“Oh. Right.”
I closed my eyes and rolled them to myself for how fucking disastrous this meeting was going already. I chewed on my cheek, letting the pain of it distract me while I picked up the knife and began chopping a carrot into large sections like the pile beside the cutting board. We worked in silence for severalminutes, nothing but the sound of the vegetables snapping and the knife hitting our cutting boards, with the distant chatter from the other room.
“How long have you been staying here?”
I was startled by the question but was glad he was going to lead a conversation because I was too much of a fucking coward to do it.
“Um, just a couple days.”
“And are you liking it here so far?”
I nodded, stilling my knife to glance up at him. His blue eyes met mine and his lips pulled down into a frown.
“I apologize. I didn’t mean to upset you, Olivia. Can I get you a tissue or a glass of water?”
“No, sorry. I’m fine. I’m not upset. Um…my eyes are just permanently like this.”
I watched as his brow furrowed with thought and he set his knife down, leaning forward slightly into my personal space. He shook his head, pursing his lips before picking his knife back up.
“You’re probably sick of people asking you about your eyes.”
“Maybe a little,” I laughed. “But I won’t hold it against you.”
“Is that why you’re hiding here in the kitchen?”
“Maybe. What about you? I didn’t expect to see you in the kitchen.”
He laughed, the sound deep and fitting to his polished exterior.
“Why? Because I’m a man?”
“Well, yes. Shouldn’t you be out there,” I motioned to the dining hall.
He laughed harder this time, his hand resting against his flat abdomen.
“You sound like my father,” he said when he’d finished. “Women in the kitchen, men at the office.”
I furrowed my brows, “You don’t agree?”
“I agree with the principle, but I don’t think it’s so black and white.”
“Hm. So, what exactly do you think is the role of men and women in a relationship?”
We both resumed chopping before he answered.
“Well, for starters, I think the man’s responsibility is to take care of his family. That means working, not only outside the home, but also performing any tasks that need doing. When I’m married, if my wife needs help in the kitchen or cleaning up after our children then it’s my responsibility to assist. I’ll take care of my family in whatever capacity is needed.”
I didn’t know how to respond. His views were nothing like what I had expected them to be, and I wasn’t sure what the right move was.
“It’s not often I render women speechless,” he said with a smirk.
I bit my lip, focusing on moving the carrots to a baking sheet, but I could feel myself blushing involuntarily. He finished spreading his pile of cut potatoes onto a baking sheet and leaned against the tabletop, his forearms bulging against the tightly rolled sleeves of his white button down.
“So, tell me Olivia. What’s your story? What’s a young and beautiful lady like yourself doing here in a shelter?”
Fucking hell. This man was really laying the charm on thick.
“It’s not exactly small talk worthy. But if you really want to know I’ll tell you.”
