Page 18 of Through the Dark Night
With that thought bolstering her courage, she marched to the door and almost yanked it open.
Standing in front of her was a well-dressed woman, but she had the weary look of someone who was running from something.
“Hello,” Shannon said.
“Hi, my name is Marina Castellano.” The woman’s voice was cultured. “I’m recently relocated from up north. I have extensive fine dining experience, and I understood from overhearing a conversation in town that you might be looking for a chef.” She gave a nervous smile. “I believe I can handle all of the demands that might occur, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner, no matter how fancy or plain you might like it to be.”
That was quite an introduction, and Shannon couldn’t believe God’s providence. Really? She was struggling with a menu, and Marina knocks on the door and offers her chef services?
That seemed a little too good to believe, but sometimes God worked that way. And here He was, orchestrating everything now so that people were inspired to donate their time, and she wasn’t dipping into her stash of money quite as much as what she’d feared she would.
“Well, I…don’t know what to say.”
“I don’t think there’s much to say. I could cook for you right now if you’d like, using whatever ingredients you have in the cupboard, and you can see for yourself whether you think I will be any good for you or not.”
“I’m not sure I’ll be able to pay you.” She could probably pay her something, since she wasn’t spending as much on everything else, but a chef was a wish list item, a fantasy item, something that she didn’t actually need, and she didn’t want to spend money on that until she knew for sure she wasn’t going to have to spend it somewhere else.
“I can start immediately, and I’ll just work for room and board. We can continue with that arrangement until you’re ready to discuss salary.”
If it were up to Shannon, she might think that the woman was being a little bit evasive. Although her confidence was almost overshadowing everything else. But why else would she be willing to work for room and board?
Shannon recalled the old saying of not looking a gift horse in the mouth. Perhaps she should not question too far. The woman was obviously well-dressed and well-spoken. She came from some type of upper class, Shannon would bet, whether it was just working for them or belonging to them, Shannon wasn’t sure. Not that it mattered. It was her cooking skills that really mattered, and Shannon thought her offer of making a meal on the spot was a pretty good one, considering there was a very limited amount of groceries in the pantry.
“All right, I’ll take you up on that. Come on in.”
Maybe it was her imagination, but Marina seemed relieved, excessively so.
She was pretty sure she didn’t imagine the fact that Marina looked over her shoulder before the door closed behind her.
It was on the tip of her tongue to ask Marina if she was running from something, but she didn’t. After all, Marina could ask her the same question, and if she were being honest, she would have to answer yes, she was running from more than one something.
She was running from her husband and the divorce and the life that had imploded back in Detroit, but she was also running from the feelings that she had felt for Lance today. She hadn’t offered him any other explanation but had run out of the room, and he deserved better. He hadn’t done anything wrong. He’d saved her from making a mess in the drywall again, and she hadn’t even thanked him. Just run away. He must think she was the most horrible person ever. Although, she knew that wasn’t the way Lance was, and he didn’t think any such thing.
“This is the kitchen, and you are the one who offered, but I do have to warn you that there are not very many ingredients with which to work.” She went over to the cupboard and opened it, showing the few items that she had bought recently. There was nothing else.
Looking at them, she had no idea what in the world Marina could possibly make out of them.
“Oh, and there’s a little bit of milk and some eggs in the refrigeratorhere.” She also had bought a little bit of cheese and a couple of fresh vegetables.
If Marina could make a meal out of that, she was hired on the spot. Not that Shannon would turn down anyone who was offering to work for room and board.
“Oh, that’s not going to be a problem,” Marina said with a smile.
And she got to work immediately. They chatted while Marina was working, although anytime the subject went to Marina’s past, she was very evasive. Even her explanations of her work experience were general and not specific. She spoke about working in a restaurant, but she didn’t mention where that restaurant was.
It made Shannon exceptionally curious, but she had to respect Marina’s privacy—after all, she wanted her own privacy respected. By the time Marina set a bowl of delicious-looking pasta with fresh vegetables and sauce in front of her, Shannon was starving and practically drooling from the delicious smell.
“You’ll have to let me know what you think,” Marina said, but her expression indicated that she wasn’t worried. Like she knew it was going to be good.
Shannon couldn’t eat by herself. “Get a plate for yourself and sit down. I’ll pray, and we can eat together.”
Marina’s brows lifted a bit in surprise, but she did as she was told without further comment. When her plate was ready, Shannon bowed her head and thanked the Lord for the food. In her heart, she thanked God for sending her the gift of Marina as well, and she also prayed for whatever it was that was causing Marina to have such a skittish feel to her. She prayed for wisdom that God would let her know when it was time to pry and time to step back and let Marina have her secrets.
As she suspected, her first bite was absolutely amazing, and she could barely wait to swallow before she said, “You’re hired. You’re hired, and I don’t care how much you’re charging me, you’re hired.”
“Room and board is all I ask.”
They ate together, not saying much.
