After lunch Bette and Tina walk a few doors down from the restaurant to a Chocolate Shop. Tina thinks she’s in heaven when she enters and loves Bette for indulging her. What she doesn’t know is that they are not in the shop to buy chocolate but to actually learn how to make it. The Chocolatier greets them and welcomes them to the Private Chocolate Workshop for Two.

This was ACT IV on Bette’s list of random acts of love and kindness. She had arranged for Tina to indulge her chocolate obsession by booking a class for them to learn about chocolate. They would enjoy tastings from around the world and also create their own chocolate delicacies.

The instructor promised to teach them everything they ever wanted to know about buying, tempering, coating, and decorating with chocolate. After the demonstration they get to select their own ingredients to make chocolate truffles or to build their own chocolate bar. This was the ultimate gift for a chocolate lover. The class ran for about 3 hours total from start to finish. By the time it was over Bette & Tina had created their own masterpiece using dark, milk and white chocolate.

They took samples to share with Angie and the girls the following day. When they got back to the hotel they had about an hour to indulge in Bette’s obsession which even Tina had to admit was better than chocolate. After spending a wonderful afternoon together they got ready to meet Leigh. It was time for the reception and private showing of Leigh’s collection “Heart of Glass”.

***

The artist dinner the night before had been very intimate and included a handful of the gallery’s clientele. The “Wine & Cheese Reception & Private Showing” on Friday would be more telling as this group was more eclectic and provided a truer representation of the art aficionados that frequented the gallery. Attendance was by invitation only and this time collectors would be able to purchase select pieces that were tagged for temporary exhibition. The permanent exhibition pieces could be sold but they would not be delivered until after the show closed.

Shane, Kit and Alice all wanted to support Leigh so they decided to make the trip to Carmel. They would drive up on Saturday for the public opening and would leave on Sunday morning. They hired Monica’s car service to make the round-trip and Alice suggested they splurge and get the Suburban Stretch Limo which was quite an extravagance. It accommodated 14 people comfortably and since there would only be seven of them plus the puppy they had lots of room to stretch out for the long drive home. The car also came with a full bar and a small fridge so they were able to stock food and drinks. Of course it also came with the standard audio/video technology so they could entertain themselves as well.