8. Hailey
8
HAILEY
That went horribly.
The kitchen was an absolute disaster. I was exhausted. All that work, and nobody even really ate much of it.
All I wanted to do was to climb into bed and cry myself to sleep, but I had to clean up all this mess. And then I had to prepare for my class tomorrow.
It all seemed like too much.
Then Theo walked in.
“They hated it, didn’t they?” My voice was flat and weary, even to my own ears.
He shook his head, looking at me with kind eyes. “Hate’s a bit of an overstatement.”
“Nobody even ate anything.” The evidence of that was right there on the counter. Six plates, none of them empty, sat there mocking me.
“Nelson did.”
“Yeah, but isn’t he the stoner? I’ve heard that they’re always hungry.”
Theo laughed. “Okay, maybe so, but he wouldn’t have eaten it if it was awful. I liked the fish and the potatoes. Ian and Matt did, too.”
“I thought I did good by getting the trout,” I said, near tears. “That store was so overwhelming, but then I spotted the trout… my grandfather used to catch that for us all the time. And it was fresh. I thought that was better than something that was flown in. We’re not exactly near an ocean.”
“No, we’re not.” Theo took a few steps toward me, and I got the sense that he wanted to give me a hug. But that would’ve made me cry for sure, so I busied myself scraping food off plates and into the garbage.
Where my food belonged, evidently. Or at least Bennett and Grant thought so.
“Hailey, you just moved in yesterday, and today you cooked a meal for six. With dessert. Do you think any of us could’ve done that?”
I bit the inside of my lip and shook my head. Of course they couldn’t—but they didn’t have to. They had people to do that for them. People like me.
Theo walked over to the fridge, plucking a beer out of it. And squeezing my shoulder along the way. I was reminded of how Bennett had been so scornful when I offered coffee after dinner. My grandpa had always liked a cup after he was done eating.
“Tell me what I did wrong.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong.” Then he shook his head with a rueful grin. “Well, no, that’s not true. You took this job in the first place.”
“No, I’m serious. Please tell me what I did wrong so that I don’t do it again.”
Theo leaned against the fridge and looked me over, as if ascertaining whether I was serious. “Okay, I will… if you tell me why you took this job.”
I ran my hand through my hair in frustration. “To disappoint Bennett in every way, of course.”
He laughed but continued staring at me with those disconcertingly light gray eyes. Theo was obviously from the same upper-class world the rest of them were. Why would he want to know more about someone who was so far from that world that I was practically on another planet?
“Do we have a deal? You answer my question and then I answer yours.”
Men were so difficult sometimes. And a houseful of them—but I shouldn’t think that way. Theo had been nothing but kind and friendly. “All right. There’s not much to tell. I needed money and a place to stay.”
“Why?” he asked. “I mean, I get it about the money, but why did you need a place to stay?”
“I’m kind of between apartments right now.”
“Do you have family around here? You mentioned your grandfather.”
Now the tears were threatening to return. “He passed away five months ago.”
“I’m sorry, Hailey.”
I nodded and stepped away when he moved nearer. A hug would definitely undo me right now. “Your turn.” My gaze was on the dishes, not his face.
He sighed. “Okay. But for the record, I thought you did a great job. Cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen for six people—with no oversight or instructions from Bennett, apparently. I think you did well.”
“You’re the only one who does.”
“No, I’m not. Ian spoke up in your defense.” That was nice to hear, but on the other hand, it would be even better if I didn’t need defending. “Grant, too,” he continued.
I nearly dropped the plate I’d just picked up. “Grant?”
“Yep.”
That was too much for my brain to handle. “Please, I’m tired. Please tell me what I need to know.”
“All right. First off, you need to prepare the plates in here and then take them out, like a restaurant would. Not put the dishes out there for them to serve themselves.”
I nodded glumly. I should’ve figured out that people like Bennett wouldn’t even want to do that much for themselves. That was for the staff to do. “What else?”
“Different proteins. Don’t think about the price, think about what we might like to eat. In fact, I’ll make you a list. Salmon, obviously. Steak, but there are different kinds.”
“I don’t know how to cook those.” I’d never cooked salmon and only steak a time or two. We hadn’t been able to afford it. And the few times we had, I’d just cooked it like I would have a pork chop or cheaper meat.
“You can learn,” Theo insisted. If he knew how much I struggled in my classes, he might not say that. Then he gave a rueful shake of his head. “Or you could if these guys ever gave you any free time.”
