Chapter 5
Noah showered and dressed quickly the next morning, actually looking forward to talking with Caitlyn.
Zoe had called her the team support for the games, and he’d scrutinized her interactions with the other interns and even himself.
Caitlyn’s behavior reminded him of the girl he’d first met and fallen for two years ago.
Last night, he’d resented how she told him not to get tilted, thinking her a hypocrite.
She’d proved him wrong. Over the evening, her behavior matched her statement, and she hadn’t given in to anger.
She was just as passionate about the game as he was, but to her, it was only a game.
He hated to admit it, but he could learn from her attitude.
As Noah approached the kitchen, the smell of boxty greeted him. His stomach rumbled. He stepped into the room and found both Sona and Caitlyn busy at work.
“Ah, my darling of a cousin,” he cried, dashing over to give Sona a kiss on the cheek, “my prayers have been heard and you’ve made Granny’s boxty recipe.”
Zoe poked her head out of the large pantry. “Boxty? I thought they were pancakes.”
“They’re what Americans would call Irish potato pancakes,” Sona said, her expression nostalgic. “Noah’s grandmother and my grandmother were sisters. Though they weren’t raised together, they both had the same family recipe.”
“And a fine recipe it is too.” Finn sniffed as he entered the kitchen and rubbed his hands. “‘Tis like a bit of home whenever Sona takes sympathy on two starving students.”
“You can help set the table.” Caitlyn handed him a stack of plates. “This is our first team-building activity.”
“Setting the table?” Noah teased, reaching over her head to pull down a pitcher.
“You know what I mean. Making a meal together.” Caitlyn poked him in the side.
After he almost dropped it on her, he said, “Careful there, my girl.”
Noah found himself caught in the gaze of her gray-blue eyes, big enough to swallow a man. His mind flooded with memories of other times she had captivated him, along with the warm softness of her lips. Almost of its own volition, his body leaned closer.
Her cheeks flushed, and Caitlyn’s breathing turned rough.
What was he doing to let her get to him like that again? His nerves tight with awareness of her proximity, Noah stepped back with the pitcher and turned to Sona.
“What will you be wanting in this?” His hand trembled a little as he held it up, but fortunately his cousin wasn’t looking at him.
“Orange juice this morning.” She flipped a boxty. “Caitlyn, you were talking about using cooking for team-building activities. Tell us more.”
“For one,” Caitlyn said as she washed a cantaloupe she had picked up, “I’m sure you noticed how effective the snack breaks after the games last night were for bringing us all together.”
She glanced at everyone in the room—but Noah.
“Humans are social creatures,” Caitlyn continued, “and we love to mingle around food. Whenever I’m asked how to get more people involved in a charity event, I tell them what my dad always says: If you feed them, they will come.
Especially guys.” She looked at Noah then, the corner of her mouth twitching.
He used to love when she would tease him.
“I’ve never heard a truer statement,” Eve said from the doorway where she stood holding her son Bruce, the name inherited from his Scottish grandfather along with his red hair.
Noah made a face at the toddler, who giggled.
“Sadly, Darius and I can’t stay for breakfast,” Eve said. “We wanted to thank everyone for the fun games last night. Good luck with your assignment.”
“Bye, everyone.” Darius poked his head in and waved before leaving with his wife.
For a second, everyone stood around as though unsure what to do next. Noah decided to guide it back to the topic.
“Caitlyn, tell us more about the meals,” he said, opening the industrial-sized refrigerator to retrieve the juice. “I’m wondering if ‘twould be good for building trust to have the retreaters compete while they’re cooking.”
“It would depend on the group dynamics. It might work with some. I was thinking about bringing in a chef to teach a class.” She shot Noah a quick glance but looked away just as fast. Was she being coy?
That would be the Caitlyn that Keven talked about.
She cut the cantaloupe into bite-sized chunks, saying, “If the group is small, everyone could learn how to make the same dish.”
“What about a large group?” Kayn asked from where he leaned against the doorjamb as though he’d been listening.
Caitlyn blinked, her hand jerking. She took a breath before continuing. “You could split them into teams to make different courses. It would be more about working together to create something everyone could enjoy.”
“I like that idea,” Heath said, picking up the stack of napkins he’d been folding. “The prize would be a shared meal. Like this breakfast. It’s similar to how music, art, and champion lore all have to come together with programming for the gameplay to work.”
“Aye,” Finn nodded. “If any one of those is off, ‘twould mean a bad experience for players.”
“Perfect analogy. And now we get to share our meal.” Sona lifted the platter full of boxty. “Let’s eat.”
Later, Caitlyn couldn’t help grinning as the nine of them made their way across the street to Central Park. They were finally getting to put into practice what they’d discussed on the flight to New York City, each assigned a location in the park to visit and assess for future activities.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better day,” she said.
“A perfect summer day.” Zoe pointed to the zoo. “Any ideas for a team-building activity there?”
“How about a scavenger hunt?” Max asked.
“But ‘twould need a purpose.” Noah’s expression turned thoughtful.
“I’m sure we’d have to get the zoo’s permission,” Caitlyn said. “Their staff might even have suggestions, like activities for a service scavenger hunt where participants get a list of simple acts like washing windshields, yardwork, and the like.”
“Hey, I found a bench.” Heath jogged over to it and snapped a picture of the small plaque on top of the backrest.
“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin. Shakespeare,” Zoe said. “Nice.”
“Don’t forget, everyone needs to find one,” Caitlyn called. “People have adopted about a third of the benches in the park and put sayings on them.”
“Extra points if you find more than one quote,” Noah said. “Remember, we’ll be discussing your finds at dinner tonight.”
“And why it’s important to you,” Caitlyn added.
Noah winked at her, and she glanced away, not sure how to take him. He couldn’t seem to decide about her. She’d thought she’d made peace with losing him two years ago, but then he would look at her the way he had when they dated. Like breakfast that morning.
She shivered, confused. She accepted that she still had feelings for him, but she had to limit them. Her life was crazy enough at the moment. Falling for Noah again was a really stupid idea.
It was too bad her heart wasn’t listening.
But Caitlyn wouldn’t think about it. Pulling out her phone, she added the zoo scavenger hunt to her list.
With her heightened awareness of his proximity, it would be a long day.