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“His name is Max!”
???
“What are you doing?”
Genie jumped at my voice and palmed her chest. Water sloshed over the edge of the bowl in her hand and spilled to the floor.Did the woman jump at everything? I took a deep breath as I stepped into the kitchen and placed her keys on the island between us.
“I’m so sorry. I’ll clean it up right now!” she blurted.
She was so frantic, it made me nervous just watching her. Why was she so panicked? I wasn’t upset with her for spilling water, but she acted like I was.
“I was just going to make me some ramen.” She set the bowl down and walked around like she was searching for something.
“In a bowl?” I asked, then pointed toward the paper towels to the left of the stove.
“Yes. I was going to microwave them.”
“Don’t bother. I’ll make some.”
She paused with a few paper towels in hand. “Oh, okay. Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
Genie stood nearby while I retrieved a carton of eggs and a bunch of green onions from the fridge. She moved out of my way each time I walked toward the stove. I pointed toward one of the stools. “You can sit.”
And get out of my way.
“Right.” She hurried and nearly fell over Max in the short distance it took her to get around to the other side of the kitchen island. “Do you need me to help with anything?”
I raised a brow. “How often do you use a stove?”
The blush that swept across both of her cheeks was answer enough, but I still listened as she huffed. “Hey now. I might eat out mostly, but I can cook a few things. My gran would have killed me if I didn’t learn a thing or two after all those years spent in the kitchen with her.”
“Hmm.”
“I can make gravy and biscuits, meatloaf, and spaghetti…Wait, are you judging me? Can you cook more than ramen?”
I poured the noodles into the pot and looked over my shoulder at her. Her sneaky laugh and twinkling eyes told me my guest didn’t think I could cook. The reality was that I turned down a position in the family business to work in a kitchen.
“Your brother said you lost your job and home all in one swoop,” I said, changing the subject as I turned back to the stove.
“Mm-hm.”
“That’s it?”
“What about you? You have this massive cabin and live all alone with Bear—”
“Max.”
“Max.What do you do for a living?”
“I cook.”
Silence. Such a long, wonderful stretch of quiet that my mouth twitched upward.
“You cook? And afford this place?” she finally asked.
“I cook atmyrestaurant.”
