by Kiana Lee
Throughout the hour, he tried a few times to catch Caitlin’s eye, but his attempts were futile. She was either occupied with executing her dishes, or she was trading banter with the classmates in her vicinity. He felt bummed that he couldn’t join in the lively conversation. When class ended, he would catch up with her, he decided.
But even as he made his resolve, he found it a challenge to concentrate on his work. His gaze strayed to the alluring redhead more than once. She chatted and laughed easily with the girl who worked beside her, her manner appearing different from when he saw her in the first period. He didn’t know how it was possible, but she managed to sparkle and look beautiful even while wearing the ugly toque and standard issue chef’s uniform. She was unlike any girl that he had ever known, simultaneously classy and tough. And the more time he spent with her, the more drawn he was to her. He couldn’t recall feeling so intensely curious about a female. Perhaps he had fallen for her. He couldn’t say that he’d ever been in love, but maybe this was it. But then he shook his head at the ridiculous idea. Obviously, he had indulged in too many chick flicks, and his brain was messed up. Besides, he reminded himself, he didn’t come to this school looking for a relationship. He came here to get his life back. He’d worked everything out, and including a woman in the mix, however sexy or compelling, was just too complicated.
But even as he thought this, something deep inside him already knew that things were already complicated. Though he didn’t wish it, Caitlin was firmly entrenched in his mind. When he least expected, the image of her pretty face floated into his consciousness. He didn’t know what to make of this since he was used to having girls pursue him. She kept him guessing, and everything he knew about women flew out the window. Maybe he needed to go on a date with her so he could get her out of his system. Likely she wasn’t that different from the women he knew. Then once he realized that, he could move on with his life.
When the class ended, Caitlin seemed in a rush to leave. She hurriedly cleaned her station, gathered her belongings and headed out the door before Jason could catch up to her. But he was still determined to talk with her. The idea of asking her out now appealed to him, and he resolved to do it today. Gathering his things from his locker, he went to stand outside the women’s change room.
“Has Caitlin left yet?” he asked as Jane exited the room.
“She’s changing and will probably be out in a few minutes,” she said.
“Mahalo,” he said. If he waited a little longer, he’ll get his chance to speak with Caitlin. A few minutes later, the girl who had consumed his thoughts the entire day came rushing out of the locker room. She was balancing two boxes of food, her book bag, and her knife case.
“Caitlin,” he said.
She started at the sound of her name and almost stumbled. “Oh, I didn’t see you there, Jason,” she said, her voice breathless.
“Here, let me help you.” He took the boxes from her.
“You’re a lifesaver,” she said, sounding relieved. They started walking toward the school exit. “Someone from our class didn’t want to take the food they made home, and I just thought it was a shame to throw it in the bin.”
He opened the door for her, and they stepped outside. “I was wondering if you —?”
“Oh, my ride’s here!” she interjected as she peered over his shoulder. “Sorry, Jason, I really can’t talk right now.”
Her bright eyes slid to the curb. A gray Maserati pulled up. Opening the passenger door, she took the food boxes from his hands.
“Thanks for your help, Jason,” she said almost as an afterthought. She then turned to the driver and said happily. “You’re so great for picking me up at such short notice, Nate.”
“You know I’d do anything for you, Caitlin,” the man at the wheel said. He was possibly a year or so older than Jason. He possessed a lean and sturdy build, and he oozed a cool confidence of someone who had his act together, someone who was nothing like Jason.
Caitlin laughed and slid into the car. She seemed very familiar with this man, and a dark feeling twisted in Jason’s gut. This had to be her boyfriend.
“I’ll see you on Monday, Jason,” she said, waving.
The man nodded at him. His expression was unreadable under the reflective sunglasses. And before Jason could say anything, the bastard roared his engine and took off.
Jason clenched his fists as he watched the sports car disappear from the driveway.
