Page 11 of Caught in a Christmas Conundrum

I give a confident smile. “I am. I’m looking forward to it. I enjoy watching you work, and I was impressed by the effort you put into making things perfect for your clients. How you really care about giving them value for their money and making sure that what you do is a good representation of who you are.”

She smiles at my words, and I feel like while I wasn’t trying to flatter her, she’s pleased with what I said. “That’s exactly what I try to do. To treat other people the way I want to be treated. Whether I’m working for someone else, or now that I’m working for myself. After all, back when I was an employee, and it was time for me to work, I wanted to put in the very best effort Icould. Now that I’m an employer, I appreciate employees who do their best.”

I nod. “Most people don’t think that way. They’re putting in time, and they’re getting money in return, and they don’t think about treating their employer the way they’d want to be treated if they owned the company.”

“I agree. I think a lot of times, people are trying to game the system, or they see the company owner as rich, and they’re trying to get everything they can from them.”

We certainly have different perspectives on this than most people, since we’re both business owners. But it is interesting that both of us have come to that conclusion. I feel like we have more in common than anything.

As she turns to pull out her chair, I notice her apron. It says,I cook as good as I look. I smile, because to me, she’s beautiful. But I tasted a few of her creations today, and she is, indeed, a very good cook.

When I was getting out the meat tray, I took a second to change my apron, and I see her smile as she reads it.Vegetarian is an old Indian word for bad hunter.

nine

. . .

Kate

I haveto laugh at Lucas’s apron. Although part of my humor is the fact that we’re in these apron wars, and neither one of us has said anything.

But I love that Lucas doesn’t just work hard, like he’s done all day, but he does it with a smile and with a desire to enjoy life. I think sometimes I get focused on what I’m doing, and I forget that this is my life. If I’m not enjoying every second, then I need to figure out what the problem is and what I can do to change so that I am enjoying it. Before I know it, it’s going to be over, and what’s the point in living if it’s not fun?

And yes, I know that it’s important to live in such a way that people can see Jesus in you, but surely people more easily see Jesus in a smiling person than someone who seems preoccupied and angry all the time, right?

“I feel like I need to address the elephant in the room,” Lucas says as we sit down at our stools and he pours some sparkling grape juice in each of our glasses.

“What’s that?” I ask, wondering if he’s going to say that he’s as attracted to me as I am to him.

“I’m winning the apron thing, just saying,” he says, picking up a piece of meat and pairing it with cheese and crackers before sticking it all in his mouth.

He munches happily as I digest what he just said.

“No way,” I say, totally unwilling to concede any grounds in this turf war. “I am the apron queen.”

“So you have to tell me how that works, since I’m the apron king,” Lucas says, and I catch the glimmer of laughter in his eyes.

My mouth opens and then it closes, like a refrigerator in a bachelor pad. I can’t hardly agree with him, can I? That we could be the king and queen together? Isn’t that the obvious answer? But I can’t say that. Otherwise he’ll think… He’ll know that I like him. That I don’t see him as my competition, somehow, anymore. It’s funny how working together, facing the stress of deadlines, and handling the small emergencies that crop up can bond you to someone like a date could never do. It’s dealing with actual life that really shows you what a person’s character is made of, and I feel like Lucas and I dealt with life all day today, and I like the way he handles things.

Did I mention he’s funny?

And who doesn’t love a man who cooks?

“You’re not going to admit that we could be tied in this, are you?” He laughs. “Competitive much?”

I know I should be upset about this, but he’s right. I don’t like to lose.

“It’s not because I don’t want to lose that I didn’t say anything. Because if we’re king and queen together, what does that say?”

He sits for a moment and studies the cracker and meat in his hand.

I’m not sure whether he is thinking about what I said or trying to figure out a way to say it where it doesn’t sound like he’s trying to put us together.

Is he trying to put us together?

I think about that for a while as I thoughtfully chew my cheese. He has great taste in cheese. I’m not even sure what kind this is, but he had a little bit of maple syrup in a small cup and I dipped my cheese in it, and…the flavors are just out of this world.

But it’s a little bit hard to think when half of my brain is trying to figure out how I can recreate this in a dish.

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