by Kiana Lee
“Sounds like you need a lift. I can drive you to wherever you need to go,” Jason said.
His words caught her by surprise. She had almost forgotten that Jason stood by the front door. “Are you serious? You’ll drive me?”
He nodded. “Like I told you yesterday, I don’t have anything planned and wouldn’t mind helping you out.”
“Oh, thank you!” she said, sagging against the wall for a moment. The vexation she experienced a moment ago lifted, leaving her almost weak. “I lent my Jeep to my roommate so she could go pick up her new prescription glasses. I didn’t anticipate that she’d have trouble getting back home.”
She went to retrieve her purse. But as she slung the strap over her shoulder, a new thought occurred to her. “You know, you’re my hero. Every time I’m in a bind, you keep showing up to rescue me.”
“Yep, now you know my secret,” he said, following her to the elevator. “I’m a superhero disguised as a cooking student.”
They laughed as they made their way down to the visitor’s parking lot. Three cars sat in the lot, and he stopped in front of a Porsche.
“Nice ride,” she said, running her fingers along the sleek car. Opening the door, she slid into the leather bucket seat.
“It gets me around,” he said, turning the ignition. The powerful roar of the engine filled the air, and he started to back out of the parking spot.
Jason drove with cool confidence, his strong hand dropping down on occasion to operate the stick shift. Unable to help it, she noticed the corded muscles of his forearms rippled as he shifted gears. How would it feel to have those powerful arms around her? He possessed no bulge at his belly, and she suspected that if she lifted his T-shirt she would find chiseled abs that cut and folded in all the right places. Out of the corner of her eye, she studied his masculine profile. If she believed in mythology, she would have thought that he descended from some Hawaiian god. He was beautiful. There was no doubt about it. While he possessed masculine beauty, he also exuded an air of virility and strength. Every movement he made was relaxed and carefree, and the wind from the opened window tossed his curly hair in wild disarray. Medium stubble grew along his strong jaw, causing him to appear a bit scruffy but that in no way detracted from his manly appeal. There was a small depression at the center of his bottom lip, and for one crazy moment, she wondered how it would feel to kiss him. Most likely other girls wondered the same thing, judging from the reactions that she had witnessed at school. But she was willing to bet that locking lips with Jason would be beyond spectacular.
She searched her brain for a safe topic to discuss, and to distract her from thinking about things that were impossible to have. “So how come you know so much about cooking?” she asked.
“My father loves to cook, and when I was a keiki, I loved hanging out with him. Probably in all that time I picked up a lot of this stuff.” He stopped for a moment and looked at Caitlin before turning his attention back to the road. He had revealed more than he intended, and he didn’t want to discuss any more of his life. Changing the subject, he asked. “What kind of job do you have?”
They had entered a residential area. From the looks of it, this section was likely populated by people of middle income. Having lived on the island all his life, he was familiar with where the wealthy and poor folks gathered.
“I work for a traveling cooking school,” she explained. “We mostly do keiki parties, so we show them how to cook something easy like pizza, and maybe poke, if the parents want to buy an upgraded package. We supply the food, instruction, entertainment, and cleanup. I guess with all the cooking shows on TV, there’s a surge of interest in preparing good food. And since the parents have aspirations for their offspring, they want to start them off while they’re young.”
He gave a short laugh. “It’s interesting that everyone wants to be a celebrity chef these days.”
“Not me. I just want to cook well, and I don’t need to be famous while doing it,” she said. “Oh look, we’re here!” She glanced down at the piece of paper in her hand and double-checked the address. “Yep, this is the house all right.” She pointed to the structure that had balloons tied to the wooden mailbox in the front. “I’m supposed to meet my coworkers before we go inside to do the show.”
Jason slowed the car down and parked at the curb.
“I see John over there,” she indicated to the white delivery truck that waited at the side of the road. “But I wonder why Coleen isn’t here yet...”
Chapter 10
As soon as Caitlin got out of the Porsche, she saw John the delivery guy climb out of his van. She started to wave at him but stopped. From the strained look on his face, she was certain that some disaster had occurred.
Before she could ask him what was wrong, he burst out, “Caitlin, I’m glad you made it. Colleen is a no-show today.”
“What?” she asked, shocked. “Did the boss send someone else to help me out?”
He shook his head. “I’m afraid not. Colleen called just an hour before I arrived here. I tried getting a hold of you too, but I couldn’t get through.”
The reality of the situation hit her. “I must have turned off my phone,” she said slowly. Twenty kids would be at the gathering, and she was the only one to manage them. In the parties that she worked, not many parents stayed to help since they viewed keiki gatherings as an opportunity for free babysitting. While some kids were well-behaved, others were a nightmare. And it would be just her luck to have a party full of little monsters.
“Maybe you can stay and help me,” she suggested.
“Sorry, can’t do that,” John said, giving her a sympathetic look. “You’re going to have to do the party by yourself.” He gestured to the van. “I have to make the delivery to two other keiki parties and a graduation as well.” He gave an angry shake to his head. “You’d think Colleen would have a little more respect for her coworkers. They should fire her ass for pulling this stunt on us.”