“You’re an idiot,” he said, kicking a pebble that lay near his foot, watching it as it skidded across the roadway. What the hell was wrong with him? He was trying to make a move on a girl that wasn’t even remotely interested in what he had to offer. There were other more willing girls available, so why was he obsessing over this chick? It didn’t make any sense. Jason felt dumb for even trying to vie for her attention. In truth, he should have given up on her long ago. Yet even if he intellectually knew what he needed to do, his heart refused to go along with it.
Chapter 14
Caitlin picked up her purse while she hummed to one of Rihanna’s new songs that played on the radio.
“You seemed excited about going to work,” Maya said, cocking one eyebrow.
“You’d better believe it,” she said. “I’m going to host a keiki party at the home of Jordan James.” She laughed when she saw the blank expression on her roommate’s face. “He’s the TV producer that’s responsible for making Cook-Off a hit. He’s also responsible for taking more than one average chef to celebrity status.” She rattled off several names, but her friend’s eyes seemed to glaze over. Perhaps she was going on about the subject a little too long. But she couldn’t help it. A networking opportunity like this rarely came about. When her boss asked her to do the birthday party in the area, her interest peaked since only the ultra wealthy lived in this part of Oahu. If someone revealed that Oprah had a home in the gated community, she wouldn’t have been surprised. But then when the boss revealed that she was to host the party at Jordan James’s house, Caitlin became ecstatic. The producer’s niece was turning nine, and they wanted the works. Now it was up to her and her partner to deliver the premium package, and teach the children how to create and assemble Spam musubi and other island favorites.
Colleen agreed to pick her up for work, but Caitlin couldn’t bring herself to wait in the apartment until her coworker arrived. Making her way down, she went to stand at the front entrance of the building. After a few minutes, Colleen drove into the driveway.
“Are you ready to mingle with the rich and famous?” Caitlin asked as she got into her partner’s car. The sun was shining, promising another perfect, warm day. It was unlikely that she would get a chance to meet the TV producer, but just being in his vicinity was enough to make her happy.
“The only mingling we’ll be doing is with the bratty kids of the rich and famous,” Coleen said.
Caitlin snorted, knowing full well that her coworker spoke the truth. “So what job do you want — occupying the kids or doing the class?”
She saw Colleen hesitate, and Caitlin jumped at the chance to lay down her preference. “I can do the class,” she offered.
“I don’t know,” Colleen said slowly. “You took the class the last time.”
“All right, let’s flip a coin.” She took out a quarter from her wallet. “Heads or tails?”
“Heads,” she said.
Flipping the coin in the air, she slapped it on the back of her hand. “Heads,” she said, fighting to keep the disappointment from showing in her voice. “We’ll flip one more time.”
“I call tails this time,” Colleen said.
Tossing the coin up, she grabbed it and hit it on her hand once again. “What?” she exclaimed when she uncovered the symbol. “It’s tails.”
“Guess I get to do the cooking class,” she said, grinning.
“Guess so,” Caitlin said, feeling disgruntled, although she tried her best to shake it off. It was best to think of positive thoughts.
By
the time she and Colleen arrived at the house, her excitement abated somewhat. She had to entertain a dozen nine and ten-year-olds while her partner prepared the workstations.
“Let’s start with a game of egg and spoon,” she said enthusiastically as she led the group to the backyard.
“That game is boring,” the birthday girl said.
Three of her friends nodded in agreement. “We don’t want to play that.”
“Why don’t we play computer games instead?” one of them asked.
“Of course not. That would be lame. I’m sure you play computer games all the time at home, but we’re at a party,” Caitlin said as she racked her brain for another entertaining activity. She remembered the game that Jason played last week. “How about a game of tag?”
“Boring,” the birthday girl said again.
“You’re a really tough crowd,” Caitlin said, letting out a forced laugh. Although she tried hard to keep her voice cheerful, the effort was starting to get to her. More than ever, she wished that she was leading the cooking class. She found teaching fun and rewarding, but apparently, her partner felt the same way.
