Chapter 11
eleven
. . .
Kate
I shouldn’t have run away last night. It made things awkward this morning when Lucas showed up before daylight, ready to help, and wearing an apron that said, I only smoke the good stuff .
I’m not sure if it was the apron, or if it was just the fact that he didn’t try to pick up from last night, but gave me my space, and acted like nothing had happened.
I felt like I was the only one making things awkward, which made it easier for me to stop.
The morning went without a hitch, as both of our assistants came, and we really started cranking things out.
By eleven, we had both orders almost ready, and I left to deliver the first one.
I have a little van I use. It’s got a custom interior, which keeps the hot things hot and cold things cold, and while I probably didn’t need anything fancy to deliver the food to the end of town, it’s what I have.
Phyllis is with me, to help me carry things in. We take the backstreets, because they have the entire main street shut down for the festivals.
“Can you believe Lucas has actually shown up two days in a row?” Phyllis says before she’s barely gotten settled in the driver’s seat.
“Yeah. I’m surprised, for sure.” Less surprised now that I know the kind of man he is.
Why did I run away? I wanted to respond in kind. Wanted to let him know that I felt the same way, but I froze, then got scared, and even by the time I had walked across the street and gotten into my own shop, I still couldn’t bring myself to take a different path.
I wish I would have, because now the ball is in my court. I’m the one who rejected him, so… If I want that relationship, I’m the one who’s going to have to reach out. Which is hard because since I rejected him, he might want to reject me, just to give me a taste of my own medicine. Although even as I’m thinking that, I know that’s not the kind of man Lucas is, and he wouldn’t reject me just for the fun of rejecting me. If he truly has feelings for me and has for a long time—could that be true?—then me rejecting him is not going to change that overnight.
“He’s so good at what he does. And it’s always fun to work with him. Did you see his apron this morning? The second one? An apron is just a cape on backward ? So funny.” Phyllis laughs, and then she glances over at me. “I really like the one you’re wearing now. It’s probably one of my favorites.”
It’s my apron that says, whatever happens, we’re eating it . I like it too. It kind of goes with my attitude. I mean, I don’t have that attitude toward clients but toward life. Whatever happens, I’m going to deal with it.
She chatters on about how much she likes Lucas, talking about all the different things that he did today, and she doesn’t seem to notice that I don’t participate much in the conversation. I’m grateful when we’re able to stop and get out and deliver the food.
This does not require us to stay and supervise; there are volunteers for that. I will have to go back and pick up some of my supplies at the end of the day. So, once we unload, we drive home.
As I walk in, I see that Lucas has changed his apron. Now it says, I hate being sexy, but I’m the chef, so I can’t help it .
I look away quickly. I switched aprons in the car too, and mine says, be nice to me or I’ll poison your food .
I do notice his look before I turned completely away. He lifts his brows and looks intrigued, rather than offended.
I want to be upset about that, but instead, my overriding feeling is laughter. Laughter that his reaction would be so unpredictable.
He and his assistant have gathered up the food for the second festival, and they leave while I start cleaning the kitchen. I told Phyllis that once we delivered the food, she could have the rest of the day off. After all, there are two festivals going on in town, and I’m sure she’d like to hit both of them up.
I can handle the mess. It will take me the rest of the day most likely, and then I’ll have to drive around and pick up my supplies. But the money I made today should be more than worth it.
Maybe Lucas has the same idea, because when he comes back, his assistant gets out of the car but doesn’t come into my shop. Instead, he walks around the building to where his car is parked.
Lucas walks in, and I don’t want to look up, but I have to see his apron.
Love is in the air. No, wait. That’s barbecue.
My heart sinks. Did he choose that apron on purpose? Or is he just trying to be funny? Maybe he’s trying to walk back his comments of the night before.
He comes around the sink, not saying anything but looking.
I make him wait, even though I know what he wants. Finally, I put one of the dirty pans I’ve been scrubbing in the rack and step back.
He sees my apron: get your fat pants ready .
He laughs out loud. “That’s a good one,” he says, grabbing a dish towel and picking up the pan I just set down.
“You don’t have to help with this,” I protest immediately. “You’ve done everything you said you were going to do, and I appreciate your help.”
“If both of us are working on it, we’ll get done faster, and maybe we’ll both have a little bit of time to enjoy the festivals.”