“M’lady. Have a seat. Get comfortable.” I gesture to the blanket.
She narrows her eyes. “I’m enjoying the picnic style, but nom’lady.Go back to one of the others.”
“So youdolike my nicknames.Well, well, well.”I wonder which one she prefers… “Should I use cupcake? Snow White? Snow? Apples?”
“I regret humoring you.”
“No regrets, cupcake. We don’t do that here. And trust me, in a few minutes, you won’t be sorry about anything tonight.”
Lisa gives me a full smile. Not one of her half smiles, but a dazzling full-toothed grin that renders me speechless. My legs feel a little like jelly as I hurry back to the kitchen counter. I pull out a pot and turn on the grill. As the pot heats up, I unwrap our burgers and remove the top buns on all of them. Quickly, I grab my ingredients from the store: the butter, flour, milk, onion powder, and cheddar cheese to whip up a homemade nacho dip. While my dip settles, I grind some fresh coffee beans and make a small shot of espresso. I grab two glasses and drizzle caramel syrup along the inside before pouring the espresso shots and our milkshakes into the new cups. With another caramel drizzle on top, and straws, they’re ready to serve. Next, I pour the cheese dip onto our burgers and place the buns back on top.
“Alright,” I call out. “This is my comfort meal. My first experiment at my first job.”
I wrap the burgers halfway back up and plate them with the onion rings and fries. Serving Lisa first, I hand her a plate and one milkshake. Then I retrieve mine to join her on the blanket.
“So your first job was fast food ?” she asks.
“Yup. Fast food. Then I went to work at a steakhouse. After that, I worked at a bakery. And during culinary school, I worked at a café.”
“Lots of cooking experiences.”
“Not always as a cook at those places. I’ve been a dishwasher, busboy, bartender, and waiter. My dream is to own a restaurant eventually.”
I pause. I haven’t confessed that dream to many people. Lisa looks at me through those dark, thick lashes. I’m not surewhat’s going through her head, but panic is racing through my mind. “Please don’t repeat that or use it for any of my socials.”
“Why? And you’ve received enough success that I think a restaurant would be an easy enough dream to achieve.” She pauses and then shrugs. “Sorry to assume. I don’t know what all goes into owning a restaurant.”
She’s right that I’ve built up a name for myself. I do have the means to open a restaurant. It’s just… still not enough. I take a bite of my burger to avoid speaking anymore on the subject. I give her a small nod to encourage her to do the same. “Honest opinion,” I tell her as she bites into the burger.
Much to my delight and dismay, Lisa moans between chews. There’s never been anyone in my life who enjoyed eating as much as most people enjoy sex. If this is how she sounds with food, I can’t even begin to imagine what noises she makes while in the throes of passion. Then again, I’m not sure I’d recover if a drive-thru burger gave her a bigger climax than I could. That’d give anyone performance anxiety. My two greatest assets would be in competition with each other.
Or they could complement each other…There’s a fun idea.
“This is way better than I was expecting. It’s really good. And the milkshake? I’m obsessed.”
If we weren’t exhausted from being on set all day, I could’ve prepared her a burger here. It’s a shame we’re not in my personal kitchen. I would have made her a milkshake from scratch. All the things I could do for and to this woman… In time, she’ll come around. I wasn’t lying about Hansel and Gretel. I, too, use sugary temptations to lure my prey. Once she’s had a sample of Casey Riis, she’ll want it all.
“I’m glad I exceeded your expectations. I hope to do that in other areas as well,” I tell her as I lick some of the gooey cheese from my finger.
Lisa takes another long sip from her milkshake before she speaks again. “About that.”
I groan. “And we were having such a nice time.”
“Work never ends. I’m always on the clock.” She makes a dramatic show of winking. The little vixen is mocking me. So there is a playful side.I love it.“I want to showcase more of your personal side. Here, remove the wrapper from the burger and hold it up. Let’s have you barefoot, on the floor, biting into a cheeseburger.”
I do as she asks, and when I bite into the messy burger, cheese oozes out of it and dribbles everywhere. She giggles and tells me to take another bite. My mouth is already full, but I dive back in. Laughter erupts from both of us.
“Got it! Look at this.”
She hands me the phone, but I wipe my hands off before accepting it. There I am laughing with cheese mid-air. It’s actually a great shot. Lisa captured a fun yet somehow sexy moment. It’s a photo that grabs attention.
“I’m going to post it now. I’ll say something about cheeseburgers withextragooey cheese being your comfort food, and we ask your followers what theirs is.”
Lisa asks what I do when I’m not jet-setting the world and baking. But I’m always baking. Even with the semi-fame, I’m still a loner. I love people, but relationships are…tricky. My parents were always distracted or letting me down. They weren’t affectionate with me or each other. When I was on the receiving end of their time, it was met with criticism. My stomach churns as memories try to resurface. Nope. I’m not going down that path. That part of my past needs to remain where it is—a better off forgotten memory buried deep, deep within. I won’t allow it to tarnish this night. One bad memory doesn’t get to have the power to multiply and create more unpleasant moments.
“Do you ever get tired of baking?” Lisa pops a fry into her mouth.
The silence stretches while I search for the right words. “The closest thing to love I’ve ever experienced has been baking. It’s always been my source of comfort. It’s not a feeling that ever gets old, and I feel it only when I’m in a kitchen.”