Page 210 of How to Kiss a Hawthorne Brother
The thought seems ridiculous now, Lennox’s dismissal echoing through my mind.
Just stay out of my kitchen, Chef. And I’ll stay out of yours.
Me and Lennox?
Ha. Good joke, Tatum. Good freaking joke.
Another set of footsteps sounds on the stairs, and this time itisLennox. The sleeves of his chef’s coat are pushed up, his forearms flexing with the effort of holding an enormous box in his arms. The box is bigger than both the ones his brothers were carrying, the word BOOKS written across the side in thick, black Sharpie.
Somehow, I know Lennox picked that box on purpose.
To show me that he could—to demonstrate that if this were a competition,Icouldn’t have carried my heaviest box up the stairs by myself.
And that smug look on his face. I know that look. I saw it every time he scored higher on an exam or managed to garner the highest praise in kitchen evaluations. It’s a look that says,You can’t touch me, Tatum Elliott.
My jaw tightens reflexively. So this is how he wants to play it.
When I took this job, I hoped we’d be able to move past whatever tension kept us at each other’s throats and get along like professionals, if not friends. I hoped we might be able to laugh about how immature we were, how silly our competitiveness made us.
Back then, if I’d had a choice between being second to Lennox’s number one or tenth to Lennox’s number eleven? Oh, give me tenth place, baby. Winning wasn’t nearly as important asbeating him.
But I can’t keep up that dynamic now. I just walked out on my entire career—all the connections, the opportunities. I didn’t exactly burn bridges, but I’d rather avoid crawling home with my tail between my legs, thank you very much. Especially since that’s exactly what my father expects me to do.
Like it or not, Ineedthis job to work out. At least for now.
If Lennox is still gunning for a fight, I just have to chooseto react differently.
BecauseI’mdifferent now. More mature. More self-aware.
I almost have myself convinced when Lennox lowers my box onto the floor like it’s filled with feathers instead of books. And there’s that look again, his lips tilting up into a sly, taunting grin.
That’s when I open my big, stupid mouth.
“So, I have to stay out of your kitchen, but you get to waltz right into my apartment uninvited?”
I have no idea where the retort comes from. Old habits die hard, I guess.
Lennox lifts an eyebrow. “The way your dog waltzed into my kitchen uninvited?”
I scoff. “Can you blame him, really? I think you might be taking the idea offarm-to-tablea little too seriously, Lennox.”
He smirks and folds his arms across his chest. “Maybe it’s just that we do things a little differently . . .out here in the sticks.” He says this last part pointedly, and I immediately recall the number of times I insulted him based on where he grew up.
Where I come from,I always said, all full of sanctimony and condescension. Like I had so much more experience than he did.
It’s not lost on me that even though Ididhave more experience, even though I was the one given more opportunities after graduation, he’s the one who has the career I envy.
I saw press releases about Lennox’s restaurant online. I scoured the internet for anything I could find about him after accepting this job, and that included reading his menu at least a dozen times.
But I wasn’t prepared to see the place in person.
Before Toby turned into Satan’s minion and demolished Lennox’s kitchen, I stood by the bar, open-mouthed, and gawked. Hawthorne is perfect. Gorgeous rock work lining the entryway, a tasteful, casual elegance in the dining room. And if OpenTable reviews are any indication, it isn’t just the atmosphere that makes it that way.
I shake my head, irritated that I still find his success so irritating. I should be over this by now. When I decided to take the job, I thought Iwasover it.
Still, it’s oddly thrilling to be doing this with him. My pulse is racing, adrenaline coursing through me like it always did whenever we sparred back in school.
I take a step toward him. “You’re saying a goat in your kitchen is a regular occurrence?”
