Ooh!I love that jacket!
Thanks besties.
Placing her phone to the side, she ran through her checklist of what was next.An anniversary dinner for the Steadmans and Kayleigh had asked if she could make her “some kind of pasta dish with lots of cheese.”
She pushed all thoughts of tonight out of her head and went back to making sure all the containers were properly sealed and stored in the fridge for pick up later.
Moving on to the next dish, she put out the ingredients that Avery prepped, getting lost in the rhythm of her work, humming.She couldn’t stop smiling.
“So that guy is gone?He looks familiar.Is he on a billboard?”Carter leaned against the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest.
Josie gave her cream sauce a quick stir.“I don’t think he’s on a billboard.You came to check on me?”
“You can never be too careful,” Carter strode next to her on the stove, giving her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“He’s a friend.”Josie moved over to check the oven, then back again and started tearing up some basil leaves.
“Here, let me,” Carter took the planter from Josie.
“No, I got it,” Josie said.She smiled, but pulled the container out of his hands.“You haven’t washed your hands, chef.”
“Right.Sorry.I should stay out of your kitchen.”
“It’s your space,” Josie adjusted the timer, then stirred the sauce on the stove.
“You pay me to rent it.”
“A ridiculously under-market price.”
Carter shrugged.“My mother told me to give it to you for as little as I can and I’m not going to say no to her.She helped me open this place up.”
“I heard something about that,” Josie grinned.Her mom and Carter’s mom knew each other from one of the boards her mother sat on.
“Is that prosciutto?”
“Yep.A friend of mine loves this pasta dish I make with it.”This was Kayleigh’s favourite pasta dish, and she had requested this dish at least once a week in the last month.
Josie opened her oven to check on the roast dinner.
“I don’t know how you do it.Create so many dishes at once.”
“I plan for the week and all orders have to be in by 4pm Friday.I have a store of quick meals for customers who want a lunch or something, otherwise that gives me enough time to plan out my prep list and what I’m making each day—” Josie stopped at Carter’s expression.“Sorry, you’re a chef.You know how it works.”
“You seem to thrive on variety.I like things to be planned,” Carter smiled.He looked handsome when he scowled less, Josie couldn’t help but notice.
“I guess that’s why I do this and you do that,” Josie gestured to his restaurant.
“Yeah, I never thought this place would get so busy.”
“Do you have a full house again tonight?”Josie dressed the pasta, added the prosciutto, and set it aside.She quickly grabbed one of her takeout cartons and started preparing the pasta.Carter smiled and ran his hand through his hair.“How could you tell?”
“You always come in super early when your reservations are full.”
“Oh?What else have you observed about my humble eatery?”Carter took a step in and snapped the lid on the container of the pasta.
Josie’s fingers started to tremble.Carter made her nervous, and she never understood why.Ever since she brought her business into his annex kitchen, he’d gone out of his way to support her.
Maybe it was his sheer muscled size or how his voice was kind of rough.
