Chapter 9
It was official: the man who could manage a global empire couldn’t manage a frying pan.
Teaching a billionaire to cook was going to be harder than I thought.
When I told Topher it was time to make dinner, he closed his laptop without protest, which was already shocking. However, he stared at the stove like it was a ticking bomb. “Just a heads-up… I don’t cook. Ever. This could end in flames.”
I blinked. “Wait, you’ve never made a meal in your life?”
Topher shrugged. “Well, before I had a chef, I was a master at PB&J and could microwave mac ‘n’ cheese like a pro. That counts, right?”
“If you think peeling the plastic off a cup of noodles qualifies as gourmet cooking, then sure. But today’s your lucky day. You’re about to discover that making a home-cooked meal can be fun.”
Topher raised an eyebrow. “Fun? Yeah, I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“But before we start, you might want to change. Cooking in a suit isn’t exactly a great idea.”
He nodded, disappearing into the hallway. When he returned, I nearly dropped the spatula. Gone was the crisp suit that he looked so good in, replaced by an old, faded t-shirt that stretched across his chest and arms, hugging his torso just right. For a second, I forgot to breathe.
“Better?” he asked, completely unaware of the effect he was having on me.
I cleared my throat, trying to sound casual. “M-much better.”
The house was so small it felt like there wasn’t an inch of space to breathe without being in each other’s way.
It was clear that if we were going to survive this, we’d need to be on our best behavior at all times.
No bickering, no snarky remarks. Which, given our constant state of verbal sparring, seemed nearly impossible.
But with Josephine resting in her bedroom, the last thing we needed was her picking up on any tension between us.
As we got to work in the kitchen, I decided it was time to multitask. “Alright, while we cook, I’m going to teach you some yoga poses to help you relax.”
Topher frowned. “Yoga? I’m not exactly the flexible type.”
I grinned. “You don’t have to be a human pretzel. I’ll just teach you a couple of simple poses that don’t need much space. We can do them while we’re waiting for the food to cook.”
He gave me a dubious look. “So, I’m supposed to strike a pose in the middle of the kitchen?”
“Exactly. It’s easier than you think. Just trust me, you’ll feel better.”
He looked at me like I was crazy, but went back to chopping vegetables. “Okay, enlighten me. How exactly is this going to help?”
“Because these poses are great for relaxing, and you can do them anytime or anywhere. Imagine this: a stressful board meeting, things aren’t going your way—boom, you hit them with a Tree Pose.”
“Tree Pose?”
“Watch.” I stood on one leg, placing the other foot against my calf, and raised my arms above my head. “This is Tree Pose. It’s all about balance. You try it, while I chop.”
He raised an eyebrow but lifted one foot, wobbling as he balanced on the other. “This feels... unstable.”
“Exactly!” I laughed. “Welcome to my world. Now focus. Find your center.”
To my surprise, he actually tried. His face shifted from skepticism to concentration, and I could see him getting into it.
“Am I doing this right?”
“Not bad for a beginner. Now, let’s try Warrior Pose. Take a wide stance, bend your front knee, and stretch your arms out. It’s about feeling strong and grounded.” I demonstrated, and he followed, though a bit clumsily.
“Strong and grounded, huh?” He looked at me sideways, but something about it must have clicked because he looked more relaxed. “Okay, I can see why this might be useful.”
I smirked. “Told you. Now imagine doing this in the middle of a board meeting. Total power move.”
“I don’t think my board would know what hit them.”
After that, he seemed more at ease, slicing the tomatoes with a jaw more relaxed than I’d ever seen it.
But then, when he was stirring a pot, his shoulders hunched, drawing up into his ears.
“Here, let me show you something.” I stepped behind him and gently placed my hands on his shoulders, guiding them down and back. “Relax your shoulders, like this.”
The moment my fingers made contact, a subtle jolt passed between us. He stiffened at first, but then melted into the touch, letting me ease the tension out of his muscles. His body was warm under my fingertips, and I could feel his breath catch before he exhaled.
“Better?” I tried to keep my voice steady, as if I wasn’t suddenly hyper-aware of how close we were.
“Yeah,” he murmured. “Better.”
Trying to shake off the moment, I moved to the oven, focusing on the chicken as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world. Once it was grilled to perfection, I tossed it into the salad bowl and grabbed the vinaigrette.
“Alright, mix it all together.” I handed him a spoon.
As the fresh, tangy smell of the vinaigrette filled the kitchen, I caught him giving the salad a slight, approving nod.