“What’s going on?” a voice asked behind them.
Caitlin turned around and saw Jason. “You’re still here,” she said in surprise.
“It seems like you’re having a problem.”
“Yeah, we’ve got a big problem all right,” John said. “Caitlin’s partner canceled on us unexpectedly, and now she has to run the show on her own.”
“I can handle it,” she said, trying to sound confident. After all, she didn’t have much choice.
Jason looked from John to Caitlin. “Maybe I can help.”
“You’re willing to stay and help?” she asked, astonished at his offer. She searched his face to see whether he was joking. But he appeared to be serious. “I’ll call the boss, and have her put you on the payroll.”
“It’s all right. I’ll do it for free. I already told you that I wasn’t doing anything today, so helping you entertain the keiki would be something different.”
She looked at Jason in wonder. Few people she knew would work for free, but from the expression on his face, his offer was sincere. The tension lifted from her chest. Once again, he had come to her rescue.
“You are a glutton for torture, aren’t you?” she said with a laugh. She was partially relieved but still felt some trepidation. While she needed the help, she didn’t think he fully understood what he was signing up for.
“How hard could a bunch of keiki be?” Jason asked.
“Believe me,” John said. “Not all of them are angels.”
“It’s kind of like you’re playing a game of Russian roulette,” she added. “You can never know which kind of gathering you’ll get to host. They can be fairly tame, or they could be your worst nightmare.”
“Don’t worry. I can handle it,” Jason said.
After they carried all the food and supplies into the house, John left for his other deliveries. The kids, who ranged from ages seven to ten, gathered in the living room, watching Jason and Caitlin as they entered the home. Surprisingly about four moms stayed behind, although they were too
busy chatting to mind their children. That part was up to Caitlin and Jason.
Caitlin took a deep breath. “If you’re still interested in helping me out, you can distract the kids while I set up their stations.”
“Sure thing,” Jason said, and started rounding up the children.
He took them to the backyard and initiated a game of tag. Soon the sounds of laughter and screams filtered through the open window in the kitchen.
Glancing out of the opening, she saw that Jason had full command of the kids. She noticed that the moms had also gone outdoors, but she knew the real reason they were there. And she couldn’t blame them. Jason was a sight to see. He moved with agile strength, and Caitlin found it hard not to watch his athletic form in action. It was amazing how much energy he possessed, and he easily kept up with the children. He streaked across the lawn while the kids raced after him. All of a sudden the birthday boy stumbled and fell to the ground. Halting, Jason went to check on the boy. When the child finished being upset, Jason lifted him on his back. Soon he was back to running around the perimeter of the lawn, and the shrieks and laughter of the kids resumed. By the time the party-goers came in for the cooking lesson, they would be easier to handle. None of her coworkers had a similar ability to interact with children. She couldn’t help thinking she’d been completely wrong about him. He wasn’t a jerk after all but was a generous, kind and caring man. In fact, he had all the qualities that any girl would wish…
“Okay, I need to stop this nonsense,” she muttered to herself. She was supposed to be working, not daydreaming about a guy that she had no chance with. Taking the stack of paper toques and aprons from the box of supplies, she set them down at each workstation.
Caitlin had just finished laying out the plastic rolling pins when she felt her phone vibrate. Pulling it out from her pocket, she saw the familiar number flashing across the screen. She glanced out the window and observed that Jason still had the kids occupied. She had a small window to take the call.
“Hello?” she said.
“Hi, Caitlin,” her grandmother said. “How’s school?”
“School’s fine,” she said, groaning inwardly. She hadn’t picked up the call only to engage in small talk. “Listen, Grandma, I’m going to have to get back to you later, okay? I’m working right now.”
“Okay, hun. We just wanted to let you know that we’re going to get our house fumigated.”
Caitlin glanced out the window and saw Jason looking her way. He stopped briefly to wave. She smiled and waved back. But then her grandmother’s words penetrated her brain, and her smile faded.
“Fumigated?” she repeated.
“Yes, we’ve been having some ant problems in the house, so we’re going to stay at the Green Bullet Motel until it’s safe to go back. We thought we’d tell you because you won’t be able to reach us at the house.”
“You can’t stay at that motel.” Caitlin gripped the phone tightly. “Wasn’t that the place that got shut down for rat infestation? It was all over the news!”
“We plan to stay there for only three nights, and it’s cheaper than the other places.”
“No, you two need to find a better place,” she said, her tone firm. “I’m going to transfer you some money, okay? You should have it in your account tomorrow. Just make sure you stay at a reputable hotel.”
Her eyes shifted to the on-goings outside. Jason fell to the ground, and the kids piled on top of him. He had occupied the kids long enough and she needed to start the show soon.
After she ended the call, she signed in to her bank account from her phone and sent a transfer. Then quickly logging out of the website, she hurried to the back entrance.
***
Jason was glad he had stayed behind to help Caitlin host the birthday party. In the time he spent with her, he began to believe that she was somehow different from all the women he knew. She was beautiful, intelligent, witty, and when she wasn’t stressed, she was surprisingly fun.
A shout from the back door drew his attention, and he saw Caitlin beckoning them inside.
