Page 108 of The Long Way Found

"Walk me through it," Jack said. "What's the crisis hierarchy?"

"The what?"

"What needs to be solved first, second, third. Military planning. Start with mission critical."

Luke blinked. Then, despite everything, he almost laughed. "Okay. Caterer. That's the big one. Without food, the formal portion collapses. Then AV—we need sound and video for the speeches. Then⁠—"

"Got it." Jack pulled out his phone. "Eat your Pad Thai. I'm calling someone."

Luke stopped him. “This isn’t a military operation, Jack. It’s a small community, and I know almost everyone in it. So the hierarchy is who will take my call this late and who can handle such a big job with zero notice.”

“Gotcha. Tell me what to do.”

“Do you know anyone at the university? They’re big enough to handle it. Not sure if they’re the right touch, but it’s a start.”

“On it,” Jack said.

“And I’ll make a list of every restaurant within 50 miles. Somebody might be up for it.”

Luke overheard Jack’s call while he put together his list.

"Large event, formal, about one hundred fifty people... Yeah, I know it's short notice..." He paused, listening. "Wait, you're saying the university events team uses someone? Could we... No, I understand they're probably booked... Worth a try, though, if you have a name and number.”

Ten minutes later, Jack had an update.

“Sarah says their guy can handle some of it. Probably just the service, so at least we’ll have plenty of plates, glasses, silverware, and waitstaff. They’re not sure they can do much with food at this late hour. Maybe frozen rolls or desserts.”

That piecemeal approach gave Luke an idea.

“OK, look. You call these five places. I’ll call these five. Instead of looking for one-stop shopping, what if we have a little of this, a little of that… like a buffet of Calder Ridge’s best restaurants? Might have to call the ski resorts, too. They tend to have at least one top-tier chef.”

“A local smorgasbord?”

“Yeah. What do you think? It could work. Gets everyone involved, feels more like a community event. We lean into that instead of apologizing for not having the typical black-tie menu. Yeah?”

“I like it,” Jack said. “Let’s get calling.”

Within the hour, they had more local chefs on board than they needed. Steak and chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, and asparagus from Delmonico’s. Homemade desserts from Mara. Salad from a vendor Luke knew at the farmers’ market. And samples from the Indian restaurant that Amir’s mother loved, the Tex-Mex place downtown, and two of the ski resorts.

“Unbelievable,” Luke said.

“You did it, baby,” Jack said, with a kiss on the cheek.

“It’ll work.”

“It’ll work. You’re amazing.”

Luke’s eyes widened, remembering the AV issue.

“I will handle that on campus tomorrow,” Jack said.

“I don’t need you to…”

“Obviously! But I’ll be there anyway, and it’s one less thing for you to do. Let me help.”

Luke felt his shoulders ease and his pulse slow closer to normal.

"The printer deadline," he said quietly. "Final copy by noon tomorrow. And the PR department keeps⁠—"