“So what do you want to do, Rachel?” she asked the birthday girl.
“Nothing,” Rachel said, crossing her thin arms over her chest as if daring Caitlin to challenge her.
“Hmm… that makes things pretty difficult,” she said. “I don’t have a whole lot of ‘nothing’ in my basket.”
Caitlin lowered herself on the lawn, crossing her legs as she rummaged through the container of supplies. Seeing some brightly colored papers, she pulled them out.
“Is anyone interested in making origami?” she asked, her tone hopeful. She hadn’t made origami folds since she was in the fourth grade, and she wasn’t certain she could remember how to do them. Still, she was starting to feel a bit desperate, and she needed something to occupy the kids. To her relief, the birthday girl came to join her on the grass.
“My cousin Lydia can make origami,” Rachel said.
“Good for her,” Caitlin answered. “So is anyone interested?”
“How do you do it?” the girl asked, looking curiously at the paper in Caitlin’s hand. The other girls came to sit around them.
“It’s easy.” She started the initial creases, and suddenly those long hours learning to make precise folds came back to her. Her fingers moved quickly and after making the final bend, she lifted the object into the air. “See?” she said. “This is a paper crane.”
Reluctant admiration crossed over their young faces. Handing out the pieces of colorful paper to each person, she proceeded to instruct them on how to do the folds.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she observed all the girls bending over their projects. But then Rachel threw her decorative paper to the ground.
“This is dumb,” she said.
“Yeah, it’s hard,” another girl whined. Caitlin saw the start of mutiny entering some of their faces. Her mouth started to turn dry as she frantically tried to come up with another activity. Just as she was about to suggest another game, Colleen called, “I’m ready for the girls!”
“All right, Chefs, let’s get into the kitchen,” Caitlin said, interjecting enthusiasm back into her voice. She jumped up from the ground. “It’s time to start cooking!”
The girls filed into the kitchen, found their stations, and began to put on their toques and aprons. Relieved, Caitlin leaned against the wall as Colleen started the cooking show. Unless the partygoers needed assistance, Caitlin’s role was completed. She pushed off from the wall and started to move to the back of the room.
The kitchen was within sight of the foyer, and she casually scanned the grand entrance. But when a dark-haired man stepped inside, she did a double-take. It was Jason, she realized as a flush of pleasure washed over her. Although she was surprised to see him, she assumed that he was probably acquainted with the James family.
Caitlin glanced over at Colleen and saw that she had full command of the cooking party. She slipped out of the large kitchen, knowing that her partner would be fine for the next few minutes.
Caitlin started to open her mouth to call out a greeting to him when someone else cut in.
“Jason!” a woman cried.
A maid was leading him through the foyer. At first his steps faltered when he saw Caitlin, but when he heard his name, he turned his head in the other direction.
Lydia James appeared, moving gracefully across the hallway. Caitlin recognized the socialite from the newspapers. She looked to be around twenty-three, which was Caitlin’s age. Her long dark hair flowed down her back. Her skin was sun-kissed and flawless. She wore a tank top that did little to hide her generous breasts, and the white short-shorts showcased her long, tawny legs. In contrast, Caitlin was wearing her standard work uniform, which consisted of black slacks and an Aloha shirt. Next to the other woman, she was exactly what she looked like — hired help. But even if she wasn’t working and had worn a similar outfit as this girl, Caitlin would have never pulled off the look.
When Lydia embraced Jason, there was an undeniable air of intimacy between them. Of course his lovers were as gorgeous and sexy as he was, she thought bitterly.
Noticing that his attention was distracted, Lydia looked over her shoulders. When she saw Caitlin, her eyes narrowed slightly.
“Do you know the hired help?”
Jason glanced at Caitlin and hesitated for a moment before answering. “We’re in the same class.”
His words crashed over her ears. He didn’t tell Lydia that they hung out together, or that they were friends. Instead, they were only classmates. He was ashamed of her, she realized. That particular thought caused a searing pain to stab through her chest. She didn’t know why this awareness affected her so much, but it did.
