School for Brides

About the Book

Jill Clayton owns School for Brides, a cooking school in Beverly Hills.  After her last class on Friday afternoon, Jill sees that one of her students is still sitting at her place.  Marsie Smith tearfully tells Jill she’s in trouble.  Buzzie, her husband, has invited the big boss for dinner on Saturday night and she knows it’s for the boss to see how she can handle the social life demanded of her.  She begs Jill to come and cook the dinner for her.  Jill resists, but reluctantly agrees.

The guests don’t have an idea that she is in the kitchen, but she gets a peek at the guests.  The dinner goes well, but the big boss turns up in the kitchen and discovers the beautiful “maid” and can’t resist kissing her.  Jill is angry, but then whom can she tell?

When she arrives home, she surprises a burglar who almost succeeds in raping her.  She is saved by the ringing of the telephone; Jill says to the caller (actually a wrong number) to call the police.  The burglar flees but has stolen Jill’s Greek cross.

The police catch the burglar and Jill identifies him in a line-up.  As she is leaving the police station she sees two men who look at her carefully and follow her to the parking lot.  They look like friends of the rapist.  They follow her for blocks.  They are driving a blue VW.  She loses them at a stop light, but is frightened and even more frightened in the weeks to come when the blue VW appears to be stalking her.

Jill decided that even though School for Brides is popular and profitable, she would like some money for traveling and a new car.  Monday morning she has an appointment with Bill Smith of Marshall Enterprises to discuss franchising the School for Brides.  She is chagrinned to discover that Bill Smith is Buzzie, Marsie’s husband and that Craig Marshall is the big boss of the dinner party.  She is also angry that he doesn’t recognize her and that the kiss meant nothing to him.

Jill decides to give Craig the franchise and this sets motion publicity, plans for the new schools, a cookbook and a stormy relationship with Craig.  It seems that he is used to getting his way and each incident appears to be a battleground.  In spite of this Jill finds that her initial attraction to Craig is deepening and soon she finds she is in love with him.

It’s hopeless, she decides because he is involved with the glamorous, beautiful Margo Terhune.  She lives in New York, but her tenticles reach across the country.  She makes it clear to Jill that Craig belongs to her.

Jill is becoming very frightened by the persistance of the stalkers in the blue VW.  They seem to be getting bolder.

Jill is finding herself more and more in Craig’s company working out the progress of the franchise.  She is excited by his ideas and yet struggles with him to do what she wants.  It’s an up and down relationship.  Up on a trip to New York when Craig drives her to a TV appearance in Philadelphia which ends at dinner at a country inn on the way back.  And up in a romantic dinner in Malibu and a walk on the beach.

The story comes to a climax when Jill’s car is tampered with and she is almost killed.  The following day, she is the first to arrive at the school and it has been vandalized.  Events come to a swift adventurous and dangerous climax.  And of course, Jill finds that Craig loves her too.

About the Author

Writing about cooking comes naturally to Isobel Lewis. She is the author of six cookbooks. Writing about romance comes naturally she is happily married to a screenwriter. She lives in Beverly Hills and knows the Hollywood scene as well. She comes from a family of great cooks. Living in Paris for a year while her husband worked on a film added the gourmet touch for her. She’s thought about opening a cooking school, but contents herself to giving lots of advice to friends about cooking and – only if asked---advice on romance too.