“Mr. Fletcher–”
His expression screwed up and he shook his head vehemently. “Zero. Not even my clients call me Mr. Fletcher.”
I pressed my lips together to withhold the judgmental comment, correcting myself. “Zero, then. Was Jasper being truthful about this kind of thing being a regular occurrence?”
He huffed a dry laugh, shaking his head. “Not this bad, no. The first time, I only burnt them a little, but they were still cold in the middle. The second time, I put the sauce on before cooking them, which made them inedible according to Jasper. This time, I was in a hurry. I thought if I turned it up, it’d cook faster and they could eat before you got here.”
I nodded slowly. They were simple mistakes that were expected from someone learning to cook, but Jasper had a point. “I am going to recommend you stick to following the instructions on the box. Is there a reason you keep attempting chicken nuggets?”
“A buddy in my crew said they were a kid favorite. I was trying to make them something they liked.”
He sounded so dejected about it, and it was obvious he was trying. He just had no ability in the kitchen to speak of.
Figuring I could help for at least one night, I stepped past him and opened the cupboards, taking in the contents. He had a fully stocked kitchen, I’d give him that, including plenty ofoptions for a rounded meal in the fridge. I could understand why he didn't make something from scratch if he wasn’t confident, but there were a few recipes that didn’t require much experience to make. I pulled out the necessities, setting them on the counter, and browsed the crisper drawer for vegetables to add in.
“What are you doing?” he asked curiously, leaning to look over my shoulder.
“I’m going to show you a simple recipe that most kids love. Then I’m going to send you a few links to similar recipes online. If you follow the instructions, the meals aren’t that complicated. I used them myself when I was learning to cook.”
He looked bewildered when I straightened to put the vegetables on the counter. My lips quirked in a vain attempt to hold back a laugh, and I pointed at him sternly to get him moving.
“I need a pot, a cutting board, and a saucepan. Do you have a colander?”
“Uh…”
Right. Too complicated for a beginner. “Nevermind. Just get me those first three, then you can wash the vegetables.”
To his credit, he didn’t balk at my instructions or try to demand I do it alone. He might be a biker, but he wasn’t a misogynist who thought he shouldn’t have to be in the kitchen. He followed orders, getting me the things I needed, and paid close attention when I instructed him on how to make spaghetti with meat sauce. The smell eventually drew the children back downstairs, Jasper carrying his sister and buckling her carefully into the high chair tucked in one corner. He dragged it over to the table next to him, scowl firmly in place.
“Hello, Jasper,” I greeted calmly, waiting with a firm look until he finally acknowledged me politely.
“Hi, Ms. Brooks,” he grumbled.
I handed him his bowl, nodding in approval when I found Zero busy cutting the baby’s food into smaller bites. Her bowl had a suction on it and when he put it on her tray, I understood why when she immediately tried to pick it up and probably throw it. Zero didn’t look annoyed by the action, smirking at her and wagging a finger.
“Nuh uh. I asked the guys how to stop wearing your food. Eat it instead of throwing it for once.”
Huffing a breath of amusement, I sat across from Jasper, leaving the space next to the baby open for Zero to claim so he could help feed her. No doubt, she’d figure out how to unstick the bowl, but he was patient with her, offering her little bites on a plastic fork and ignoring his own food to tend to her.
Giving my attention to Jasper, I finally got on track with what I’d come here to do. “So, Jasper. What were you learning at your last school before moving here?”
His expression closed off and he scowled at his food. “I don’t know.”
“Do you have any past assignments?”
“Who saves old math homework?” he shot back, then slumped when I gave him a stern expression. I wasn’t as easy going as his guardian was. And unlike Zero, my response to children acting out in my class always involved more work. My students learned to follow directions if they didn’t want to be buried in homework.
Zero, proving that he was paying attention to more than just the baby, asked, “Do you understand any of what’s going on in class, or is it all new?”
CHAPTER SEVEN
ZERO
If the look I got from Simone was anything to go by, I was asking the right questions. She seemed happy I asked. Jasper didn’t appreciate it, glaring at me, but that was normal and I didn't hold it against him. Studying sucked. Even with a hot teacher showing him the ropes.
Since Jasper wasn’t really forthcoming about his experience in the subject, Simone decided to show him some stuff and see if he followed along. I left them to it, cleaning up Isla and putting her in her playpen nearby where Jasper could see her while I moved onto cleaning up the dinner mess.
Was I a little embarrassed that we used paper plates instead of normal ones? Yes, but I was barely keeping my head above water as it was. And Jasper wasn’t willing to help out with chores. I’d rather throw half the dinner mess in the trash than spend over an hour at the sink cleaning up when no doubt, Isla would start demanding things while I was soapy and distracted.
