Page 47 of Wife Unwanted
"What? Was it not obvious?"
"Nah uh." She was still stupefied.
It was so obvious it seems like my father saw it too.
"Why didn't you do anything about it?"
"I don't know. I was young and dumb. It doesn't matter, anyway. You had eyes for Chester and never cared to look my way."
"I liked you too," she said in a small voice.
I extended my hand over the table and took hers into mine. "Is that true?"
She nodded.
"If only things worked out differently, huh?"
She took a deep breath and withdrew her hand. "Carey. I have something to say to you."
The door to the apartment opened, and we both went still as we heard the sounds of someone strolling in. I got up to see who it could be. Thalia followed. The sound of the footsteps traveledto the kitchen, and I followed it. We got there to find the chef putting food onto the counter.
"Why are you here?" I said.
Startled and stammering, the chef said, "T-to make dinner."
"You didn't get my message? You're off for today."
"Oh." She looked down at the bags of food on the counter as though wondering what she was going to do with them.
"You can leave the food we'll cook. I'll even pay you for today."
After she was gone, Thalia folded her arms and leaned against the door frame. "We'll cook?"
"I will cook."
She laughed.
"Do you know how?"
I've never cooked in my life. The most I knew to do in a kitchen was boiling water and frying an egg. "I have an inkling. We could go out."
She got off the entrance and entered the kitchen. "Leave it up to me. I haven't cooked in a while, anyway."
Thalia made her way to the counter and perused the ingredients the chef came with. Her eyebrows perked as she took out each food item. "I don't think I can cook whatever your private chef had in mind, but I could do something edible."
"Do whatever you want." I went to the cupboard and took out two aprons. I put mine on and threw her the other one. She caught it, frowning. "I am joining you," I explained."Might as well learn how to cook. It's either now or never."
"Carey Hawthorne wants to cook? Hell has frozen over. But if you're going to learn, I'm not going to teach you how to saute…" she lifted a box and read, "truffles. It's going to be food I am accustomed to."
Thalia instructed me to take out a board and chop some vegetables while she went to the cellar to get some wine. I chopped them diligently while she cooked rice and somethingelse that had a chicken aroma. Chicken Stock? After a while, she went away and when she came back; she had a bottle of Savignon Blanc in her hand.
"What are we making chef!"
She rolled her eyes as she peered over my shoulder. She looked impressed. "I have to be honest. I didn't even think you'd be able to cut so well."
"You wound me, chef."
She tapped my back with the wine bottle and went to the stove. I watched as she methodically stirred the pot. "Are the mushrooms done?" she said. I went to her side with a bowl of diced mushrooms and handed it to her.
