Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Deviled Cheesecake. Enjoy!" Christine added before leaving the step-siblings to their dessert.

After their dinner and dessert was either eaten or boxed up, Jessie excused herself to 'go to the bathroom'. Upon quickly entering and exiting the restroom, she made a bee line for the kitchen. Peering round a corner counter she spied her target.

Feeling someone's eyes on her, Katie looked over to see her ex-girlfriend looming near the entryway. Katie wiped her hands on her apron and made her way over.

"Hi, thanks for dinner. It was great and the cheesecake was to die for!" Added a nervous Jessie.

"Thanks." Mustered an equally flustered Katie. Katie felt like she was in a dream and that at any moment her alarm might go off.

Jessie looked round trying to find the words to say. "I missed you." Was all that came to mind.

"I missed you too." Katie smiled leaning into the wall.

Jessie had been absentmindedly playing with her phone while she fumbled for words to say.

"Um..maybe we could hang out or something, someti..." Jessie stammered.

"I'd like that." Katie impatiently answered the unfinished question while reaching for the blonde's phone.

Katie typed her number into the phone's contacts before handing it back to Jessie.

Jessie merely smiled giddily before adding: "Well I better be getting back. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Katie offered her a warm smile before parting again.

On her way back to the table Jessie discreetly texted Katie: Thanks for adding your number to my contacts. Text me...whenever. Jessie

Grace had just finished paying the check by the time Jessie made it back to the their table.

"You ready?" Grace inquired. Having seen her step-sister's smile, she figured that it must have went well.

"Yeah, let's go." Jessie tried to conceal her excitement.

Grace's Hybrid Monstrosity:
Not much was really said on the way back home except small talk and chatter here and there, as Jessie discreetly eyed her phone for word from her ex.

Back at Rendezvous:
Katie had typed numerous texts to Jessie's cell phone, quickly deleting each on as not being good enough to express how she truly felt at the moment. Minutes passed and passed as she pondered and pondered. Occasionally putting fingers to phone. Only to stop again in frustration.

B&W: "Come on, Singer. Think!" Katie put her head down in her hands...All of a sudden Katie's head jerked up. ~

Katie punched the letters in determinedly, then paused before hitting send. The dark haired blonde sat, dropped her head back into the chair, clutched the phone to her heart and waited for a reply.

Back in Grace's Big Green Machine:
Jessie's phone rumbled quietly in her hand. She lifted it slightly, just enough to let her alone see the screen, pressed to check the message. Jessie smiled out the window and off into the distance.

In the youngest Sammler's hand the phone's dim light illuminated it's all important two word message: YOU'RE INTOXICATING