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Chapter Seventeen
Hill followed Andi into the test kitchen as she flipped on the lights. The space was bright and modern, with an all-white kitchen and professional-grade stainless-steel appliances on the left and an area for a camera and chairs for spectators on the right.
“They keep things pretty neutral so that people can dress up the kitchen how they want for their videos,” Andi explained. “Or for live demos. That’s why the chairs are there. Sometimes Lucinda, the head of WorkAround, will bring in a local chef to teach us a few things as a perk for renting here.”
“This is a really great setup,” Hill said, taking it all in and running his hand over the white quartz countertops. The appliances alone were a cook’s dream. At the firehouse, the outdated equipment had required a hope and a prayer that something wouldn’t break down in the middle of a cooking session.
“I’m going to put my phone on a tripod,” she said. “Why don’t you double-check that we have what we need. I looked up the recipe for dragon noodles and got those ingredients, but they also stock staples here in the fridge and pantry if you need other things.”
“Thanks.” Hill went to work checking what they had and tried to ignore the fact that Andi was setting up a camera.
He hated the idea of being on video and was sure he’d be about as smooth as sandpaper on film, but he wasn’t going to think about that right now. Andi had arranged this in an attempt to do something nice for him, and the sentiment of that had hit him right in the gut. He’d meant what he’d said to her. The woman wassweet. In a way he’d never experienced.
From the very beginning, before the hanging out and the kissing and the touching, she’d set her sights on cheering him up. Bringing brownies over. Offering to plant flowers. Inviting him to watch movies with her. He’d initially perceived it as charity, as her feeling sorry for him, but the more he was around her, the more he realized that notion was misguided. She hadn’t straddled his lap and came against his hand as charity. She hadn’t invited him tonight to be nice. Shewantedto spend time with him. But she alsosawhim.
Even when he tried to fake being okay, she saw through it. She knew he was fighting some demons, and she was showing him she wasn’t scared of that. She’d stand by his side as a friend and help him fight. And she did it without acknowledging what an extraordinary thing that was—to do that for someone she’d only met two months ago.
But maybe that was because she had been there—was still there on some level—with her own demons. He saw the shadows cross her face when she talked about her past. He’d seen the fear bubble up when she talked about sex. Maybe she saw through his bullshit facade because she knew how to wear one, too. They were shopping at the same costume shop.
He vowed in that moment that this wouldn’t be a one-way street. She was trying to help him, but he was going to be there for her as well. She wanted to learn how to trust a man again? Well, he was going to be the most trustworthy guy who ever lived. No more holding back with her. Honesty about who he was and what he was going through. Even if it was ugly or embarrassing. That was what he could give her.
“Are we all good?” Andi asked from behind him.
He shut the double-door fridge and turned around. “You did great. Everything’s here, plus some extras.”
Andi grinned and did a little fast clap. “Yay. I’m ready to learn. And I hope it’s a quick-cooking thing because oh my God am I hungry.” She cocked a thumb toward the tripod. “I’m already recording.”
He eyed the phone like it was a bomb ready to go off. “I can’t promise I’m going to get this right on one video take. Or twelve.”
She waved a hand. “Oh, don’t worry about that. I’m going to record us in one long take, and I’ll edit and piece it together. So if we mess something up, we’ll just pause and do it again. This is just for fun. My followers aren’t going to expect it to look like a show on the Food Network.”
He nodded. “Got it.”
She grabbed a blue-striped apron off a hook on the wall and looped it around his neck. “Let’s do this, Chef.”
He smirked as he tied the apron around his waist. “I don’t know why you’re putting the apron on me. You’re the one who’s going to be cooking.”
“True.” She peeked over her shoulder at the camera. “Pray for us, y’all.”
And with that, they were off and running.
Andi talked to the camera while Hill set things up. “Hey, everyone, today I have something a little different for you. After a long night of recording a podcast about a really sad case, my friend Hill offered to come by and feed me to cheer me up.” She looked over at Hill and gave him a little wink. “Isn’t he thesweetest?”
Hill chuckled under his breath. Andi wasn’t going to let go of that word. “I’m downright adorable.”
“Yes,” she agreed, looking pleased that he was playing along. “Yes, he is. And lucky you, I’m going to share him and his skills with you tonight because I’m sure I’m not the only one who could use a little help not setting her kitchen on fire.”
“I’m prepared for that, too,” Hill said, arranging items on the kitchen island next to the thick butcher-block cutting board.
Andi reached out and put her hand on Hill’s shoulder, making him pause in front of the camera. “Yes, this handsome guy is also a retired firefighter, so no one need worry for the surrounding villagers. We’re all safe here.”
A wave of awkwardness crashed over him at the thought of anyone watching this, but he took a breath and tried to center himself.This is just cooking.He finished laying out all the ingredients on the counter and tried to imagine he was teaching an impromptu class at the firehouse, that there were only friends in the audience.
He turned to Andi, giving the camera a side view. If he focused on her, he’d be all right. “Before you start cooking, you want to make sure you have everything you need for the recipe. If you’re missing something, you can google substitutions so that you’re not caught off guard when you get to that step.”
Andi opened a spice bottle of red pepper flakes and gave it a little sniff. “Whoa.” She blinked. “That’s going to be hot. How do you know if it’s okay to substitute something?”
Hill took the bottle from her. “Don’t inhale those or you’re going to be hating life.” He set the bottle down. “With substitutions, you’ll develop a feel for that the more you cook. Unless you’re baking, most of the time, substitutions won’t be catastrophic, but they may change the flavor profiles, so look for things that keep the heart of the dish.” He picked up a bottle of sriracha sauce. “For this dish, your key flavor profiles are sweet and spicy and Asian-inspired. So if you don’t have sriracha, you can experiment with a different hot sauce. If you don’t have brown sugar, you can use white sugar or honey. But something like the soy sauce is more integral, and it will change the profile if you switch it out.”
