Jo Martin had a passion for all things culinary. It was in the kitchen where she truly felt Zen, it had been the place where she had always been able to shut everything out, her unwavering focus on the task at hand, hands moving dexterously treating the produce with unqualified reverence. Even at an age as young as five she was right by her Nana's side, hanging onto her words, soaking in the wisdom her graying hair held, as they prepared delicacies with their own twist. Bonding and giggling away as they worked at perfecting the balance between fine-dining and comfortable homey food. Her passion only deepened with years, making the holidays more jubilant than they already were in the Martin household with a teen Jo happily slaving in the kitchen, putting together hearty meals for friends and family.

But when the news of her Nana's soul parting with her body while she was on a trip to Sicily came to Jo's ears she was gutted. To have her confidante no longer by her side to guide her, she was lost. But the last postcard that her Nana wrote to her while on the trip came through mail days after her demise breathed new life in her. As she read the last words penned by the wise old lady, she could almost see her smiling knowingly as Jo's resolve to get into the world of culinary arts strengthened manifolds. Her parents never once objected to her wishes on the matter and as the heavens would have it, she got into a reputable academy in Tuscany and was left with a generous amount from her Nana that helped lift some weight off her parents' shoulders financially.

The experience she had garnered during her years under the guidance of hard albeit well-meaning taskmasters during her time abroad went a long way towards helping her pave her way in the industry. She worked at prestigious restaurants with celebrated chefs as her colleagues and gained credibility in the eyes of food critics and people alike but with her heart still vying for the ease she had felt when she was at home cooking for the ones she held dear to her heart, the decision to step away from the limelight came surprisingly easy.

So she worked towards finding alternatives, meanwhile making a much needed comeback to her parents' house in her hometown. She taught the people for several days a week, imparting her knowledge of gastronomy to a class of about twenty odd people and occasionally dropped by her favourite diner helping old Marcus by lending a hand in the Kitchen which eventually helped in bringing in more customers.

It had been a little over a year and half when she received a phone call from a Katie, speaking on behalf of a Xavier Holt who, the soft-spoken girl told Jo, was the heir to a Fortune 500 company. Katie explained that she was being offered the opportunity to cater the Halloween Party that Mr. Holt was set to host in about two weeks. She went on to say that Jo's name had come highly recommended and insisted that she gives her assent to the offer by the day's end and concluded the call by making sure that Jo had the necessary details in case she decides to take up the offer and informed her that she will receive an email that held specification of the event shortly.

True to her words, Katie had sent in the email listing the details and Jo mulled over the opportunity for a little while before discussing the same with her parents only to find out that they were more than supportive of her decision to take up the catering job, adding that it might end up being the career line she was looking for when Jo asserted the fact that it was in a city miles away and the fact that they would be separated on Halloween.

When she called back Katie to inform her that she was taking up the job, she voiced her concern with hesitation seeping in her tone about not being with her parents and having already spent too many occasions separated. Katie told her that she'd have to discuss the situation with her supervisor and would get straight to it if Jo was truly willing to provide her services, to which Jo easily voice her assent.

In a matter of few hours, she was officially hired to cater the lavish Halloween gathering for Mr. Xavier Holt and was sent the advance amount agreed upon with an assurance that her parents shall be brought to the city a day before Halloween all expenses paid while Jo was to head up a week prior to get acquainted with her team and finalize the menu to avoid any last minute miscommunications.

The moment she set foot in the city again, she breathed deeply and admitted to herself that she certainly did miss the energy that life here held. Having been gone for more than a year, coming back felt like dipping a toe in a pool to see if the water was too cold. The first two days were a touch difficult, getting acquainted with more people and re-adjusting to her surroundings. While everyone on her team was pleasant enough, they were business-like in demeanour with two exceptions. One being the same Katie who had first gotten in touch with Jo and the other being a girl named Aayat who was a ball of fire with a sharp tongue and a soft spot for cats. They had taken it upon themselves to include the "play hard" part in Jo's "work hard" schedule and get her re-acquainted with the nightlife of the city.

It was on the third day when Mr. Holt made an appearance. In a crisp charcoal suit, he seemed every bit the professional Katie described him to be. With a sharp jaw and brown eyes, he stood in front of her, his poker face game too strong for a wee bit hungover Jo to figure out.