“Yeah.” It seemed hopeless. “What else?”
He rattled off a few more things, about place settings, about serving etiquette—things that were all normal to him and the others, but not to me. I tried to take in what he was saying, but I was so damn tired. And I got completely lost when he started talking about white versus red wine.
It wasn’t until he picked up a plate and came to stand by me at the sink that my brain kicked into gear. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I don’t mind.”
“It’s my job.” I took the plate from him. “And it’s one of the few parts of it I know how to do.”
“Look, it’s normal to feel overwhelmed at a new job, especially one as crazy as this, but?—”
“Could we talk about something else, please?” I knew I was interrupting, but I couldn’t help it. “Or you can go. Don’t you have work to do for your classes?”
“Okay,” he said.
I let out a shaky breath, unsure if I was relieved or disappointed that he was going to do as I asked. “Good night, then, and thank you for all you?—”
“I meant, okay, we can talk about something else.” He raised his eyebrows at my surprised expression. “You offered me two options. I chose the first.”
I ducked my head as I rinsed off a plate, trying to decide how I felt. Almost any other time, I would’ve enjoyed the company of a man like him. But everything had been overwhelming tonight. Still, he was right. I had kind of made it sound like there were two options. “What do you want to talk about?”
He grinned. “For starters, I like your accent.”
My cheeks flushed. “I don’t have much of one.” People around here didn’t have as much of a southern twang as in the southern part of the state.
“No, you don’t, but I like the way you talk. Slow and kind of deliberate. Instead of a mile a minute like a lot of people I know.”
“I bet you don’t know that many people who were born around here.” That was pretty much a given. Haverford was like its own country sometimes, especially at the university. Almost all the students came from somewhere else.
“No, I don’t. But I like the ones I do know.”
“Where were you born?”
“I’ve lived all over, but when I was a kid, my dad got a lot of work in Washington, so we lived in northern Virginia.”
“Your dad’s an architect, right?”
“Right.” He seemed surprised that I knew that.
“I, um, looked a couple of you guys up online.” The admission made me blush again. “Just so I wouldn’t do or say anything dumb.” But it hadn’t mattered because I made a big mess of this dinner. And a literal mess right here in this kitchen which would take me hours. But I didn’t want to ask Theo to leave again.
I didn’t know what to say next. He’d said he liked my accent. Maybe I could say something l liked about him? Not his looks. I mean, I did like them, but that was too personal. Plus, he was probably used to girls liking his looks. “I like those sketches upstairs. The ones on your drafting table.”
He leaned back against the counter as he looked down at me. “Thank you.”
“That concert hall seemed very peaceful. Like people might go there to hear music and to be in such a beautiful place.” I wasn’t very good at articulating thoughts about architecture, but Theo seemed pleased at my attempt.
“I hope the judges feel the same way.”
“Judges?”
“That was my entry for a national contest for architecture students. My dad won it when he was in college. I’m hoping I will, too.”
“It looked really good.” Not that I knew anything about it, but it seemed like a beautiful, comfortable, and welcoming place for the performers and the audience alike. “When will they release the results?”
“It could be any day now. Last year, they’d already named the winner by this time.”
“Is it a good sign or a bad sign that it’s taking longer this year?”
“Both,” he said. “Probably bad for me, because maybe the entries were stronger this year. But good for the field of architecture overall.” He looked uncertain despite his straightforward answer.
“I hope you win.”
“Thanks. Me too.” He stared past me, his eyes unfocused. Just when I turned back to the dishes in the sink, he elaborated. “Winning would mean that I have talent on my own. That I have what it takes and that I’m not just following along in my father’s footsteps.”
“You want to prove yourself.”
He nodded. “To my professors, and the top design firms… and yes, also to me. I want to prove to myself I can do it.”
His honesty touched me. “Well, you’ve got my vote.”
He grinned, but before he could answer, someone else chimed in.
“Mine too.” Ian stood in the doorway. “How’s it going in here?”
“Good,” I said. Ian’s question had been friendly, but I didn’t know him as well as I did Theo, and I was aware that I wasn’t looking my best at the moment.
“We’re good,” Theo echoed.
“Just wanted to make sure.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Ian tilt his head to the side, as if asking a silent question. Theo shook his head once in reply.
I was too tired to figure out what that was about. These guys were really hard to read.