“That’s nice,” the girl said dismissively. “Daddy’s waiting for you in the salon,” she said, hugging his arm and pressing her curvy form closer to him.
As she led him away, Jason glanced over at Caitlin. She shook her head as she tried to stem the negative energy that rippled through her body. Until now, she’d believed that Jason was her friend. She had entrusted him with her darkest secret, but apparently, she meant nothing to him. And even as the agonizing thoughts whirled through her brain, she couldn’t stop her gaze from trailing after him. Lydia led Jason to the salon where an informal party was held for the adults. Through the opened door of the large drawing room, Caitlin saw him shaking hands with the TV producer. A moment later, Mrs. James rushed over and hugged him as if he were a long-lost family member.
Lydia saw Caitlin watching them from the foyer, and beckoned her over to them. “The servers are busy with the other guests. Can you get Jason some refreshments from the kitchen?” She scanned the food table that was set up along the far end of the wall. “Jason loves his fried plantain chips, but I don’t think the waiters brought any to the serving table.”
“If they’re busy, I can get it myself,” he said.
“Don’t be silly,” Lydia said, swatting him playfully on the arm. “There’s a reason why we hire people.”
Lydia turned her back on Caitlin, fully expecting her to fetch the snack for her lover. Furious at the degrading treatment, Caitlin pivoted on her heels and marched toward the kitchen. She had no choice. She ground her teeth together, wishing that she could tell her employer’s daughter off. But of course Lydia stated the truth. Caitlin was a paid servant. Albeit she was a low paying servant but she was one nevertheless. Except she didn’t have to be a good server, she decided.
Entering the kitchen, she noticed that the cooking lesson had progressed to the main course.
“Where were you?” Colleen asked, coming over to her.
“I had to step out for a bit,” she said. “They want me to serve some snacks to one of the adult guests.”
“That’s not part of your job, but okay,” she said. “We have to do the dessert, and then we’ll wrap it up soon with the cake.”
Caitlin nodded and t
hen walked to the granite counter where she found a basket of the packaged snacks. She started to pick up a bag of fried plantain chips when she spied the spicy variety. Taking that instead, she ripped open the plastic bag and dumped the contents onto a paper plate. Then marching back to the salon, she handed Jason the dish.
“Here you go, sir,” she said sweetly.
“Mahalo.” He studied her face but didn’t say anything more. Picking one of the chips, he plopped it into his mouth. As soon as he started chewing the fiery snack, his eyes started to water. He then began coughing and hitting the top of his chest with his fist.
“What’s wrong?” Lydia cried, pounding him on the back.
“Water,” he gasped. “I need water!”
Lydia turned and dashed to the serving table to retrieve a bottle of water.
“Oh, you don’t like spicy foods?” Caitlin asked, widening her eyes in feigned innocence. “I guess I should’ve warned you that these chips are teeny bit hot.”
It wasn’t her proudest moment, but she walked out of the room feeling a small ounce of satisfaction.
Chapter 15
Jason drove to Caitlin’s apartment building the next day. He had a terrible time sleeping the night before. All he could see was the hurt in her eyes, and he felt awful for causing her pain. He was still pissed off that Caitlin had a boyfriend, and when he met her at Lydia’s house, he wasn’t prepared to face her. She appeared so happy, and some petty part of him wanted to burst her bubble. Even though he was no longer interested in his ex, he allowed her to fawn over him. He did it because it obviously disturbed Caitlin. By the time he left Lydia’s house, the guilt gnawed at him, and he wanted to apologize to Caitlin. Unfortunately, it was too late to visit her at her apartment. It would’ve been much easier to call her except for some reason he never got her number, so he had to wait and see her the next day.
After he parked at the visitor’s lot, he went upstairs and stood in front of her door. He had no idea how he was going to defend his actions. All he knew was that he needed to speak to her, and perhaps take things back to how they were. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the wooden panel.