He looked at her long enough to figure out that she was hungover and his tone made it perfectly clear that he chalked it up as unprofessionalism on her part. When Jo's hand made its way to her head to try to relieve some of the pain it was in, Xavier's tone grew more acerbic.

By the time their first meeting ended, neither came out as a fan of the other. Jo swore she had never seen a man so judgemental to which Aayat, who had been in the meeting too agreed wholeheartedly by pitching in some colourful obscenities that could turn a Sailor's cheeks pink.

The days that followed were no better than the first meet. The hostility between the two was so palpable that one could almost touch it. They continued to be at each other's throats exchanging snark like nobody's business. He kept treating her like a child riling her up and Aayat's sharp wit had clearly rubbed off on Jo judging by the comebacks she made.

When her parents had arrived just a day before the party, Jo was ecstatic. Her mum wore a bright smiled on her face despite her weary eyes and her father ruffled her hair after planting a kiss on her forehead. She introduced them to Aayat and Katie who had been lounging in the accommodation provided by the Holt Inc., they sat down with mugs filled with freshly brewed coffee and did some catching up, Jo ranted about her employer and Katie discussed a new book by her favourite author who coincidentally Mrs. Martin was a fan of too. After a short while her parents excused themselves for a short nap because of the weariness from the long flight.

Seeing as it was only afternoon, they decided to head to the venue to tend to some last minute preparations and present Mr. Holt the wine selection they planned on serving at the dinner that was to follow the party. As their luck would have it, Xavier Holt was a connoisseur of Wine. Every time Jo made an attempt to suggest something he shot her down, looking at her as if she was an amateur which frustrated her to no end.

By the time they finished, Jo was ready to call it a day and head back to the quaint accommodation she had been set up with but was pulled into conversation by a man who introduced himself as Zack. He had picked upon the looks of disdain Jo had been sending Xavier's way when he had been bossing her around earlier. Jo, obviously a little embarrassed tried to play it cool but Zack beat her to it by confirming that even though he has been harsh on her, he isn't always like that. He continued by telling her that the event has grown quite a bit in itself since last year and several prospective business connections have RSVP'd for the event making him more anxious than ever.

Jo would have argued that his poor behaviour shouldn't be dismissed as stress due to the impending event but she knew better, having worked in fiercely competitive Kitchens she knew exactly the kind of pressure these events bring with them. With so many things that could potentially go wrong, the host always had to be on the tip of his toes to see that everything goes smoothly. Shortly after their conversation ended, Jo was headed back to her place with a new understanding of her employer's comportment.

As she settled in with a much needed cup of Chamomile Tea by her mother's side on the couch, she could see the lines by her eyes—unmistakable evidence of her passing years, she remembers a Halloween tale that was quite famous in the Martin Household.

Her Mother loved telling that story and chastised Jo whenever she described it as a story for it had been how Mrs. Martin found Mr. Martin. Jo loved the spark that her mother's eyes held every time she narrated the tale. She would ask her to retell it to be able to see that scintilla in her eyes and soon it became a tradition.

She would recount it with a dramatic tone that held flicks of nostalgia, how her own mother had sneaked in a sprig of Rosemary under her pillow the night of Halloween which resulted in her dreaming of a boy who had borrowed a book from her only the previous week. She would grin a little when she would describe how they met again and would end up blushing furiously by the end with her father gazing lovingly at her mother and Jo having to exit the room to give allow some privacy to her parents.

This time however, it went a bit differently, with Mrs. Martin suggesting—or rather urging—Jo to chance her arm. To which Jo declined immediately, she was all for trying things but superstitions don't make the cut. Even after all those years, the memory that her mum held dearest was but a story to Jo, coincidence, superstition. Call it what you may.

Jo had been never been an Early Riser and it was no different on the day of the event. Having hit snooze two times already on her phone that lay beeping on the bedside table, she groaned into her pillow and got herself to abandon the bed and get ready for what she was sure was going to be a long day. She had to be by the venue and examine the fresh Produce that was to be delivered and take inventory.

