Page 6 of Go Cook Yourself
“It would help if you didn’t try and catch falling knives or—”
Ruby stands and faces me. “I checked the diary, and it said it was a children’s party. I set out the room wrong. I thought I’d try baking with them. They were all asking for you, but you were late, which you could have warned us about. You’re not perfect. Right now, you’re far from it. You could try acting less like a petulant child.”
“You shouldn’t be working here,” I retort. I’m being ridiculous. But I need this job to get Cookie back and to regain some self-respect. Pissed off clients mean bad reviews and no customers for our classes. “I am going to sort out this mess. I will put on my charm to keep everyone happy.”
“That has to be seen to be believed. I’ll have to run out to all the local villages to tell them how great your transformation can be,” she mumbles.
“How about you do that and never return?” I snarl. “And don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out.”
As I leave the reception area, Kath says, “Ruby, do you need a moment? Maybe go and sit in your car for a second.”
“Hopefully, space will help me forget that jerk.”
I turn back and glare. I’ll show her how much of a jerk I can be to her while I charm all the ladies to ensure we get their return business and keep our reputation. I give myself a shake, push my shoulders back, and force my fakest smile as I enter the kitchen.
“Ladies, it’s time to get your cook on. Are you ready to make the best meal you’ve ever eaten?”
Chapter Four
Ruby
I grip my bandage tightly against my finger. My fingers flick at the corner of the plaster, keeping it secure. The cookery day with the retired businesswomen is into its second hour, and it’s finally going well, but I can’t stop peeling this thing.
Garett Kelsey, number one on my list of hot chefs, stares at me, but his wild eyes and snarling mouth don’t dampen his sexiness one bit. It’s impossible to look away from the hint of a beard that highlights the sharp cut of his jawline. His big brown eyes are mesmerising. None of that matters, though, because the guy is a grade-A arsehole.
The day has only improved for clients because of his charm and cooking skills. My day continues to get worse. I want to tell him that I’m not useless in the kitchen and that it was anxiety that caused my accident. I should have smoothed over our argument earlier, too, for Amber and the cookery school’s sakes, but he won’t talk to me.
He rolls his eyes before returning to his focaccia dough. That’s the most attention I’ve had from him since he shouted at me.
“Keep folding it like this,” he says to the ladies gathered around him. His smile is broad and welcoming. “Now, you want to really stretch the dough. Imagine you’re on a date with a young suitor, and you’re seducing him with your hands.”
One of the women giggles.
“Marjorie over there knows what I’m talking about,” he says with a wink.
I study his broad hands and thick forearms as he works the dough. His muscles are taut with each movement. My gaze travels up his arms to his swollen biceps. No chef should look like he does.
Ruby, all men are dicks, remember? Especially this one.
“Now, ladies, I want to let you into a secret,” he says. “Come closer.”
The ladies instantly do as he requests. His apron, displaying the cookery school’s cloud logo, is wrapped around him in a way that highlights his frame. Mine makes me feel a bit more homely than it does sexy, but his clings to his washboard stomach.
“I had a lot of fun experiences when I worked in kitchens when I was younger,” he reveals in a voice so seductive I have to stop myself from staring in shock.
He’s as gorgeous as social media suggests. His eyelashes frame his big brown eyes, and his whole face lights up when he smiles. It’s as if everyone in the room stops breathing to soak up his presence.
His voice drops to a rough timbre. “My favourite customers were ladies more mature than me. One night, after we closed the restaurant, a couple of infamous actors stayed for a lock-in.”
Betty, one of the pensioners who’s given him the eye for the last hour, gasps.
“One of the actors was stunning. So beautiful, the kind of woman who has wisdom and experience. It gave her that glow that was impossible to resist. She was absolute trouble, too. Within minutes of locking the doors, I was dancing on the bar with her.”
“Who was it?” Betty asks.
He cocks his finger, and Betty shuffles closer. His eyes twinkle. “Surely, you know that a gentleman never tells.”
The group giggles while jostling each other. One of them fans themselves as he pulls and stretches the dough. I lick my lips, my head tilting as I stare at the slow and gentle way he grips it.