“Okay, guys,” he said. “Who wants to start cooking?”
“Me! Me!” a chorus of children yelled, their arms shooting eagerly up into the air.
Jason set the birthday boy on the ground, and then led the troop just outside the back door. But before they entered the house, he faced them. Putting on a stern face, he mimicked one of his instructors at school. “All right, if you’re serious about cooking, then you’ll have to listen carefully to what I say. Can you do that?”
Eager nods met his question.
“Good. Now when you enter these doors, you will all turn into chefs. And chefs do not run to their workstations, and they listen to everything the head chef says. Got it?” When he received their assent, he said, “All right, Chefs, march slowly to your stations!”
He caught the astonished expression on Caitlin’s face as the children filed neatly into the kitchen and took their places.
“You’re like the pied piper,” she said.
“Yep,” he grinned. “I’m putting away my pipe now, and handing them over to you, Head Chef.”
She gave him a grateful smile and proceeded to show the aspiring cooks how to prepare their mini pizzas.
An hour later, they were sitting happily at the party table enjoying the pizzas that they created.
“Our work is almost done,” she said to Jason, her voice low. “The mom just has to finish serving the birthday cake.”
“Did she buy the cake from you?”
“No, most people purchase a standard one from Foodland. It’s cheaper than buying it from the company.”
Caitlin walked to the birthday boy’s mother. “Mom,” she said, “If you want to serve the cake, we can then pack up and leave.”
“Of course,” the woman said. She hurried to put the candles on the cake and made her way to the table. In her haste, she stubbed her foot on one of the chair legs.
“Oh no!” she shouted.
The cake tilted. As if Jason saw the disaster in advance, he jumped forward and caught the cake before it landed on the floor.
“My cake!” the birthday boy exclaimed. When he saw the ruined dessert, he began to wail.
The mom looked as if she was about to cry as well.
“Don’t worry,” Jason said. “If you can get me some basic ingredients, my partner and I can whip up a replacement cake.”
“You would do that for my Danny?” the mom asked, surprise on her face.
He nodded and told the woman to fetch eggs, flour, white sugar, and icing sugar.
Turning to Caitlin, he said, “I have some stuff in my picnic basket. I’ll go get it.”
When he returned a few minutes later with his hamper, the two of them prepared a basic cake. And when it finished baking, they placed it on the counter.
“We’ll have to entertain the kids until the cake cools,” Caitlin said, wiping the back of her hand across her brow.
Jason nodded. “Let’s do it.”
An hour later, the children were still in high spirits from another game of tag but the cake was ready for decorating. Jason pulled out some food dye from his basket, and placed them on the table. Then he turned to their audience. “Should I put another Nemo on the cake?” he asked the kids.
A couple of them shouted their agreement, but now since the children were given a choice, a flurry of other suggestions burst out in rapid succession. Finally, the birthday boy called out. “I want a Minecraft cake.”
“Yeah, Minecraft!” the other kids yelled in unison.
“I don’t know anything about the video game,” Caitlin hissed. Her face was filled with alarm.
“Don’t sweat it,” he told her. “I’ve got this.” Then he raised his voice. “Minecraft you say,” he tapped his finger thoughtfully against his bottom lip. “How about we put a creeper on it?”
The keiki’s eyes went round with excitement, and they cheered. Jason laughed. That was all the answer he needed.
After testing to make sure the cake was sufficiently cooled, he whipped up the icing and proceeded to decorate the cake. When he was done, everyone crushed around the table to admire it. Meanwhile, the moms pulled out their phones to snap pictures of the green video game character.
When the birthday song was finished, Jason watched as the beaming boy and his friends polished off the dessert. And for the first time, he felt a deep satisfaction. He knew how to cook, and it had always been a mechanical process for him. He was also used to preparing things in the kitchen. However, it was a new experience to observe people who genuinely enjoyed his food.
“Why don’t you give me your number?” One of the moms came up to him, laying a hand on his arm. “I have a birthday soon, and I can use you.”
Caitlin stood behind the woman. For a moment he saw that her pretty eyes narrowed.
“I’m helping out Caitlin, and don’t actually do birthday parties,” Jason said, his tone apologetic.
“That’s too bad,” the woman said, her red lips pouting. She handed him a piece of paper. “If you change your mind, call me. Because if you came to do my son’s party, I’d definitely make it worth your while.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, smiling as he took the slip of paper. The woman seemed content with that answer.
“Once again your superpowers saved the day,” Caitlin said beside him as the woman walked off. “You did an awesome job.”
The mom overheard Caitlin and approached them. “Yes, the party was truly awesome.” She handed an envelope to Caitlin. “I put a little bonus in there. I’m so happy I hired you. For sure, I’m going to tell all my friends about your company!”
Chapter 11
“Wow, I’m tired,” Jason said, sliding into the driver’s seat.
“I’m not surprised,” Caitlin said. “You had to beat back quite a few moms at the party.”
“Do I detect a hint of jealousy?” he teased.
“Jealousy?” She tossed her hair over her shoulders in defiance. “Ha! Keep dreaming. It’s unbelievable how you’re so full of yourself.”