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“What’s the prize?” One of the other boys asked.
Neil crossed his arms over his chest. “Does it matter?”
“Hell, yes,” the boy in blue sang out.
“Fine.” Neil relented. “A gift card…to…Williams-Sonoma, so you can buy some cooking things.”
Groans.
“With such a warm reception to that idea, I think we’ll keep it. Williams-Sonoma it is.”
Neil began his instruction with rigidity. After a few minutes he loosened up, but not much. The kids asked questions and Neil responded giving them exactly the information they were looking for, and nothing more.
He stood at the counter and picked up the knife, instructing the kids on the best way to cut a shallot. The apron covered his chest and waist, highlighting his muscular arms. He sliced through the tiny bulb in perfect, consistent strokes, his bicep and forearm clenching for a split second on his down cut.
She lifted her gaze from the perfectly diced shallot to Neil’s face. He was staring right at her, talking, chopping and disarming her with those eyes she wanted to stare into all night long.
For the second part of the lesson, Neil asked the group to split up. Girls at
one station, boys at another. Which was the best move he could have made as far as information collecting went. Teenage girls liked to gossip, didn’t they?
“He doesn’t like girls,” Selena said.
“What are you talking about?” Carson knew for a fact he liked girls. He liked them a lot.
“Look at him.” Larissa pointed to where Neil shot the shit with the boys. Pats on the back were exchanged.
“He barely stands five feet away from us and always asks us to move out of the way before he helps us with anything.”
“Maybe he’s gay,” Selena said.
“He’s not gay,” Carson blurted. She cleared her throat and continued on peeling carrots. He didn’t seem to have any trouble being near her, close to her, letting his hand scrape her skin.
“Is that why you’re here?” Larissa’s face changed in an instant from curious to excited. “Are you two hooking up?”
“Hooking up? Don’t be silly.” She wasn’t disclosing such personal information to a kid. “I’m just the chauffeur.”
“And the fact that he’s different today?” Selena asked. She leaned across the counter. “Are you dat—”
“No!” Carson blurted the word causing Neil and the three boys to look over.
Neil Harrison was one hundred percent not gay. But the fact that he took such a hands off approach with the girls was curious.
“We’re not dating, but there’s no way he’s gay.”
“All right, chica. I believe you”
They weren’t together. Any togetherness they shared was strictly for his safety to keep him from succumbing to his own demons. Carson snorted under her breath. If anyone should be pitied it was her. She was way in over her head with Neil Harrison. And if she wasn’t careful, she’d risk losing more than her reputation. As soon as the grand opening was finished, Carson would move on to bigger and better things.
“Maybe you should care because in five years, if he’s still single, I’ll totally make a move,” Selena said.
“Everything all right here?” Neil had walked over to their station and inspected their progress with his normal scrutinizing look.
“We’re getting things done, Chef,” Selena answered.
“Looks more like girl talk to me.”
“Of course not, Chef.” Carson responded. She looked down at the strawberries she was tasked with cutting for the tart. She looked over at the boys table and her slices didn’t look anything like theirs.
