by Jules Tyler
“Yeah, you two will be fast friends, I’m sure of it. Oh, and to answer your question from earlier, I’m both. I’m friends with Brady. We go way back. He roped me and the rest of my band of merry men into helping around here. When a good friend calls in a favor, you answer. That’s what my Pops used to tell me,” Jesse said, trying to force his bear to let him leave the girl alone.
“Good logic for sure. I’m hoping that this will turn out for the best. I quit my job unexpectedly last week, so this is all I’ve got going for me to pay the bills,” Liz confessed before embarrassment warmed her cheeks. “I have no idea why I just told you that. You’re a complete stranger. You probably think I’m some weirdo now.”
“Everyone has baggage, Liz. The real task at hand is finding someone who can help you decide what’s worth carrying and what you should get rid of,” Jesse assured her. “Anyways, I’ve gotta go find Brady and the guys. We’re supposed to be splitting wood this afternoon before the weekenders start showing up and need to buy firewood for their fire pits out at the campgrounds. If you need a sounding board, don’t hesitate to come find me. I can be a good listener when I need to be.”
“Sounds good, Jesse. Thanks for the help. Maybe if you swing by the kitchen later, I’ll save you some leftovers from my test meal with Stella as payment,” Liz beamed up at him as he walked out of the front door.
“Keep talking like that to me and I may never leave,” Jesse joked.
“My mom always said that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” Liz teased.
Jesse chuckled to himself and kept walking. Well, her mom wasn’t wrong.
Heading for the woods, Jesse muttered to himself, “How about a run, big buddy? Let’s go run some steam off before you make me go back in there and ruin that poor girl’s life.”
Chapter Five
Liz blew out a nervous breath as she watched Jesse walk away from the cabin through the window in the living room. What the hell was that all about? I practically threw myself at him just now. He’s a complete stranger, and I threw myself at him. What the fuck is wrong with me? Liz shook her head furiously at herself and her behavior. She had chosen not to date in culinary school after she caught her twatwaffle ex-boyfriend, Alex, with his head between her roommate’s legs. Yeah, that was a sight she couldn’t unsee, and heaven knew she wished she could. Three years later, that image was still burned into her mind just as deep as it was the day it had happened.
Heaving a sigh, she resolved to start fresh up here. Standing, she crossed to pick up her suitcase and haul it back to the bedroom. First impressions were the most important ones in job interviews, and there was no way she was going to meet Stella looking like the hot mess traveler she looked like right now. Tossing the luggage on the comfy looking bed, she quickly unzipped the bag, pulled out her toiletries, and headed for the shower.
As she massaged a dollop of shampoo into her hair, she let her thoughts linger on Jesse. He had been kind to help haul her stuff into the cabin. She had gotten so used to doing everything herself that having the help for such a simple task had been a little refreshing. He wasn’t bad on the eyes either. Fitted jeans paired with a red and white baseball tee, it was a look that worked well on him. It highlighted the muscles in his arms and legs. But, oh, those gorgeous blue eyes could melt even the iciest of hearts to pools of water. They were honest and the brightest shade of blue she had ever seen.
Rinsing the hair product from her hair, she frowned. What was it about him that seemed so familiar? Her head knew she had never met the man, but something inside of her felt like she had seen him somewhere before. She was sure that she was going crazy, she would’ve remembered eyes like that. This was going to drive her nuts for sure trying to figure out how she knew him.
Making quick work of drying herself off, reality began to settle into every corner of Liz’ mind. This was it. This was her chance to make something of herself that wasn’t in some fast service diner or burger joint. She needed to put her game face on and show the Easterns what she was made of.
Wrapping her wet hair up in a towel, she walked over and grabbed her slacks, chef coat, and a black tank top to wear underneath. She could do this, she knew she could.
After about thirty minutes or so, Liz looked in the dresser mirror in her room to take in her handy work. She had braided her hair into a crown and nestled the excess into a bun on the right side of her head. Her make-up was simple mostly, except for a dusting of gentle green eyeshadow and thin eyeliner wings. Nodding at herself, she spun in a circle, making sure everything was just right. Normally she wouldn’t wear make-up while cooking because when she got caught up in the kitchen, it was easy to sweat it off, but she wanted to make the best impression on her potential employers as she could.
Exhaling, she leaned forward and stared at herself in the mirror hard. “You’ve got this. That kitchen is your territory, and you’re going to show them why you deserve to run it. You are a badass. You’re a fantastic chef. This, right now, this is when you get to start over. Let’s do this.”
On her walk over the lodge, Liz took time to really take in her surroundings. It was gorgeous up here. The vibrant greens and browns of the forest surrounding her looked like something out of a wildlife magazine from the professional photographers that were featured there. She smiled as she watched little squirrels skitter across the path in front of her, hauling nuts and pinecones towards their homes. It was quiet enough up here with the empty campground that she could hear the creek bubbling and gushing water, and the breeze floating through the pines above her. As she neared the lodge doors, she felt her heart rate begin to quicken. Stopping short of the doors, she closed her eyes and inhaled through her nose slowly. She let the smells of earth and woods calm her nerves before letting her eyes drift open, mustering up her last ounces of courage to push open the lodge doors.
