"I wonder who you're looking for every time you crane your neck to look over there?" Noreen asked and raised an eyebrow at him.
"Sam is supposed to show up," Wyatt told her.
"Who is he again?" she pretended to try and remember. "Oh, just your friendly cooking teacher. Is that right?"
"I need all the cooking help I can get," Wyatt said so he wouldn't have to say too much about what was going on between him and Sam, especially right now.
"Sure. Cooking help," she said and rolled her eyes. "Don't get me wrong. If I was in your shoes, I might be all, woe is me these cooking instructions are just too darn complicated for my poor brain to comprehend. Is there no gorgeous, young man around who could assist me?"
"Is that supposed to be an impression of me?" Wyatt asked as they went back for more stuff to carry to the shed.
"Pretty good, am I right? You thought you were looking at yourself in the mirror," she taunted him.
"I'm going to have to feed you sometime then you'll see what kind of cook I am," Wyatt threatened as he hefted another pair of boxes.
"You can't just watch a video online and follow along like the rest of us?" she said.
"Where's the fun in that?" Wyatt asked with a grin.
"I see what you mean. Why should you when you have a real, live, hot guy coming over to cook for you and cater to your every whim? You're determined not to learn how to cook so you can hold poor Sam captive," she accused him.
"Don't make me sounds so creepy when all I'm doing is dragging my feet a little. I like him and I like his cooking. Where's the crime in that?" Wyatt said though he felt a stab of misery when he thought about not seeing Sam lately.
"You have your fun. Don't listen to me. I'm probably just jealous," she told him. "And it's not like Sam is voicing any objections about being in your manly clutches. I bet that little hottie is exactly where he wants to be."
Wyatt hoped that was true. He wanted Sam to miss him just as much as Wyatt missed him.
After a few trips to the parking lot, he and Noreen had brought in all the boxes and were just coming out of the shed when Wyatt saw Sam and Lara coming over.
"And look who's here," Lara said.
"Hi. Do you know Noreen?" Wyatt asked as he beamed at Sam, but only got a pained smile in return.
"Nice to meet you outside the cafe," Noreen said and they shook hands, but she didn't leave it at that. "Wyatt was telling me all about you."
"I have been gentlemanly and discreet," Wyatt said to defend himself.
"So there is something juicy to tell," Lara said.
"No," Wyatt said but between her and Noreen, he knew he couldn't dig himself out.
"So then I shouldn't have you work together?" Lara teased them. Wyatt gave her a panicked look, and she laughed before her attitude became more businesslike as she gave them their marching orders. "OK. Looks like you two are done here. Noreen, you're on painting duty with Beth. I'm teaming up you two guys. You can thank me later."
As she led the way to where they would be working, Wyatt kept glancing at Sam, trying to catch his eye. At first Sam wouldn't meet his eyes, then he finally gave Wyatt such a mournful look that it made his heart hurt. He had to sort this out and soon.
Lara led them to a makeshift worktable behind the shed. She pointed to some stacked pieces of plywood with flowers painted on them.
"These are from the last few years. Scrape off loose paint and sand them down, then lean them against the shed and Noreen and Beth will prime them. Beth is already working on the first one," Lara said.
"What are the boys up to?" Sam asked.
"We have the kids busy making paper flowers, paper garlands and confetti," Lara said. "They are making a mess, of course."
Once the guys were all set to go to work, she and Noreen went to an area where a whole bunch of painting was being done. That left Wyatt and Sam as close to alone as they were going to get.
Before they could get to work though, Wyatt wanted to talk to Sam. "I'm so happy you came. I was afraid you might not want to work with me."
In answer Sam only glared at him steadily.
