Pushed

Chapter 16

When I flippedon the lights in the kitchen two days later, the first thing I saw was Jasper’s face. Scratch that. Fifty or more copies of Jasper”s face, taped to every possible surface.

“Jasperrrr!” I growled, ripping the nearest photo off a cabinet door.

The ink on the contract had barely dried, and he was already making this weird partnership more difficult than it had to be. How in the world were we ever going to pull it off?

More specifically… How was I going to continue this charade and keep myself from murdering him and his cocky, sunshiny attitude in the process?

Three whole months? Ugh!

If we each focused on our separate jobs and stayed away from each other, we could get through the trial period, and then I’d buy him out to have the place to myself.

That was my plan anyway.

As I surveyed my kitchen, my sacred space, all I saw was his face smiling back at me. Watching me as I moved. Taunting me.

It might have been a wee bit funny in any other situation, but this bold mocking of my threat to keep his face out of my kitchen… It was a declaration of war.

Now instead of planning my specials menu, I wracked my brain for a way to get back at him. I could not let him get away with this. No way. I had to make him regret antagonizing me. But how?

See? We’re not even in a real relationship, and he’s already distracting me from my work.

I tore down more of the obnoxious pictures and got to work. But every time I took something out of a cupboard, there he was again. Even items in the refrigerator were adorned with his smug mug. There had to be at least a hundred of them. At least that I had found so far.

When Eric came in, he couldn’t stop laughing. “You gotta give the guy points for creativity. This is hilarious. Please, leave a few up, to give us comic relief when things get tense.”

“Not a chance,” I said, ripping another one off the flour bin. “Any ideas for what I can do to get him back?”

“You want to prank Jasper?”

“I can’t just sit back and let him get away with this. Especially on day one of a ninety-day trial.” I filled Eric in on the new arrangement, including the fake engagement part. “If I don’t do something to retaliate, he’ll assume he can do whatever he wants, and I’ll just stand here and let it happen. Nope. I have to take a stand and let him know I’m not a pushover.”

“Too bad you don’t have some of those edible bugs that you see people eating on TV. If you put something like that in his food, it would be hysterical.”

“As much as I hate messing with food, you might be on to something.” I stroked my chin. “Ghost peppers might do the trick. I could hide a pepper in the middle of a chocolate-covered strawberry.”

Eric laughed as he put on his apron. “Those things are so hot, they’d fry his insides. Who knew the serious, no-nonsense chef I’ve been trying to get to loosen up for the past few months, who never so much as cracked a smile, had a devious side. Maybe I should have pranked you.”

“Don’t even think about it.” I pointed a finger at him. “You’ve known me long enough to know you don’t want to be on the receiving end of my wrath. Even if it’s for a prank. Now get to work, we’ve got some new specials to prepare. Why don’t you start with making the focaccia bread? Then while that’s baking, you can move on to chopping. When Wendy gets here, she can make the sauces. I have some strawberries to dip.”

“Right, boss.” He set his knives aside and began pulling out the ingredients for the bread.

When Jasper came in that afternoon to start his deep dive into the Moonstruck’s books, he poked his head into the kitchen. “How’s my favorite chef today? Need me to come brighten your day, Princess? Wait, I already did. Thought this drab kitchen could use a little freshening up.” He scanned the kitchen. “Looks like my tape didn’t hold, though. I can print you some more. No worries, anything for my sweet fiancée.” He smirked.

“Oh, don’t waste your precious time, dear.” I clenched my teeth and tried to sound pleasant, more than I felt. Even though it chafed me to pretend, we did have to get used to putting on a show for whoever might be watching. “We’re doing fine in here. Had to take a little time to clear away some ugly clutter that accumulated in the kitchen overnight, but now it’s so much better. Don’t you think, Eric?” I looked over at my sous chef. His gaze ping-ponged between me and Jasper, unsure which of us was the safest to side with. I picked up a plate and brought it to Jasper. “Hey, we’re trying a few new specials to see how people like them before deciding if we want to add them to the new menu. What do you think of these? Don’t they look scrumptious?”

“They do. If you need a taste-tester, my mouth is all yours.”

I’d have rolled my eyes, but his innuendo just affirmed my decision to give him the special strawberry and wiped away any guilt I might have felt about burning off his tastebuds. And as he picked one up, I almost didn’t have enough self control to contain my giddiness and keep a straight face. “As a matter of fact. I tried a new recipe for these chocolate-dipped strawberries. I’d love your feedback. I used organic strawberries, so they’re smaller and more potent. Eat it in one bite for the full effect.”

He popped the entire strawberry into his mouth and began chewing. Then his eyes started watering and sweat beaded on his brow. “Water,” he rasped. Eric handed him a glass of water, and he downed the entire thing before setting it back down. “The strawberry was delicious, the perfect amount of sweetness to contrast the dark chocolate. At least that’s what I noticed when I still had taste buds. You might want to tone down the pepper just a tad, though, or we’ll kill our patrons before they can even pay the check.” Then he winked at me. “Well played, Princess. These three months are going to be even more fun than I expected. Come see me in the office when you’re not busy.”

That pepper would have brought most mortals to their knees, but it seemed to make Jasper even cockier. I didn’t know if I should be impressed or even more irritated.

As soon as he was gone, I dropped my head into my hands. “What have I done? Now he thinks it’s okay to prank me.”

“You did say this was war, Chef. Did you expect him to back off after one little strawberry?”

“I thought it would tell him not to mess with me. But it’s like I waved a red flag in front of a bull.” I huffed and pulled bowls of marinating meat from the fridge. “And now, not only will I be distracted, but I’ll have to constantly be on my guard for what he’ll do next.”

“I hate to say this, but I kind of agree with him. This place just got a whole lot more interesting to work at. I feel like I should make popcorn and enjoy the show.”

“Don’t forget who you work for. If you value your job, you’ll keep that in mind.”

“Yes, chef. I better get this batch in the oven.”

Another picture of Jasper’s handsome face practically winked at me from the side of a bottle of olive oil.

How could one person be so good looking and so infuriating at the same time? Working with him for three months would be the death of me.

Come on, AJ. Admit it. You had almost as much fun pranking him as you did dancing with him.

Oh, shut up! He’s the enemy. And he’s trying to steal my dream. Don’t forget that.

I ripped his face off the olive oil bottle and got back to work.