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“Yeah. Probably not very well, but sure.”
I showed him how to cut it in half, leaving the root intact and holding the layers together for a fast chop. I showed him how to tuck his fingertips under to prevent losing them, and he set to work. He didn’t do a terrible job.
“That was cool. What’s next?” He sniffed at the onion vapors.
“Start a skillet on low heat, add those onions, and a tablespoon of butter. We’re going to sweat them, so they’re tender but not caramelized.”
“What are you making?” He nodded toward the counter.
I combined flour, milk, and softened butter for a basic pastry crust and was rolling out the dough. “Chocolate fried pies for dessert. They’ll keep for a couple of days, but it’s best to eat them pretty quick. So, we’ll only make a few.”
“You made those at the restaurant, right?”
“Yeah, you said you wanted to learn how to cook that food. Here’s the start.” I concentrated on my rolling pin instead of the man relaxing against the counter and stirring the steaming onions, legs crossed at the ankle and hair damp. “Plus, chocolate is everywhere now and cheap. Good time to use it.”
“Don’t have to convince me.” He shifted to face the sizzling skillet directly. “Any special Valentine’s Day traditions?”
“I’m a chef, Lucas. Before this, I worked Valentine’s Day, and Mother’s Day, and Labor Day, and on and on. That’s the gig. Six days a week, fourteen-hour shifts. I love to cook, but that schedule was brutal.”
He glanced back at me. “I get that. Working holidays and all-nighters can be a regular part of tech. Some guys with families make it work, but they’re usually in their thirties and well past the scramble for big dollars.”
“That why your social life is a string of easy hook-ups?”
“What makes you think my social life is easy hook-ups?”
I eyed him. “Lucas, come on. I worked where people go to socialize. I can read the signs.”
“Okay. Until recently, my priorities were my job, my family, and the farm. I was absolutely going to disappoint any girlfriend. I prefer to spend time with women when I can give them 100 percent of my attention, and I didn’t always control when that would be. No promises, no disappointment. That can’t be a bad thing.”
For a second, I imagined what 100 percent of Lucas’s attention might be like. I shook my head to clear it. “As long as you’re upfront about it.”
“I’m sure I’ve been a dick, especially when girls first noticed me. I may have had some negative influences as I tried to figure things out. But I can honestly say that’s not me. If the girl isn’t down with casual, I don’t go there. I don’t want to hurt anyone. There are plenty of women whoaredown for the one-night thing, especially on Valentine’s Day.” He smiled big.
So, he didn’t set out to hurt anyone. I bet he still did. Any woman who had her hands on that body would be reluctant to give it up in the morning no matter what she said.
I kept my focus on cutting pastry rounds. “I’m not big on Valentine’s Day. It’s unnecessary. It only serves to remind people who already have a partner that they do and remind those who don’t have one that we don’t. Why have a holiday for that? It’s cruel. I worked that day and treated it like any other.”
“Even when you had a boyfriend?”
“Not a lot of boyfriends here. Working, remember? Plus, the kitchen scene is a big hook-up pool. It’s not conducive to relationships.” That was part of my humiliation with Reef. Late nights working on new recipes and anecdotes for the cookbook, I felt seen and valued. He said we weren’t a hook-up thing, and I believed him, even though I knew better.
“Do you want your own kitchen, restaurant, someday?” Lucas asked.
“No. Personal chef is the dream. Always has been.”
“Why’s that? I mean, it isn’t like you don’t have the skills and the stubborn drive to rule a kitchen.”
There was a compliment in there, somewhere.
“I’m not in this for fame or glory. I don’t want to be the next big thing. I don’t want to think about wall colors and napkins or ad campaigns to beat the competition. I want to make good food that makes people feel good. That’s it.”
Lucas finished the stroganoff, adding the sliced beef and chopped mushrooms to the onions and remaining ingredients, including evaporated milk instead of heavy cream.
“Boil some egg noodles and top with the stroganoff for an easy weeknight main course.” I poured the contents of the pan into a storage container for the fridge.
In celebration of non-Valentine’s Day, we cooked a chocolate filling and scooped small dollops onto the rounds of fresh pastry dough. I showed him how to fold and seal them for deep frying.
After we finished all the food prep and I’d given him the recipes for the dishes we made, we each had a fried pie, hot from the grease, and a tall glass of milk. Eat dessert first, they say. Lucas was effusive in his appreciation and promised to take care of the clean-up. So, I bundled up and trudged out into the night with a wave and a “you take care.”