Her nerves began to get to her by the time it was an hour until the dinner started, it was her first public appearance since she had stepped out of the limelight and the community was abuzz with anticipation which was the reason why she was required to actually make an appearance at the event, leaving the safe confines of her kitchen. But said nerves fizzled out when she just stepped aside and watched her crew – working in perfect synchronization and her faith strengthened in Aayat's assurance that the dinner service will go by without a single hitch.

Aayat's words couldn't have been truer.

Xavier Holt had been by her side soft smile on his face, with a firm hand at the small of her back, introduced her to the guests that didn't hold back in showering her with appreciation that Jo was sure to direct it towards her tremendous team.

The night ended on a high and Jo returned to the kitchen to her team to celebrate a wonderful service that was sure to earn them positive critiques. Jo was pleasantly surprised to see that Xavier had joined their celebration and was in conversation with a member from her team was smiling freely. And when she bid adieu to everybody, he approached her and congratulated her while apologizing for his demeanor in the past few days suggesting that they go out for lunch the next day to discuss the arrangement for upcoming events. With surprised still etched on her features, she agreed to lunch and assured him that she could see why he had been testy.

With a heart filled to the brim with a sense of accomplishment, Jo couldn't wait to get back to her parents and spend the remaining few hours of Halloween with them.

By the time she got back to the place she was staying in, it was inching close to midnight and one glance at her wrist confirmed that it was Halloween for just forty more minutes. She was sure that her parents would be fast asleep but was proven wrong when she found them by the coffee table, engrossed in conversation.

They shifted their conversation to the couch and Jo sat on the carpeted floor with her back resting against the couch, her mother's hands in her hair, softly massaging her scalp and telling Jo about how her sister had put Rosemary under her pillow before going to sleep on Halloween a few years back and had dreamed of a life with her future husband Peter, who she met on a bus ride home a few weeks later. Jo rolled her eyes and was awarded with a smack at the back of her head and a reminder from her father that she was too young to stay in a small town instead of pursuing her career and meeting somebody that could be it as a life-partner for her. She turned around with a funny comeback on her tongue but was taken aback when she saw the seriousness on her parents' faces. Her heart clenched when her father said that they didn't want to hold her back.

Enveloping them in a tight embrace she mumbled about how they were such saps and were turning her into one too, and with a little sharpness in her tone asked them to never entertain an idea so absurd in their minds, she looked them in the eye as she said that they weren't holding her back that she was staying with them of her own volition but had already accepted to work with the Holt Inc. in the future and was in fact going to lunch tomorrow to discuss the very arrangement.

As she had expected, the news put smile to their faces. And when Jo let out a yawn, they decided call it a night and head to bed which Jo agreed to, the fatigue she felt kept her from noticing the grin that held a secret her parents exchanged.

Jo was out cold the moment her head hit the pillow.

She felt her back against something solid – a wall, a familiar tune playing in the background filled with unmistakable sounds of somebody moaning and the feeling of something tickling the skin of her neck with something soft pressing on the side of her jaw.

What her brain registered moments later that she was indeed pressed against a wall, the tune was a popular pop song that she liked Body on me, the tickling on her neck was because of a light stubble that belonged to the owner of the soft hair that she was pulling on as the lips of the same person peppered her jaw with kisses, working their way downwards. And the moans, those belonged to two people, the soft whimpers from herself and low grunts from the man who was still kissing his way southwards.

Her hands dropped with a start. And she heard someone speak, a man, very close to her ear, "Babe, I left Paige with Ma." And then after a nip on her ear, the man continued, "Quit worrying."

When Jo didn't respond, the man halted the heated assault of his lips on her skin, squeezed her waist and shifted one hand to cup her bum, and looked straight into her eyes leaving Jo slack-jawed as she registered who the man was.

Xavier, she whispered breathlessly, and the man in front of her grinned as he spoke, "It's been two years and I love how you still get this breathless when I touch you," he said as his hands moved to undo the buttons of the shirt she was wearing, "And don't even think I'm going to go easy on you after your little tease in the morning that left me high and dry."

That was the moment when Jo woke with a start and a small scream left her lips, because of which her Mum came rushing into her room and was saying something but the only thing Jo could focus on was the smirk on her face as she fished the little sprig of Rosemary out the cover of the pillow Jo has slept on.

The little screech she let out as soon as she saw the herb, marked what was going to be the beginning of a very interesting story.

*fin*