5
FREYA
Iwalk into my parents’ house to see them both grinning at me.
“What?” I ask as Dad closes the front door and comes to stand beside Mom.
“He’s a keeper,” Mom gushes. “He just got out of the car and opened the door for you.”
I roll my eyes. “He was just being a gentleman. He probably does it for everyone.”
All four of their brows shoot up.
“Oh, stop,” I say as I spin toward the stairs.
“Are you coming back down? We want to hear everything,” Dad says.
“You sound like a stalker.”
“Well, it’s not every day my daughter spends the evening with Cole Hansley in his apartment.”
“As his chef,” I call back. “Don’t get excited. I’m not planning on having his babies.”
I shake my head the second the words leave me. At least I didn’t say that in front of him, unlike tonight’s many other foot-in-mouth moments.
The moment I’m in my room, I kick my shoes off and strip out of Mom’s dress. It’s…a nice dress, but it’s far from my style. It did the job this evening, though. Not that I really think Cole cared about what I wore. All he’s worried about is how I cook, not how I look.
When I check my cell, I predictably have messages in my group chat with Casey and Parker, but it’s my cousin Summer’s I open. After replying to let her know it all went well and that I officially have a new job, I head back downstairs.
I find Mom and Dad sitting at the dining table with steaming mugs of tea and excited, expectant expressions on their faces.
“I’ve already made you a tea,” Mom says, stopping me from distracting myself by making a drink.
“And we have your cookies,” Dad adds, pointing to the tin in the middle of the table.
With little choice but to join them, I pull a chair out and wrap my hands around the mug waiting for me.
“So…” Mom urges.
A smile pulls at my lips. “I start in the morning.”
“Oh, Freya,” she cries as she jumps from her seat and wraps her arms around my shoulders. “I knew you’d get it.”
I’m fairly certain I agreed to take the job in Casey’s kitchen the night of Parker’s surprise party, but I didn’t inform my parents about it. I’m not sure they’d understand. Much like me, they’re both overthinkers. They plan everything and consider all decisions from every angle. My turning around and agreeing to take a job I have no qualifications or experience for, with very little thought but a gut feeling, would be alien to them. Instead, I told them that I was going for an interview tonight to discuss the details. My stomach flutters as reality hits me.
I’m working for Cole Hansley.
I’m cooking for Cole Hansley.
Pressure pushes down on my shoulders.
Not only do I have to create delicious meals for him, but I also have to ensure they’re nutritionally balanced to meet his body’s needs. He’s not an average person. He burns more calories every day than I can even imagine eating. The range and amount of food his body requires to run well blows my mind.
“And what about when he’s on the road?” Dad asks.
“Then I’m free to do whatever until he returns.”
“It all sounds too good to be true,” Mom says hesitantly.
