“Oh, um…”
“No need to look so terrified,” Jet says encouragingly. “If you can handle this big brute, then you’ll be fine here. They’re all a big bunch of teddy bears, really,” he says, gesturing toward all the people, most of whom are watching us fondly.
“Where do you want us, boss?” Cole asks.
“Right this way. It would be rude to hide this pretty face back in the kitchen,” Jet says, shooting me a teasing wink. “I think you two should take over the soup and roll station, and we can send Greg out the back.”
“You got it,” Cole agrees as he unhooks two aprons from behind the serving station. He hands one to me before pointing me in the direction of the hand-washing facilities.
“Jet,” an older woman calls, panicked, from the double doors that hide the kitchen. “Problem.”
“Be right there, Marg,” he says, a hell of a lot calmer than she is. “You two okay?”
“I’m sure we can handle the soup,” Cole says confidently.
I glance over suspiciously as he dries his hands.
“What?” he asks with an uneasy smile.
He’s nervous. I assume about bringing me here and letting me see a little more of the real him. But he has no reason to be. I feel nothing but honored to experience this secret part of him.
“Does Jet know about your skills in the kitchen?”
“Shush,” Cole hisses, his smile growing. “Don’t tell him about that. He might refuse my help.”
Now it’s my turn to smile, because there isn’t a chance in hell that Jet is going to send Cole away. I could see in a single look between them how much he appreciates Cole’s presence, and how much Cole enjoys his time here.
Do I have questions? Heaps. Especially after what he said about being alone. But they can wait. Right now, I want to see Cole in his element, interacting with the men and women here, and attempting to do what he said earlier: making their lives that little bit better.
“You know how to dish out soup, though, right?” I tease.
“Spoon liquid into a bowl. I think I’ve got it, Whirlwind.”
My breath catches at his use of that nickname again.
My lips part to question him about it, but before I find any words, someone calls out for him.
Cole marches toward our station and greets the guy who’s desperate for his attention. He lights up instantly as they begin talking, and I get my first taste of just how much he loves his time here.
And that is proved over and over again as he serves hungry customer after hungry customer. Cole takes the time to speak to everyone. It doesn’t matter if it’s a regular who he greets like an old friend, or a newcomer who doesn’t know who he is. The only thing that matters to him are the people on the other side of the counter. I soon discover that it’s not just Cole whose attention they want. They’re all eager to talk to me as well.
We spend hours at the shelter. And after serving hundreds of bowls of soup and handing out almost double the number ofbread rolls, then helping with the clean-up and prep for dinner, I decide that I want to do it all again.
The past few years, I’ve lived a life that has been so focused on the person standing beside me, and then doing everything I could to keep myself together after he dropped me, I’ve forgotten just how good it can be to step outside of the day-to-day and focus on those who need a little extra support.
It’s probably been one of the most humbling and rewarding days I’ve ever experienced, and I’m incredibly grateful to Cole for bringing me along.
I can’t lie; I’m exhausted by the time we’ve said goodbye to Jet and his team. My hangover has been long forgotten, and I can’t wipe the smile off my face.
When Cole invited me to his secret outing, I never in a million years would have predicted this, but I’m so happy he shared it with me.
“So?” he says as we make our way back down the dingy alleyway toward his car.
“So what?” I ask, his attention making my skin tingle.
“Did you hate it?” he asks, sounding genuinely concerned.
“What? Are you kidding? It was fantastic.”
