Chapter 2
Bee
Everything in my closet was absolute crap. “I have nothing to wear!” I wailed as I turned around.
My sister, Briana, and one of our best friends, Kaylee, sat on my bed, giving me confused looks. “You’ve got a gorgeous wardrobe,” Bri said. “What’s the problem?”
I threw the latest outfit I’d considered and rejected on the bed beside them. “I don’t know what to wear for when Chef Wayne gets here.”
They exchanged a glance. “Uh, Bee, do you think it’s a good idea to worry about what you’re going to wear for your chef?”
“I hope you’re not planning on seducing him,” Kaylee said. “Wayne is good people and that would just complicate things.”
With a sigh, I glared at my sister and our friend. “You two are no fun. What’s wrong with a little flirting?” I asked. “He’s hot.”
Kaylee nodded. “He is. But he walked out on a job last night because one of the guests at the party wouldn’t stop hitting on him.”
I froze and dropped my hands. “Seriously? That’s unprofessional.”
“I heard it from Skye that Wayne’s mom said that one of the guests kept pinching his ass,” Bri said conspiratorially. “I don’t blame him a bit for walking out in that case.”
“Who was the guest?” Kaylee asked. “Anybody I know?”
Bri shook her head. “I don’t think you’ve met her. Ms. Dottie? She’s an old lady who is a friend of, uh, Anthony’s family.”
They were all a part of that weird cult, and ever since Bri and Kaylee had started dating Jace and Porter, they were all cultish too.
But Wayne was in with that crowd, and he was gorgeous with a great personality to boot. It couldn’t be all that bad, after all.
“Anyway, Bee,” my sister said. “There could be a lot of harm to flirting. Do you want him to get pissed at you and quit?”
Kaylee raised her eyebrows. “I never flirted with him, and you know how much I like to flirt. But I like my food more.”
Well, she had a point. I didn’t want to have to cook for myself.
My parents had agreed to help me with my expenses, including meal prep, for the first year while my social media following grew.
I was already making enough to pay my own way, but my father wanted me to put some into savings for a year to keep me afloat just in case it all went in the crapper.
Also, not bad advice. Who knew when this influencer thing could crap out?
Hopefully not for a very long time.
But I couldn’t cook for shit, and I had absolutely no interest in learning. I didn’t want to live off of takeout or constantly be at my parents’ house bumming dinner. “Do you really think a little flirting would make him uncomfortable enough to quit?” I asked.
“When he cooked for me, he told me he wasn’t too bothered by the flirting as long as he never felt like it meant anything. Flirting is one thing but hitting on him is another.” She shrugged. “There’s a line you have to find and not cross.”
“I thought you said you didn’t flirt with him,” I countered.
She laughed. “I did and I didn’t. I did, but somehow, we both always knew it wasn’t leading to anything. Just a light friendship.”
Well, shit. I wasn’t sure I could flirt without it leading somewhere. “That’s a skill I don’t think I have,” I muttered as I crossed the room to one of my vanities.
The apartment’s second bedroom had been converted into a studio for my makeup tutorials.
But my following was growing to the point that I had to think of ways to do more than just makeup.
I’d been reviewing skincare items, doing unboxings, sending myself mail, and pretending it was from fans so I could unbox their fan mail.
That last one felt pretty shady, but I’d seen another influencer opening boxes of gifts and I wanted people to start sending me stuff, too.
Not because I desired gifts or random items but because if people took the time and money to send me a gift, it meant they really loved me. It meant I’d truly made it.
“Bee, you don’t have Kaylee’s sex kitten personality,” Bri said.
“Meow.” Kaylee snorted. “I don’t feel very sex kitteny lately.” She patted her stomach, which was still flat as a pancake. “I know I’m not showing, but I feel like a bloated, nauseated mess.”
I chuckled. “Just wait. You’ll probably have this kid and come home from the hospital looking like you’ve never been pregnant a day in your life.”
Kaylee beamed. “From your lips to God’s ears.”
“Just keep things friendly,” Briana said. “For Heaven’s sake, don’t complicate things.”
I sighed and grabbed jeans and a tee. “Fine. But I can’t help if he sees me with my face made up and hair done. It’s my job.”
