Page 36 of Lightness In My Dark

“Oh, she had fun all right.” I spoke for her. “Our little Wren has been hiding something from us.” Cole and Chef Dan askedwhatand I said, “She can sing. Nope! Not sing. The girl has a set of pipes on her.” We all looked at her as she ducked her head lower. “It was karaoke night, which I didn’t know about. She was fantastic! The place roared after she finished.”

Cole said, “Then it sounds more like a celebration.”

I let out a laugh. “Not so much. Kye’s girlfriend put her name on the Karaoke sheet, hoping to embarrass Wren.” My finger tapped the tip of Wren’s nose. “But Wren showed her.” Her eyes met mine. “Not only did you stick it to her, but I also enjoyed how you flipped her off.” She giggled.

For the rest of the day, we all laid around, watching television, napping, and like Wren, reading. It reminded me of our movie day—casual and chilled. I hoped to experience more of these moments with her.

Chapter 15 – Favorite Things

WREN

I still couldn’t get over Finn taking care of me when I was drunk. Because he did that with patience, I wanted to do something nice for him. He’d be gone all day, possibly choosing work over food. It was an assumption, but Finn seemed like the type to work hard and forget about lunch. Once he left for work, I hurried into the shower and slipped on some jeans and a sweatshirt, taking the stairs two at a time.

Like clockwork, Chef Dan stood in front of the refrigerator, taking inventory of his Monday shopping. I hopped up on the stool by the kitchen island, and he turned around.

“Good morning. You’re early today.”

“Good morning, Chef Dan. I—”

“Wren, you don’t have to add chef to my name. I’m good with Dan.”

I let out a shy laugh. “Okay, Dan. I wanted to ask a favor.”

He tossed the pad of paper on the counter, leaned his hands on it, and said, “Shoot.”

“Um… I… I would like to make something nice for Finn. Like his favorite meal. Would you know what he loves?”

Chef Dan’s whole body moved as he bobbed his head up and down. “Sure do. His favorite dish is Shepard’s pie.”

“I never heard of it.”

“It’s a British dish. I’ve tweaked it with different vegetables, and instead of lamb, I use ground beef. It’s a conglomerate of vegetables, ground beef, and mashed potatoes. It’s a comfort food. Once in a while, Finn loves to indulge.”

“Would you mind if I go shopping with you? I’d like to get the ingredients… and maybe you could help me prepare it?”

“No problem! I’d love the company.”

After Chef Dan completed his list, we headed to the market. He explained about when Finn hired him, Finn wanted fresh produce, along with meats and poultry. If Dan had connections to anyone who grew fresh produce without chemicals, Finn was willing to pay extra. He also wanted the same for meats and poultry. After a few stores, we headed to a family-owned farm who Chef Dan grew up with the owners. The farmer and Chef Dan educated me on how to tell what vegetables are ripe, such as what to look for in celery, one of the ingredients in Shepard’s Pie. Use the five senses.

They even gave me a tour of their farm, a short demonstration on milking cows, plus collecting the eggs from the chicken coop. From the cold, breath fog hovered in the air, then evaporated. The hard work and knowledge of the farmers was a humbling experience since I had never been on a farm before. They even offered us lunch, but we declined.

At home, Chef Dan whipped up some wonderful salmon patties with avocado and cilantro sauce and homemade sweet potato fries. He knew how much I loved seafood. Afterward, he told me about how he wanted to be a chef ever since he made cupcakes for his grammar school crush. She loved them, so she would hold his hand for more cupcakes. The story was adorable. He continued by saying he enjoyed the creative process of cooking, which pushed him to save for culinary school.

From there, he told me about how he became Finn’s private chef. He was working at a restaurant Finn frequented. One evening, he asked to talk with the chef, and after hours of food, drinks, and laughs, he offered Chef Dan the job. At first, Dan had hesitated because he wasn’t sure how demanding it would be. Working in a restaurant claimed much of his time already. In the end, he agreed and had been working for Finn for the past three-years never regretting the decision. He praised Finn as a boss and a friend. Neither took advantage of their work relationship. Finn was also flexible when Chef Dan had to take time off, sometimes Finn giving it without request. A year ago, he started a catering business with a friend.

While he talked, I diced carrots, celery, and onions for the Shepard’s pie. It was getting close to 5:00 pm, so I prepared the dish to get it ready for the oven. Potatoes boiled as I sautéed the vegetables and then added the beef. Once done, I mashed the potatoes and spread them over the beef mixture, popping it into the oven. Moments before I took the dish out, I heard Finn come home. I skipped into the foyer with a smile and a greeting.

“Jeet?”

Sometimes my Midwest slang slipped in. Finn’s tight-lipped frown made me clarify. “Did you eat?”

“Yeah. I caught a late lunch. I’m going to work out and head to bed early.”

My head bowed to hide my disappointment. He ran upstairs, and I took the dish out of the oven to cool before putting it in the refrigerator.

FINN

The next day, I made it home in time for dinner. Chef Dan was finishing prep work for the weekly meals. I opened the refrigerator and saw Shepard’s pie.

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