Page 64 of Simmer Down
“Callum, seriously?”
My voice echoes through the hall, capturing the attention of a resort employee walking on the opposite side. Both Callum and I mutter sorry at the same time.
“If the organizers of the Maui Food Festival find out about us serving together, they could see that as fraternizing and disqualify us from the festival. I need a fair shot at that money, Callum. So does my mom. Don’t tell me you and Finn wouldn’t want a proper shot at it too.”
He blinks for a second before refocusing on me. “I understand. I want that too.”
“Then we can’t let this get out. We can’t let anyone see us together.”
He shakes his head, the muscles of his jaw pressing against the lightly stubbled skin. “Fine.”
Hot air fills the space between us. We’re both fire-breathing dragons again.
“Now how do we fix this? How do we make sure this doesn’t get out and that no one sees us?”
Leaning his head back, he closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. When he opens his eyes, there’s renewed focus in his stare.
“I’ll explain the situation to Ted.”
I shoot wide eyes at him.
Callum frowns. “I’m not going to tell him our personal stuff. God, Nikki. What kind of person do you think I am?”
I look away, fixating on a nearby plant before Callum says my name in that low growl I die for. I turn back to him.
He clears his throat. “I’ll tell Ted that things need to remain quiet because of the upcoming festival. I’ll tell him that we’re going to stay in that kitchen the entire night and that no one is allowed in other than staff.”
The invisible fist squeezing my chest loosens. “Perfect. Thank you.”
He grabs my hand, and that fist disappears completely. The warmth I felt when I woke up next to Callum in his bed resurfaces.
“It’s going to be fine, Nikki. Promise.”
I turn around and head back for the kitchen. “I hope so.”
•••
I finish plating the final deconstructedlumpiaon a small plate, then smile up at the server. “They’re ready.”
I eye the plates I’ve assembled. Each plate boasts a crispy fried wrapper at the bottom, then a generous tablespoon of flavorful ground pork sautéed with minced carrots, cabbage, and water chestnuts. It repeats for three layers, a sprig of cilantro topping each one.
I say thank you to the servers when they swipe the plates from the kitchen and file out to the dining room.
Callum flashes a thumbs-up from the stove. “Excellent job.”
A breath lodges in my throat. This is the first time I’ve had the chance to look at him longer than a few seconds since prepping and cooking began. The awkwardness of last night and this morning feels a million miles away. We make a surprisingly good cooking duo.
We prepped smoothly side by side, as if we’d been working in the same kitchen together for years. There was no bumping into each other, no crowding each other’s work spaces. Just an effortless, unspoken harmony.
The other best part: being back in a full-size restaurant kitchen. Nerves grabbed hold of me the second I started mise en place, but it all came flowing back to me the minute I grabbed that first clove of garlic and began mincing.
All I had to do was focus on the moment. Focus on the moment with the food in front of me. Focus on the moment with the man standing next to me.
Now that the appetizers are out, I can breathe. I stare at the line of empty white dishes lining the metal table in the middle of the kitchen, then glance up at Callum. We’re good again. We’re hookup buddies—friends—and temporary cooking partners. Nothing more, nothing less. And as long as I keep that at the forefront of my mind, I can indulge in a seconds-long glance at him. We’ve got fiveminutes until we start cooking the main course, and I want to take every moment to soak in the exquisite visual he’s giving me.
“You really know how to work a kitchen,” I say.
He crosses his arms against his chest. Perfectly tanned forearms jut from the rolled sleeves of his crisp white chef’s jacket. Saliva coats my mouth as I take him in. He looks like some sort of male model–chef hybrid. The relaxed way he leans against the metal edge of the stove, easy smile on his face, it’s more like a still from a glamorous photo shoot than a real-time moment in a busy kitchen.
