Page 24 of Her Summer Hope

He supposed it could be nerves. It was technically a job interview. She didn’t know that he planned to hire her as long as she turned out a meal that was even halfway decent and edible.

The kitchen was a huge gourmet affair with the latest gadgets and tools that he’d been informed were necessary for cooking for large groups of people. Industrial sink and dishwasher, giant mixers, three ranges, four ovens, a large, attached pantry, and a triple bank of refrigerators lined the wall. The worktops gleamed and the appliances were polished to a shine.

Jimmy never left the kitchen looking less than spotless.

“Here is a very small walk-in freezer, and over there is a pantry. Everything you need should be here,” he said, pointing out the features. “There’s a sous vide, a steamer, a toaster, a countertop grill, and there’s a larger grill just outside those doors.”

Kyle stopped and leaned against the large island in the center of the room, watching her inventory of the kitchen and everything it contained. “I hope it meets your approval,” he said carefully.

She cleared her throat. “It’s…perfect,” she said with a smile.

He didn’t miss the way she was clutching her hands together in front of her, her purse in a death grip. She was scared.

Of him?

“What about, um, food allergies?” she asked.

“None,” he offered.

“Menu?” she asked, eyebrows raising hopefully.

He hadn’t thought about that. “I guess Jimmy has one somewhere. Find it if you can, I’m sure he would have ordered everything he needed for it. Otherwise, I give you free creative license,” he said confidently.

“Any preferences?”

He adjusted his position on the island. “Meat. Lots of meat.”

“Meat. Right,” she echoed, not moving. “How many will be dining?”

“Five men tonight. We’re expecting another guest tomorrow and progressively more after that. The most we’ll probably ever have at once will be nineteen, except for special occasions. You’ll know about all that well in advance, of course.” He scratched his ear. “If you stay on, I mean.”

She was staring at him from the middle of the large kitchen and he realized that she was waiting for him to leave.

He gave her a quick nod. “We like to have supper sometime around six or seven o’clock. As we go on, we’ll need to develop a set schedule, but for now, we can be a little more informal.”

He realized that he was speaking as if he’d already hired her.

“I’ll leave you to it. Just press the chime button on the intercom fifteen minutes before it’s ready to give everyone time to clean up.”

“Thanks…Kyle,” she said hesitantly.

“You’re welcome, Madison.”

∞∞∞

Kyle rushed through the house and up to Aiden’s room. He knocked on the door and heard the man call for him to enter.

He stuck his head around the door.

Aiden was sitting in his chair near the window, watching the trees swaying in the breeze.

“I’m about to head out for a run. Would you like me to help you get set up outside on the back patio?”

Aiden shook his head. “I can do it myself.”

“All right. Oh, we’ve got a new cook. Hopefully, we’ll be having something a little more palatable than anchovy pizza for supper tonight.”

“One can only hope. Another bite of that and I’d volunteer for another tour in Somalia.”

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