Page 98 of Burn for You

He uses the spatula in his hand to collect some of it off the top before smoothing it over again. “Is that okay?”

“It’s great.” I mean it.

Nico has a natural talent for food. For something I was taught by my nonna, he has a natural knack for knowing what to do and how to do it. Don’t even get me started on the odd flavors he puts together that justwork.

“Thank you for sharing this with me.” I just nod in response. “I’ve never really tried to make many desserts,” he says as he walks over to grab the crumble that's sitting in the fridge. “I love dessert, don't get me wrong, but I never really tried my hand at making any. I’ve mostly stuck to savory.”

“The thing with desserts,” I say from the other side of the counter, “is that it's all about proportions. They need to be correct if you want the customer to get the perfect mix of flavor, texture, and visual appearance all in one spoonful.” I grab a handful of the crumble out of the bowl. “Now we would usually put a crumble in something like a cheesecake, but in this case, it adds that crunch that we are looking for.” I sprinkle it over the top, just enough to get a taste of that biscuity flavor in every bite, combined with the mellow tones added by the white chocolate mixed into the crumble. It’s simple, but so good.

“Time to put that blow torch to use.”

Nico lets out a breath. “Okay. How do Inotburn it?”

I chuckle. “You'll be fine. Just start with it further away and get closer until it browns comfortably.”

“Okay.” He switches the torch on, cautiously bringing it closer to the dessert until it starts to brown, the meringue forming a crispy top layer, and the crumble turning darker in color, enhancing that crunch even further.

Just when I go to tell Nico it’s enough, he stops, letting out another breath. “Is that enough? Too much?”

“It’s perfect.” The smile he gives me is infectious. “Now, before it gets cold, bring me the rest of that filling.”

He does as I ask, grabbing the discarded piping bag and bringing it to where I now stand in front of the anti-griddle. A machine that basically freezes whatever you put on top of it in an instant.

“This is where we add another element,” I say, grabbing the piping bag from him. “Temperature.”

Nico stays silent as I pipe the lemon filling onto the top of the element, creating crisscross shapes and little pearls of that zingy lemon flavor before I put the bag down and instead pick up a little metal spatula.

“Grab the bowl,” I say, fully concentrated on getting these decorations off the element without snapping them.

“Here,” he says as he appears next to me with the bowl of our deconstructed lemon meringue.

“This step has to be timed perfectly. We want the meringue to stay warm, but not so hot that these little guys melt on contact,” I say as I drop the pearls on the top of the dessert.

“Wow,” he says as I finish it off with the crisscross decorative pieces.

I look up to see him staring at me in wonder and I can't help but think that this is that feeling. That spark I’ve been missing, it’s here in this room teaching this kid how to make what to me seems like a simple dessert, but what to him could be something he takes home and shows his family, and maybe they’ll look at him with the wonder that’s in his eyes right now as he looks at me.

“Shall we?” I say, pulling two spoons out of the door and handing one to him.

That wonder turns into a greedy smile. “Fuck yes.”

chapter thirty-five

MAY

“See you tomorrow, May!”Molly yells as she walks away.

I salute her. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” I yell back.

“That’s a very small list!”

I chuckle as she skips off into the night. Molly is meeting friends from the UK in the city tonight, so the last half hour of my shift consisted of her trying to convince me to lock up early. We didn’t have anyone come in after ten thirty, so I finally gave in.

I’m turning the key in the lock when my phone vibrates in my pocket. When I see Isla’s face pop up on the screen, I answer immediately. I’ve barely seen her in weeks. With her and Caio tangled up in their engagement and me tangled up with Rafael, we haven’t spent any quality time together in way too long.

“Hey, sunshine.”

“Hey! I’m at your place, where are you?”

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