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“I’ve loved food and cooking since I was a child. I spend most of my days experimenting in the kitchen. That’s one of the better perks of working for Magdalene. I get the chance to buy whatever ingredients I want and play with different recipes.”
I nod, trying to focus on the vegetables. I’m sure a fingertip in the salad would not be appreciated. Besides, the last thing I want to discuss is Magdalene or what I know about her. It’s still unsettling knowing Jade works for her.
Jade quickly finishes making the dressing for the salad as well as a pale-yellow sauce for the salmon. She walks over and picks up a knife next to me.
“That apron fits you nicely, but it looks like you could use a little help,” she says.
I look down at the haphazardly uneven chunks on the cutting board. “You’re right,” I admit. “I’ve never done this a day in my life, so I’m willing to take any help you have to offer.”
She grabs a carrot and slowly demonstrates the proper technique I need to use for more uniformed, bite-sized pieces.
“That’s it,” she says after returning the knife and watching me mimic what she’s showed me at a much slower pace. “You’re doing great.”
I take a quick break from my slicing and dicing to give her a quick kiss.
“Both of you are doing an amazing job,” says Chef Bradley. “Jade, for someone with no professional training you definitely have some skills. I’m sure you’ll go far in this industry if it’s something you really want to do.”
She turns bright red and smiles at the chef. “Thank you, I’ll certainly give it some thought if this nanny job doesn’t work out the way I want.”
As we finish dinner, Jade excitedly describes the recipes she’s tried and the ones she wants to attempt eventually. Who knew preparing food could make someone so happy? I think I understand how she feels, because I get the same type of rush of adrenaline when I work on a business deal. The numbers and equations may not mean very much to someone else, but each one is like a tiny rollercoaster for me. Every little nuance of closing a deal takes me on a new adventure, and I look forward to it every single time. It’s one of the reasons I work so hard, because I’m fighting to recapture that feeling until it grows old.
We take the last of the food out of the oven and plate our masterpieces. Chef Bradley congratulates us on our hard work as he packs up his knives and exchanges information with Jade.
“If you ever want to consider opportunities in the industry, I’ll gladly do what I can to help,” he says to Jade. “You have real talent that can’t be taught, but with a bit of fine tuning you’ll be running your own spot in no time. I’m going to use that lemon parsley sauce you made tonight. Now you two hurry up and dig into that food while it’s still hot, and enjoy the rest of your evening.”
I escort the chef to the door and thank him for his time before joining Jade back at the table.
“Everything smells so good,” I say. “I’m still full of ice cream, but I’ll find room for this somewhere.”
Jade smiles sheepishly as she picks up her fork. “If I would have known we were having dinner, I wouldn’t have suggested eating the ice cream first. I’m still so excited to try everything.”
We both dig in, but I pause before putting the fork to my mouth so I can see the expression on Jade’s face. She takes a big bite of the seared fish and closes her eyes.
“This tastes amazing. It’s flaky and buttery, with just enough spice,” she says before opening her eyes, fixing her gaze on me. “What’s wrong?”
I shake my head and smile. “Nothing at all. I wanted to see the look on your face when you took that first bite.”
She drops her fork on the plate and laughs. “I do that too,” she says. “I love watching people eat my food.”
I laugh along despite how she misinterpreted my words. My staring has nothing to do with the food. I like watching her, seeing her happy. Somehow her happiness has superseded mine in my priority list.
During dinner, Jade fills me in on her dream of owning a restaurant one day, and I can’t help but be further amazed by this woman. Her ambition makes her even more attractive. How could I ever fear she could be a gold digger?
“What’s stopping you?” I ask. “You clearly have natural talent, Bradley even said so.”
Jade chews for a moment as if she’s searching for the right words. “Well, I didn’t think I’d like being a nanny so much, and right now I get the best of both worlds. I spend a lot of time with an amazing little boy, I get to cook using only the finest ingredients, and I live in this amazing neighborhood I’d never be able to afford on my own. Being a nanny is what affords me such a shift in lifestyles.”