She rolled her eyes, disappearing behind my shirt after I dropped my robe and tugged on my top.
“Whatever you do, I hope he hurries,” Kaylee said. “I’m starving.”
“I thought you were nauseated.” Bri rubbed her protruding stomach. She only had three months left and was definitely already showing. “I’m starving, too.”
We made our way downstairs, Bri waddling her way down the steps. I couldn’t help but giggle. She’d been like this with Hayden, too, carrying so low that it made her walk funny.
“Stop laughing at me,” she called over her shoulder. “Wait until it’s your turn.”
Ugh. I wasn’t sure I ever wanted kids. Certainly not anytime soon.
My doorbell rang, making my heart race. I knew who was on the other side of the door and even though I wasn’t supposed to flirt, I couldn’t stop feeling excited to see him. He had the code to get into the building, so he hadn’t buzzed in.
Rushing across the living room, I unlocked the door.
“You didn’t even ask if it was me,” Wayne chided as he walked in, carrying about a million bags and acting like they didn’t weigh a pound. “Oh, hey, Kaylee, Bri.”
The man acted like this was the millionth time he’d been here, and he was so comfortable just walking in, saying hi.
“Hey, Wayne,” I said. “How are you today?”
I kept my voice soft and tried not to sound flirty or… I didn’t know, sexy? How was one supposed to sound when they were intentionally trying not to sound flirtatious?
I had no freaking clue.
We followed him to the kitchen, and his comfortable attitude disappeared when I sat at the kitchen table. “How was your week?”
Wayne’s gaze drifted back and forth from me to my sister and Kaylee. “Fine. A bit of drama at a client’s house last night, but otherwise fine.” He cleared his throat and straightened his shirt, seeming to freeze for a minute.
“I heard someone pinched your ass,” Kaylee said in a singsong voice. She furrowed her brow and stared at him. “What the hell are you doing? Cook! I’m starving.”
He snorted and unfroze and seemed to grow more comfortable the more we sat and talked to him. “Okay. Reheating instructions are written on the top of all of these meals,” he said. “Want me to put one in for you now?”
Kaylee rolled her eyes. “Why do you ask? What made you think adding pregnancy to my hunger would make me more patient?”
He stopped halfway to the freezer and glared at her. “I’m so disappointed that I’m not cooking for you anymore.”
I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing. He gave Kaylee as good as she dished, which was saying something. She sometimes overwhelmed even me with her big personality.
Wayne sent me a tentative smile, acknowledging my laughter. Maybe we’d be able to figure out a way for him to work for me and me to not try to jump his bones every time I saw him.
Damn, it was hard, though. His hair was so black it shone under my kitchen lights. And the blue eyes weren’t just blue. They were like, perfect sunny day blue. Too light to look real, but he didn’t seem the type to wear colored contacts.
Sigh. I really wanted to flirt.
Kaylee said something I missed, and I tried not to feel jealous when Wayne laughed again. His laugh was warming, almost like it washed over us, like the surf at the beach tickling my toes. I wanted to be the one who made him laugh like that. Not Kaylee.
That was petty of me. They were friends, and she was hardcore in love with Porter. She wasn’t flirting with Wayne, and he wasn’t flirting back. I was being beyond silly.
“Well, I’ve got to run,” Bri said. “I don’t have anyone making dinner for Hay and Jace. Nobody but me or Jace, anyway.”
I stuck my tongue out at her, but I knew she wasn’t mad.
Our parents had dropped everything, and we’d moved to help her hide from her disgusting ex and her daughter’s bio dad.
It wasn’t about how much they spent on either of us.
It was about them doing what we needed to get where we wanted to be in life. We both knew it and were happy with it.
I walked with my sister to the living room. “Remember what we talked about,” Bri whispered in my ear as she hugged me goodbye.
Bending, I kissed her belly. “See you later, bee-baby.” I was working on convincing Bri to name the baby after me by calling her Bee every chance I got. It might stick and she’d go with it.
Not long after that, Wayne managed to rustle Kaylee up a wrap made from a piece of meatloaf. He microwaved her piece, then put mine in the oven to warm for my dinner. I loved meatloaf, and he swore he made a wonderful one.
