No fighting over us with the understanding that they’re all after the same thing.
“You’re a popular woman this afternoon,” Bella whispers in my direction as we approach the outdoor kitchen.
“I’d rather not be,” I retort.
“Who wants your attention?”
“My ex. He’s being rather persistent. I’ll have to change my phone number when I get home at this rate. He’s not taking no for an answer.”
“What does he want?” she asks, sliding into a seat at the head of the table before pouring each of us a glass of wine.
“To talk. For me to stop talking about him on the show. He’s pissed I aired his dirty laundry on national television.”
She nods in understanding, but I don’t miss the flicker in her eye. The sadness that she pushes away. She was in love with her ex, and he led her on for years. Stole time from her. Time she could have spent with someone who was actually happy to be with her. Someone who genuinely cared for her. Instead, he was selfish and only broke it off with her when it was convenient for him.
Right before they were going to take the next step by moving in together.
Dick.
“It’s fine. He can be upset. His anger is mild in comparison to how angry I was when I caught him in bed with another woman.” My words are stronger than I expected them to be.
Am I over what happened? Maybe. Am I still pissed? Yup. Because if he walked in here right now, I’d probably punch him in his throat or kick him in the balls.
The guys slowly make their way over to where we’re seated. Each of them with a signature smirk on their face. One that tells me we’re in for a good time tonight. Devious. Daring. Trouble.
Who doesn’t like to get in a little trouble from time to time?
Plus, with the way Jace’s attention is directed at me, trouble has a way of sounding like fun.
The chef makes her grand entrance moments later, pulling a cart of food behind her. Appetizers and desserts. Cheese and bread, olives, creamy dips, the works. Not to mention multiple bottles of wine.
She begins her demonstration by talking about flavors. How to pair those flavors with wine or other beverages. What the best combinations are. How to spice up bland food and how much heat is too much heat.
After she finishes with the flavor profiles, she pushes the cart away and we move into the kitchen for our first demonstration. She goes through each cooking technique from roasting to searing to panfrying.
Considering my skills mainly consist of heating food in a microwave, I give her my full attention. My focus is on the techniques I’ll need to use this week based on the simple menu I put together. Plus, I figure there’s always Google if I get stuck.
After walking us through techniques, she focuses on plating. At first, I was confused. Food on plate... simple. Um, not so much. Her food looks gorgeous. Garnishing played a big part. It seems so simple, yet it made a big difference in the way I looked at the food. Which sucks considering I wasn’t thinking about that when I made my list for Claudia, so I’m going to have to improvise as I go.
After the chef’s finished with her demonstration, she leaves us to cook our own meals. To practice. I choose the salmon as that is the dish I was most impressed with out of all the ones she cooked for us. Deciding to cook it on the stovetop, I season both sides and toss it in the pan, placing it on the burner.
Jace steps up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me close. “Wanna cook a piece for me?”
“I’m pretty sure I’m cooking you dinner tomorrow night. Why don’t you cook a piece for me,” I joke, poking him in the rib with my elbow.
“So demanding. It’s a damn good thing you’re sexy,” he replies, kissing me on the curve of my neck as he reaches over, turning the burner on.
Damn. I forgot about that part. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have been eating for a while.
Jace quickly seasons a piece for himself and adds it to the pan. I watch in awe as he pulls out another pan before thinly slicing red potatoes, then tossing them in oil and seasoning them. Once those are cooking, he flips the salmon and starts chopping veggies for a salad.
My mouth is watering by the time he begins plating, placing the salmon over the bed of greens and drizzling it with balsamic vinegar. Then he finishes the dish with the crispy potato thins, topping those with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkling everything with green onions.
Jace walks out of the kitchen with both plates. All I can do is follow like a lost puppy. He has my dinner, and I’m salivating at the thought of tasting it.
He takes a seat at the far end of the table. With four people being sent home, there are empty chairs. Most of the group has congregated at the other end giving us a hint of privacy. It’s almost like we’re alone, on a real date.
That’s when I spot the cameraman moving in closer to us.