“He did?!” I bounce on the balls of my feet. “Wow. I didn’t think he would.”
Kellen looks very serious as he says, “I didn’t think he would, either. He is putting a lot of trust in you, Peony.” The way he uses my first name in such a low tone, some of my excitement turns into trepidation. I hope I don’t disappoint Mr. Edgewood. I would hate if I permanently scared him away.
“When you see him,” Kellen goes on, “I want you to doyour best not to react. You may be frightened by him, but please, don’t let it show.”
Is he perhaps disfigured? Is that why he won’t emerge from his quarters? I never considered it before, thinking he was simply a shut-in from some kind of social anxiety.
“Mr. Edgewood will be as afraid of you as you are of him,” Kellen says.
Schooling my expression to be as solemn as possible, I give a nod of understanding. “I won’t scream if that’s what you’re afraid of.”
“It is one of the things.” With a sigh, Kellen lifts himself off his stool. “Shall we go shopping, then?”
All my enthusiasm immediately returns. “Yes! I know exactly where we should go first. But it will be kind of a drive.”
Kellen takes a set of keys out of his pocket. “Then why don’t you take us there?”
Holy shit.
I’ve never pictured myself behind the wheel of a car like this. It has a button you push to turn it on, and the engine purrs quietly underneath me. I don’t know what model or make—cars aren’t my thing—but I know it’s expensive just by the leather seats and many displays and knobs.
Kellen shows me where the gearshift is, and then we’re on our way.
I have to be careful with how much gas I put on, because the second we leave the driveway, we go flying over the road. Kellen grips the handle above his window, and I apologize profusely. But once we reach the highway, I decide to see what it’s made of.
“Hold on,” I tell Kellen, and he gives me a perplexed look until I push down on the pedal.
We zoom down the highway until I reach a cruising speed, and Kellen is panting.
“Maybe I should drive next time,” he says, eyes wide.
“No way.” I laugh. “I want one of these for myself.”
The first place we’re visiting is a restaurant supply store where I used to shop with the chef. That means driving to the big city about an hour away, which takes me an hour closer to where I used to live with Andy. It sends a small shiver up my spine, but I push it away. Andy won’t be where I’m going. I don’t have to worry.
Kellen and I fall into an easy conversation about my old job, then what brought him to work for Mr. Edgewood. They met nearly fifteen years ago, he says, before Edgewood became a hermit. He’s worked for him ever since.
“He did big business,” Kellen says. “He was always pushing, pushing his way toward the top.”
I wonder what stopped him. “When did this change happen?”
Kellen bites his lip. Long moments pass where he doesn’t answer, but then finally he says, “He made a bad deal. A very bad deal. It got him everything he wanted… at a steep cost.”
I quirk a brow, hoping he’ll continue, but he doesn’t. I get the sense that whatever happened, he’s not willing to tell me. Perhaps Mr. Edgewood will himself.
At last, we arrive at our first destination. Kellen’s brows rise as we enter the store, which is a massive warehouse filled with every sort of kitchen gadget possible. We pass shelves upon shelves of cookware, dishware, and utensils. Finally, we get to the part of the store that holds all my favorite things: tools.
I feel like a kid in a candy store as I get to pick outeverything I could want for the dinner. Luckily, they have most of what I need, and we head to the checkout with a full cart.
“Is this going to be all right?” I ask, nervous for the first time that I might be asking too much to put this dinner together. “I think the smoker isn’t?—”
Kellen snaps his fingers in front of my face, surprising me. “Don’t think about it for a second.” He whips out his wallet and removes a matte black credit card. “Mr. Edgewood is more than happy to pay.”
Then hewinks.
The clerk takes the black card, studying it like a rare artifact before ringing up our purchases. Then we’re on our way.
Next is the natural foods market where I know I can find most of my more odd and particular ingredients. I buy a few whole red snappers, a pound of daikon, flying fish roe, and a host of vegetables that mystify Kellen. But he simply follows me around the store as I choose what I need.
