Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Ricky
“So you’ll be on prep.” Brett didn’t sound all that interested or enthusiastic as he showed me around Broth with a Bite’s small kitchen. Well, one of its kitchens.
I wondered what Elliot’s was like.
“Vegetables.” Brett gestured at a workstation with some green plastic chopping boards. Several big bags of carrots, celery, potatoes, garlic, and onions were already resting on it. “Peel and chop ’em small and put them in the containers so Daphne can add them to the soups.”
Daphne, a quiet girl with long black braids, glasses, and braces, gave me a shy smile as she stirred the giant pot of broth.
“When the meat’s done, take it out and shred it.” Brett pointed at a row of big slow cookers. “Beef, chicken, and pork. And if you’re on close, you gotta put in tomorrow’s meat before you leave so it’s ready in the morning.”
“Okay,” I said nervously. “So it’s all… pretty fresh, huh? That’s rad.”
“Yeah, we pride ourselves on using the freshest ingredients, blah blah blah.” Brett waved a hand.
“Is it, um, the same in the… other kitchen?”
He shrugged. “Think so.” Then he glanced at me with a smirk. “You met any of the goth freaks working in there yet?”
I shifted, trying not to frown. “I thought they had the, um… condition we catered for here.”
Brett snorted. “Yeah, well, they look like all the pasty weirdos we get coming here, so I guess so.”
Clearing my throat, I scrubbed the nape of my neck and casually said, “I met, uh… Elliot. I think that’s what his name was,” I added in a rush, heat creeping into my cheeks.
I was trying not to think too hard about the way he’d smiled at me. And stared at me. Because it had sent tingles over my whole body.
His pale blue eyes were crazy intense. And his husky voice was… nice.
Really, really nice.
Hot, I thought to myself daringly, hoping it wasn’t showing on my face. He’s hot. He’s super smoking hot.
“Ugh, Elliot. What an ass.”
My stomach jolted. “How come?”
“Thinks he’s such a funny guy or whatever,” Brett muttered. “He’s a total turd. Thinks he’s hot stuff just ’cause he’s worked here so long.”
“How long has he worked here?” I asked quickly, wanting to know everything about him.
“Dunno. Years. Since before I started. You notice that weird smell they all seem to have?” Brett wrinkled his nose. “Kinda sweet. I try to stay away from them, man. Don’t wanna catch whatever messed up disease they have.”
“It’s not a disease, Brett,” Daphne said flatly. “You can’t catch allergies.”
“Whatever.”
“How many people work in the other kitchen?” I asked hesitantly.
“Dunno. We don’t ever go in there.”
“Do they ever come in here?” My face was burning. “For, um… To grab ingredients, or…?”
“Nah, they have separate refrigerators and stuff, to stop anything from getting contaminated.” Brett rolled his eyes, then slapped me on the arm. “Best get choppin’, bro. Need to get ready for the lunch rush.”
“Of course.” I jolted toward my new workstation. “Sure. Um, thanks.”
“Let me know if you need a hand with anything.” Daphne gave me a smile, so I smiled back. I was already warming up to her way more than Brett, who seemed like kind of a douche, to be honest.
Why was he so mean about the guys in the other kitchen? It wasn’t their fault they had a medical condition. They couldn’t control it. And Elliot wasn’t a freak. I mean, he’d watched me kind of intensely while we were talking, but… it hadn’t freaked me out.
It hadn’t freaked me out at all.
It had made me super nervous, to have the hottest guy I’d ever seen focusing solely on me. Those shadows under his blue eyes made them look even paler and more intense. His features were all sharp and angular, and his dark hair contrasted starkly with his super pale skin.
And his body was… I gulped, keeping my head bent and hoping my thoughts weren’t showing on my face as I started peeling garlic cloves. He was tall and lean, with a couple inches on me. Rangy. Masculine, but… super pretty.
Really, really pretty.
I spent my whole first shift thinking about him.