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She pushed lightly at my chest. “Because everyone agreed to go, and the girls got babysitters. Come on. It’ll be fun.”
I groaned. “My feet hurt, and I’d rather stay in and watch a movie.”
“You sound like an old man. Come on.”
I followed her out the door, grumbling. It was a nice evening, so we walked. Kat was wearing heels but swore she’d be fine. We arrived at Simply Cook It a few minutes before the class started. Duke was at the front station with a date, and Will was alone at the station behind him. The last station on their side was open, and Kat put her jacket and purse on the table.
Peter and Kate, Mindy and Frank, and Laney and Jacob occupied the three stations on the other side of the room.
“Where is your date?” I asked Will.
“What date? You know I don’t do dates. I don’t like to give the wrong impression. Besides, I’m here to expand my repertoire and cook, not entertain.” He laced his hands together and pushed them out in front of him.
I rolled my eyes.
“Rebecca is here by herself,” Kat said from behind me.
I turned and smiled, but it quickly faded. Rebecca looked different. Her normal smile and cheer were missing, and I wondered what had happened.
“Where’s Luke?” I asked.
She flinched and then tried to cover it with a fake smile. “We broke up.”
“What?” I asked. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine. I’ll explain later.”
“Will, Rebecca needs a partner, so she’s joining you. Be nice or I’ll kick you in the dick,” Kat said. I laughed, and Will grinned.
He turned toward Rebecca. “Care to join me?”
“Not really, but it seems I don’t have a choice.”
Will barked out a laugh and moved over so Rebecca could set her things down. “You should feel lucky to join me.”
“Please. You’re just a pretty face and possibly a good lay. But your mouth makes the rest unenjoyable.” Rebecca folded her arms over her chest. Her eyes danced with mirth, and a smile pulled at her lips.
Will laughed again. He turned and wiggled his eyebrows at me. “She’s feisty. I like it. Thank you, brother.”
“Be nice to her,” Kat warned.
“Oh, I will.”
Rebecca pushed Will’s shoulder, and he chuckled. She seemed to hold her own against Will, and it impressed me. I had heard that they were friends and working closely together at her restaurant. Will was helping her with some things. So most of the banter between them was all in good fun.
Evelyn clapped her hands, drawing everyone’s attention to the front. “Let’s get going, shall we? Welcome to Simply Cook It. Tonight we’ll be cooking braised beef in a red wine sauce with mushrooms served over noodles. I’ve paired it with a wine that is in your station. You may now uncork it and pour yourselves a glass. I find that drinking wine while cooking makes things better.”
Bottles popped as we all uncorked our wine. I poured myself and Kat a glass.
“For dessert, you’ll make cheesecake with a strawberry topping and fresh whipped cream. If you are all ready, let’s begin. Follow my instructions, and you’ll have a delicious meal.”
She directed that last part at Frank. Mindy snickered beside him, and he scowled at her. Before the twins were born, Mindy and Frank had attended one of Kate and Peter’s wine tasting classes, and Frank started a fire in his kitchen. He had never lived it down.
ONCE WE GOT STARTED, the night went well. Kat and I moved around each other like we were doing a well-choreographed dance. When Kat wasn’t assisting, she was sitting on the counter swinging her feet and sipping wine. Enjoying herself and the evening. I fed her spoonfuls of our meal to taste test. Then I did a little taste testing myself. From her lips.
Rebecca and Will were ribbing each other, and it was every bit as entertaining as I thought it would be. They fought for control of the kitchen and almost burned a few things. There was lots of shoving and cursing and at one point, Rebecca threatened to leave. Will gave up some control once he realized how upset she really was, which helped her to calm down a little.
“I think they finally found some sort of rhythm,” Kat said, giggling.