We’d see. I’d never had a better one than my mama’s.
With the meatloaf wrap in hand and a big napkin in the other hand, I walked Kaylee to the door, too. “Behave,” she warned as she pressed her lips together in the air next to my ear and hugged me with her free hand.
Wayne’s chuckle from the kitchen reached us at the front door. I narrowed my eyes at Kaylee, but she ignored the warning and laughed as she walked out. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she called.
That was a damn short list.
The meatloaf smell began to fill the apartment soon after that, and Wayne was still in the kitchen, rustling around.
Dad had asked him to make sure at least one meal was fully prepared for me per week, and the others available for me to easily heat, so Wayne was in there making my side dishes for my meatloaf.
I sighed and paced the living room, trying to convince myself not to go into the kitchen again. I shouldn’t bother him.
“Bianca?” he called. “Are you busy? We can nail down your menu for next week.”
Oh, thank goodness. What was it about him that made me want to be near him all the time?
“Sure,” I said as I walked into the kitchen. Wayne was already seated at the table, with a notebook open in front of him as delectable smells drifted from the other side of the room.
“Okay, so I’ve got about ten meals I’m already planning for other clients. It’s easiest if you happen to like any of them.”
I got a little distracted by the timbre of Wayne’s deep voice and didn’t even realize he’d already begun rattling off the dishes I had to choose from.
It wasn’t until he stopped talking and stared at me like he was wondering if I was a little slow that I blinked and sat up straight.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I drifted there for a second. Forgive me, can I see the list again?”
He turned the paper around, and I browsed the list. “These all look great,” I said after I’d read over it twice and still hadn’t absorbed a single one of the meals. I didn’t remember if it was cordon bleu or crap on a cracker that he had written down. “Just surprise me,” I said with a smile.
But I dropped the grin. I didn’t want him to think I was flirting. Besides, I wasn’t a picky eater, and he really was a wonderful chef. He’d pick out delicious options.
“Okay, great.” He closed the notebook and walked over the stove to stir and sniff.
I took the opportunity to stay in the kitchen.
“You seem to like simple foods,” he said.
I cocked my head at him, unsure if he was giving me a compliment or an insult.
“I do too,” he continued. Oh, okay. Compliment, then.
“When I cook for myself, I tend to make the stuff like my mother would’ve cooked when I was a kid.
Like meatloaf. Baked chicken. Maybe a lasagna. ”
I couldn’t stop my smile. “Exactly. I mean, I’ve tried some of the more complicated, fancy stuff, and I’m sure you’ll cook me plenty more, but when it comes to dinner at home, I like the comfort food.”
He flashed me a smile as he pulled the meatloaf out of the oven. “Well, you’re all ready to go here,” he said. “Your breakfast burritos are in a baggie. They just need microwaving in the mornings. The only things I didn’t cook for you are lunches and snacks.”
I nodded and watched him pack his stuff. “Thank you for doing such a great job,” I said sincerely. “I’m seriously going to pig out when you leave.”
His smile was wide and genuine as he stopped and looked at me. “That is the best compliment a chef can receive. A clean plate.”
I snorted. “I don’t know if it’ll make it to the plate.” My stomach growled right on cue, making both of us laugh.
He picked up his bags, pretty much empty now, and walked out of the kitchen. I followed to lock the door behind him.
“Well,” Wayne said. “Bye.”
I closed the door and locked it, then sighed and stared at it for a second. “Bye,” I whispered.
Why was I so damn sad that he’d left? I had a huge feast ready for me, which would definitely have leftovers—that I probably wouldn’t get to eat if Kaylee came over tomorrow.
After I ate, I still felt down. Full and sated, but down. I decided to do an unboxing on some product that had actually been sent to me by a makeup company.
I talked my way through the video, told them about my meal, and the next thing I knew, I’d told my fans about a guy I had a crush on that had no interest in me whatsoever.
Well, shit. If it didn’t work, or if it was too obvious who I was talking about, I’d find a way to edit it out. Couldn’t have word reaching Wayne that I had a big ol’ schoolgirl crush on him and having him drop me as a client.
I wanted to keep him and his meatloaf around for a long time.