“Well, have a good night, then. Thanks for dinner, Hailey.”
I nodded, not trusting myself to answer. It was still upsetting every time I thought about the things Bennett had said. The way he’d looked at me. The way they’d picked at the food.
“Hey, are you okay?” Theo looked concerned.
I was concerned, too. I didn’t know how long I’d be able to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. “I just need…”
“Wine?” he asked with the ghost of a smile. I shook my head. “A bubble bath?”
That was kind of stereotyping women, but it actually did sound good. Not that I had time for that. “Maybe later.”
His intense eyes drilled into me. “What else then. Some space?”
A sigh escaped me. “Yeah, kind of. I mean, you’ve?—”
“I get it. I’m distracting you from the task at hand.”
“Well…”
He grinned. “It’s hard to do dishes when the most talented and good-looking member of the fraternity is standing right next to you.”
The corner of my mouth tilted upwards. “Well, exactly.”
“Then I’ll leave you to it.” He leaned down and planted a quick kiss on my forehead. Then he moved back before I could even process what had happened. “It’ll get better, Hailey.”
Then he said goodnight and left.
I hoped he was right, but even if he wasn’t, he’d already managed to make me feel better.
I’d be really glad when this night was a distant memory. All except that last part with the kiss. That part I wanted to remember.
After studying until 3 a.m., I could barely stay awake the next morning in class. One time, the guy next to me had to elbow me when Professor Whitmore asked me a question.
Then, ten minutes before the class ended, I got a text from Bennett.
Who was pretty much the last person I wanted to hear from. Worried he was going to fire me, I opened the message. Except it wasn’t a message, it was a summons. The grocery delivery was on its way, and I had to be there to put the food away.
But after class, I had dog walking. Bennett really didn’t get the concept of someone not working in the mornings. At least he hadn’t fired me.
After the lecture ended, I waited impatiently while a few students lingered, asking the professor about some assignments. When she turned to me, I spoke quickly. “I got called into my other job. I need to go there now, but I can come walk Sunny by one at the latest. Is that okay?”
She frowned. “She’s been alone all morning. And I can’t go home, I’ve got a lunch meeting.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know they were going to call me in. I’ll get to Sunny as soon as I possibly can.”
She didn’t look all that pleased, but she nodded. “Are you okay, Hailey? Today in class you seemed a bit unfocused.”
That was an understatement. “Sorry about that. Didn’t get much sleep.”
She frowned, her librarian-style glasses balanced on her nose. “Are you doing okay?”
No.
Except I didn’t say that. “I’m doing the best I can.”
“That’s all you can do.” She nodded and gathered up her things. I said goodbye and then dashed towards fraternity row, but I didn’t know if I believed her. Sometimes our best wasn’t enough.
Bennett and Grant were both in the kitchen when I raced in. Apparently, they had nothing better to do than to watch frozen foods melt. I ignored them the best I could as I put the perishable items away first.
I tried not to think about the fact that I didn’t know how to cook half the things that had been delivered. For a few of them, I didn’t even know what they were.
“Those don’t go in the fridge,” Bennett said sharply at one point.
“Sorry.” I wasn’t even sure what was in the small, sealed bag. Dried mushrooms, perhaps? I put them in a cabinet with other non-perishable ingredients.
At last, Bennett seemed to get tired of watching me. “I’ll expect a much better meal tomorrow night.”
“Not tonight?” If that was true, it was the best news I’d heard all day.
“It’s Friday,” Grant said, as if that answered the question. “Time to party.”
Oh. Sometimes I forgot that these were frat bros, since half the time they acted like they were royalty or something.
“Tomorrow,” Bennett said again. Something in his voice told me that he wouldn’t be giving me a third chance.
After they left, I scarfed down some leftovers from yesterday and then practically ran to Professor Whitmore’s condo. Sunny was overjoyed to see me and was quite eager to get outside. The poor dog peed three steps beyond the front door, and I felt guilty.
Then, back at the frat house, I vacuumed and cleaned the dining room even though not much eating had happened there last night. When I went in the kitchen to get some chilled water from the fridge, I stopped short.
On the counter under the cabinet with the glasses was a large book with a glossy hardcover that certainly hadn’t been there before.
I moved closer to it until I could read the title. Dining in Splendor: Timeless Recipes for Sophisticated Tastes .
My heart sank. Clearly someone in this house doubted my ability to improve on my own.
And at this very moment, I doubted it, too.