She spotted Mama Ally, who was seated in an oversized armchair. Adjacent to that was a beautiful chestnut colored loveseat where another woman was sitting. Judging from the amount of paperwork spread out on the coffee table in front of the two women, Liz assumed this must be Stella. Stella wasn’t what Liz had imagined for someone that ran a resort. She expected someone who wore their hair up in a bun and wore fancy clothes. Stella had cropped short black hair, wore a simple fitted blue tank top and denim shorts. The lack of formality was just enough to ease Liz’s concerns enough to push her towards the women.
“Oh, Liz, good to see you again!” Mama Ally called as she took notice of Liz and waved her over. “I want you to meet my daughter-in-law, Stella.”
Stella stood and held her hand out to Liz to shake, “Nice to meet you, Liz. We’re so glad you were able to make it up here for this. Please have a seat.”
Liz nodded as Stella guided her to the couch and they both sat.
“So tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? What do you do for fun?” Stella smiled genuinely at Liz.
Liz fidgeted with the hem of her chef’s jacket as she struggled to find the words. C’mon, if you sit here and don’t say something soon, they’ll think you’re weird and send you home. But what if they don’t like me? What if what I tell them freaks them out? What if… Liz’s eyes drifted over to Mama Ally’s. Her kind eyes urged her to say something but showed that they were patient and understanding.
“Well, I’ve lived in Boise for the last ten years, but I’m originally from the Dallas area. My parents moved up here when my dad was offered a job,” Liz explained, trying not to be obvious about her issue with eye contact with strangers.
“Oh, that must’ve been fun, growing up down south,” Stella smiled, leaning forward on her elbows in intrigue.
“It certainly was warmer,” Liz giggled nervously.
“What about hobbies? What do you do to relax?” Stella asked.
“Honestly? I love to cook. When I’m stressed, I cook. When I’m sad, I cook. There’s just something so therapeutic about being in the kitchen,” Liz bubbled up in excitement. Th
is was something she could talk about.
“What got you into cooking?” Mama Ally inquired from her seat.
“When I was a teenager, I used to watch a lot of cooking shows on the different channels our cable had. At first it was just because my usual shows weren’t on, but then I started paying attention to what they were doing on the competitive cooking shows and thought, ‘hey, I could do that.’ It wasn’t as easy as I thought it should be, but it gave me just enough curiosity to enroll in Family and Consumer Science the next semester. Then I took Food and Nutrition. I slowly started falling in love with it. For some, playing guitar or painting a picture is their expression, and for me, it was cooking,” Liz prattled on.
Stella and Mama Ally exchanged an amused glance before nodding to each other. Turning back to Liz, Stella said, “How about we go check out the new kitchen I just had Brady and the boys put together, and you can show Mama and I just how expressive your cooking is?”
Liz felt her eyes light up in excitement. Before she could overthink her next move, she said, “Show me the way.”
Stella and Mama Ally stood and walked towards the double doors that led out of the opposite side of the lodge that Liz had walked in. Standing and following them outside, they took a right and walked out towards want looked like a smaller, newer version of the lodge. Liz listened as Stella and Mama Ally babbled on about the property, explaining how long Stella’s husband Brady’s family had owned the land and some of the historical value behind it. It was hard for her to keep up with what they were saying with the excitement buzzing in her ears though, so she was only half catching what they were saying to her. She was hoping there wouldn’t be a quiz later, because if there was, she’d definitely fail it.
Stopping in front of the giant double doors that led into the building, Liz took a breath. This was it. She was going to show them what she was made of. Mama Ally pulled open one of the doors and gestured for Liz and Stella to enter ahead of her. As Liz looked around the room, she found it hard to keep her jaw from dropping open. The room was immaculate and by far the most impressive place she’d ever been able to cook in. All of the tables and chairs were easily hand crafted from different types of logs, there were simple older style lanterns hanging above each of the tables, the left side of the room held a little stage for entertainment, and the right side of the room had a modest bar top that matched the tables. Liz could see the kitchen door on the opposite side of the room, and she tried to contain her excitement.
“Why don’t you go ahead and go make yourself at home? We’ll sit at a table close to the kitchen so if you need us, you can holler at us,” Stella said gently, motioning for Liz to head towards the kitchen.
Liz took several steps towards the kitchen before pivoting to face the pair of woman and ask, “Wait, this is a working interview. What did you two want for lunch?”
“Let’s keep it simple for now. Why don’t you throw together a couple of burgers the way you think they should be made, an order of fries, an order of onion rings, and something for dessert?” Stella suggested, walking past Liz to plunk down on one of the log chairs.
“Really? You don’t want something… Fancier?” Liz hesitated, looking over to Mama Ally as she tried to decide if these two women were crazy.