He shot me a begrudging smile. “Well, it’s no protein shake, but I guess it’ll do.”
“Not bad for your first time.”
For a moment, I forgot all the reasons why he usually drove me up the wall.
Just then, we heard Josephine call from the living room. “Is dinner ready?”
Topher and I quickly plated the salad and brought it over to the table. Together, we helped Josephine ease into her chair.
“So, Kathleen, what do you do for a living?” Josephine asked.
Topher raised an eyebrow, clearly interested in how I would handle this one.
“Oh, you know, a little bit of this, a little bit of that. You could say I’m still on the hunt for my dream job.”
Josephine was intrigued. “So, what’s the most memorable job you’ve had so far?”
“Well, there was this one time I worked at the DMV. I met so many interesting people. But I guess I was too friendly. They said I was making the experience too enjoyable for customers, so they let me go.”
Josephine blinked. “Too enjoyable?”
“Yep. I became friends with the customers, which really annoyed my coworkers. I guess I was making the DMV experience ‘too delightful.’ That’s a direct quote from my exit interview.” I shrugged, and Topher burst out laughing.
Josephine grinned. “Well, that’s a first. I’ve never heard of anyone being too delightful for the DMV.”
“Oh, it gets better.” I leaned in with a conspiratorial look.
“I once tried telemarketing. You know, those calls no one likes getting? Well, turns out, I’m terrible at it.
I was supposed to make a certain number of sales calls per hour, but I ended up just chatting with people. I didn’t make a single sale.”
Topher shook his head, clearly amused. “Not one sale?”
“Not one.” I grinned. “They told me I was the worst telemarketer they’d ever had.”
“Any other jobs?” Josephine prompted.
“Well, then there was a grocery store where I worked at a register, and I’d start talking with the customers. My lines ended up getting so long because I had my favorite people who kept coming back just to talk and to ask me for advice.”
Topher leaned back in his chair, looking at me like he was seeing me for the first time. “You got fired from a grocery store for being too friendly?”
“Apparently, I was ‘distracting from the core efficiency goals of the workplace,’” I said in my best bossy voice. “Which I think is just corporate-speak for ‘too chatty.’”
Topher’s expression lit up more than I’d ever seen, and Josephine was practically in tears from laughing.
“My dear,” she said, dabbing her eyes, “you’re a professional people person.”
“I guess you’re right.” I couldn’t help feeling a little proud of how much they were enjoying themselves. But then I glanced at Topher and felt a jolt—he was still looking at me. His gaze lingered just a second too long, and something fluttered in my chest before I could shut it down.
I looked away quickly, hoping his mom didn’t notice the blush creeping up my neck.
As I finished talking (after mentioning my stints as a dog walker, barista, and cashier at a big-box store), Josephine jumped in with her own stories. It was surprisingly easy to keep up the fake-girlfriend charade.
After dinner, I cleaned the dishes and excused myself to the bedroom.
A strange unease crept in. I wasn’t supposed to be enjoying being part of this family dynamic and spending time with Topher and his mom.
But I was. I shook off the thought and went to get my locket from my jewelry case, a small velvet pouch that had been through more moves than I cared to count.
Holding the locket always made me feel better, and I needed that comfort now.
But it wasn’t there.
I tore through my suitcase, rifling through every piece of clothing, checking every pocket, even shaking out the case’s lining. A lump was building in my throat. Where was it?
Frantic, I started pacing the room, scanning every corner, every surface. Maybe it had fallen out somewhere? Maybe it had gotten mixed up in the mess when I was unpacking. “No, no, no.”
Topher walked into the room. “What’s going on?”
“I can’t find my locket!” My voice was shaky, barely holding it together. “It’s gone. I’ve looked everywhere, and it’s just… gone.”
He stepped closer, his voice calm but serious. “What does it look like?”
I swallowed hard. “It’s small, silver, heart-shaped. It has pictures of my parents inside.”
Topher spoke authoritatively. “Let’s retrace your steps.”
We tore through the room together, checking every drawer, under the bed, even the closet, but nothing. I was starting to lose hope, my breath coming in short, uneven bursts. It can’t be gone. It just can’t.
“Maybe it’s still at your old place,” Topher suggested. “Let’s call your landlord, see if he found it.”
“Jerry?” I scoffed. “He probably won’t answer.”
Talking to Jerry would be pointless. He was the kind of guy who always had an excuse, a reason why something couldn’t be done. My frustration with him had long since reached its limit.