Pushed

Chapter 18

After workingall week testing different recipes, I finally had the new menu nailed down. I chose the most popular items from the old menu and added my own unique twist to make them better. There were also a bunch of new items I was sure people were going to love.

Now it was time to show the new menu to Jasper. My stomach flipped with butterflies of excitement but also apprehension as I stood outside the office door. He’d said I could do whatever I wanted with the kitchen, but what if he hated what I’d chosen? It would be so much easier to make these decisions on my own and not have to run them by anyone. But we were both stuck with this partnership, at least for now.

As much as it pained me, I decided to do my best to make it look like Jasper and I were a team and working well together. If the Quince’s found out about our charade, we’d both lose our chance here. The stakes were high for both of us.

It was probably just my ego talking, or maybe my own insecurity, but a part of me wanted him to be impressed. To think I was an amazing chef. I’d heard it from others, but for some reason, I wanted him to believe it, too.

The office door was open a crack. I peeked in and saw Jasper flipping through files on the desk and running his fingers through his hair in frustration. His hair stood on end with a freshly mussed look that made me want to run my fingers through it.

I stuffed my hands into my pockets to avoid the temptation as I stepped inside and approached the desk. “I don’t envy you trying to wade through that mess. As much as Mr. Quince hated technology, I don’t think he liked paper much better.”

Jasper shook his head and pushed the papers aside. “I really don’t know how he kept this place going with as unorganized as his record keeping was. I’ve started sending some of these files to my assistant to enter the data into spreadsheets to get a better idea of what I’m looking at. But even that will take a while. I don’t understand how anyone could run a business like this. It really is a nightmare.” He blew an upward breath, blowing hair out of his eyes. “He might as well have written this out on cocktail napkins. Wait.” He bent over and sifted through the garbage can. He pulled out a balled-up napkin to look at it. “I just had to make sure this wasn’t one of the missing documents I’ve been looking for.”

If it was so bad Jasper was looking in trash cans for hope, maybe it was a… good thing he was here? So I didn’t have to make sense of the mess and could focus on what I did best—cooking.

He was already aggravated. Was now the best time to show him my menu ideas? Maybe I should come back later.

“Was there something you wanted, Princess? I mean, Chef.” He sat back in the chair and flashed me a smile that said he was happy to see me. It had to be the sexiest smile known to man.

My stomach flipped and my heart fluttered, completely throwing me off. Not what I needed. “Well, I uh, came up with a tentative menu, and was hoping you could look it over when you have time. But it looks like you have enough on your plate. I can come back later.”

“No. Please. I’d love the distraction. Let me see what you’ve got.”

I handed him the list I’d printed out. “As we talked about, I included both old and new dishes to show how they would work together to make a cohesive menu.” I bit my lip as he looked it over. “What do you think?”

“These look great. I do have one item I’d like to add.”

Of course, he wants to take over, just like all men. He said I’d have total control of the kitchen and menu, but what he meant was I’d have control to make what he wants. I should have known.

Jasper pulled a piece of paper from his briefcase. “It’s an old family favorite. I wrote down the recipe for you to try, so you can see what you think.” He handed me a piece of paper with a handwritten recipe on it.

“Criadillas? Isn’t that bull testicles? Like Rocky Mountain Oysters?” I scanned the rest of the recipe. “And you top it with melted Velveeta and Grape Nuts. You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“They’re much better than they sound, I assure you. We have it every holiday, and I think it would be something different we could add to the menu. Something unique that they won’t get anywhere else.”

I searched Jasper’s face for an explanation. His expression was serious while eyes pleaded with me like a puppy dog with just a glimmer of mischief. “Wait, a minute. This is a joke, isn’t it?”

Jasper burst out laughing. “Oh man. You don’t understand how hard it was for me to keep a straight face with that one.”

That was begrudgingly funny, but I pressed my lips together, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of laughing at his joke. National parks had signs telling people not to feed the bears. I needed one that said, Don’t laugh at the Jasper. I sure didn’t want to encourage him. “There are plenty of 5-star restaurants that serve dishes like this all the time. But not with Velveeta sauce and Grape Nuts. That was your fatal flaw.”

“I cracked myself up when I thought of putting Grape Nuts on testicles.” He slapped his hand on his knee, roaring with laughter. “Can you imagine if we had that on the menu? Hilarious.”

As annoying as he was, his laugh did something to me. My traitorous belly flipped at the sound. Anyone would find him adorable when he got that mischievous glint in his eye. Right?

Keeping my expression flat, I rolled my eyes and huffed my annoyance. “Maybe I need to make you some, and you’ll change your tune. I assume it’s not actually a Rhodes family tradition.”

“No way. My mom’s vegetarian. There’s no way she would ever serve that.”

“You’re vegetarian?”

“Not anymore. I don’t eat meat with every meal, but there’s not much that I won’t eat, as long as someone else cooks.”

“Like Criadillas?”

“I don’t know if I’d go that far. Just thinking about it makes me want to cross my legs in protection.” He squirmed uncomfortably in his chair.

“Hey, it was your idea. I promise you, I could make even your disgusting idea taste good.”

“Ah, another challenge.” He crossed his arms with a satisfied grin on his face.

My pride would probably be my undoing, but I couldn’t let him believe he won this round. “If you can follow through and bring me the goods, I’ll fry ‘em up. You live on a farm. That shouldn’t be too hard for you.”

“Maybe you don’t understand, but I chose to go into business, not farming, for a reason. I couldn’t wait to go to college where I didn’t have to get up at the buttcrack of dawn to take care of the animals or do chores.”

“But now you’re back living on the farm again. How’s that working out for you?”

He let out a frustrated exhale, downed the last of his coffee, and looked into the cup like it had betrayed him. Maybe Mr. Quince’s mess wasn’t the only cloud in his otherwise sun-shiny life. “That’s a discussion for another day.”

It seemed there was more to that story. I leaned closer and raised a brow to encourage him to tell me more, curious to hear what it was. But why did I care? Jasper was my enemy. He would try to buy me out the first chance he got. I shouldn’t be letting my guard down around him.

I straightened my spine, cleared my throat, and tapped the menu against the desktop. “So, are we a go for this menu? I was hoping to start it next week, if you don’t have any objections.”

“Sounds great to me. We should post about it on social media to get people to come in and try it. Let me know what day you plan to start, and I’ll get the word out.”

I nodded and returned to the kitchen to get back to work, but my mind kept circling back to the way Jasper laughed and how he got me to forget about all the stress we were facing. Just for a moment.

And that was the problem. Now was not the time for losing focus. I had to stay on the top of my game if I had any hope of taking over this place when our little charade was over. I had a lot riding on this. I could not let it slip away.

Not even for the sexiest smile in recorded history. Especially not for that.