Mama Ally shook her head in amusement, “You’d be surprised, darlin’. Sometimes the simplest of meals can be some of the hardest things to accomplish the right way around here. Our logic is if you can cook a good burger, then you’re worth keeping around to try out the fancy stuff with later. Now get to it before my stomach tries to to climb out from inside of me. I’m starving!”
Turning back towards the kitchen, Liz hustled through the door and marveled at all of the beautiful appliances. Everything was stainless steel and still sparkling, it was so new. The far wall was like one long cooler. The doors were glass like the ones at the grocery store so you could see what treasures were held inside. All of the food was organized inside accordingly as well.
“Hot damn, I haven’t seen anything this nice since culinary school,” Liz gasped, turning in a slow circle to ensure she absorbed everything in its full glory. “Alright, that’s enough gawking. Let’s get to work.”
Walking over to the radio that was installed over the sink in the far corner of the room, Liz turned on her favorite station, then set about washing her hands and gathering the items she needed to put together the food that had been requested. Swaying her hips to the beat, she found a rhythm with her hands and got to work. Twenty minutes flew by, and before she knew it, she was plating the burgers with their assorted condiments and side dishes. Checking the timer on the stove for the dessert she had prepared, she smiled to herself. She had timed the dessert to be done just in time to have it in front of them as soon as they were done eating. The cobbler topping was her own recipe, and with the amount of huckleberries she had found in the fridge, it may be one of her signature desserts around here, if she secured the job.
Nudging the door open with her hip, Liz balanced the dishes carefully as she strode over to table Stella and Mama Ally were sitting at. As Liz got closer, she could hear them both in a fit of giggles together with papers strewn about the table in front of them.
“Liz, get a load of this. Mama thinks we need to hire a pool boy to clean the pool, rather than having Brady or one of the guys do it,” Stella roared with laughter, keeling over in her chair.
Liz furrowed her brow in confusion. “I think I’m missing the joke.”
Stella stifled her laugh to try and explain, “We aren’t talking about just any pool boy. She wants to hire someone that looks like an Adonis to come wear fitted jeans and boots and strut around looking pretty so she can tempt him into her bed.”
“I’m old, Stella, and it’s been so long! Just let me have a little fun!” Mama argued before taking a sip of the brown liquid in her glass.
“I’d be careful of that, Mama Ally. You don’t want a sexual harassment case on your hands,” Liz teased before walking back to the kitchen.
“Oh, c’mon, look at me. Who would believe that I could sexually harass anyone? Besides, it’s not harassment if it’s consensual, right?” Mama snorted before bursting out in laughter again.
Over her shoulder, Liz called back, “Whatever makes you feel better. I’ll be back with dessert in a few. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything else for your burgers.”
Liz grinned as she walked back into the kitchen. She knew they wouldn’t need anything. Those burgers were nice and juicy and stacked high with bacon, and all the other required toppings for a perfect burger. She’d even been sure to put one slice of cheese on each side of the patty to ensure ultimate cheesiness. There was no way they wouldn’t like their food with her in charge.
Taking her new found confidence, she hurried over to the fridge and grabbed the items she needed for vanilla ice cream and got out the ice cream maker tucked in the dry storage pantry where she had found it when she had first started cooking. Stirring everything up, she poured the mixture into the container and turned the ice cream maker on and set a timer. Everything would be done at the same time. Luckily, it didn’t matter with ice cream if you let it sit for a minute longer in the maker.
Smelling the cobbler in the oven caused Liz’s stomach to rumble. She hadn’t had anything to eat since the Hawaiian pizza from Flying Pie the night before. She’d have to dish up some cobbler when she was done and make sure to put it in the fridge so she could take it back to her cabin later. She had been so nervous when she loaded up the car this morning that she didn’t want to risk getting something to eat and then throwing it all up on the drive up here.
As the timer went off on the cobbler, Liz could hear a few new voices added to Stella’s and Mama Ally’s. She could pick Jesse’s out, but the other three voices weren’t familiar. Shrugging to herself, Liz grabbed four more serving bowls and grabbed the cobbler out. Satisfied with the topping’s golden brown appearance and the huckleberries bubbling underneath, she set
it on the counter to cool while she went to grab the dirty dishes from Stella and Mama Ally.
“Oh, Liz, this is my mmm-erm, my husband, Brady, and his friends, Jesse, Landon, and Tyson,” Stella said, standing to introduce the men that had joined her at the table.
Liz smiled politely at all of them, trying not to let her eyes linger on Jesse before she nodded in acknowledgement at the others and collected the dirty dishes from the table. “It’s nice to meet you. You’re just in time, I was about to bring out dessert.”
“You can count us in,” Brady boomed. “I’ve always got room for dessert!”
“Alright, I’ll be right back with those then,” Liz said as she turned to leave.
“Hold on there, Liz. Why don’t you take Jesse back there with you? There’s no way that you can carry all of those serving bowls by yourself, and we haven’t purchased serving trays yet,” Mama Ally said, a wicked grin creeping across her face.
That woman is up to something, Liz thought to herself before saying, “No, really, it’s okay. I’ve got it.”