Chapter 2: Terms and Tension
1156 Words
I inhaled sharply under the weight of his cold, scrutinizing gaze.
“You’re definitely not who I was expecting,” he said at last. His voice was clipped. Cool. Dismissive.
I straightened my shoulders. “No, I’m not. You were supposed to meet my mom, Mrs. Davis. I’m her daughter, Emily. I’m filling in for her. She’s unwell.”
A flicker of something passed through his otherwise unreadable expression. Disbelief, maybe.
“This,” he said, gesturing vaguely toward me with one hand, “is the best replacement she could find?”
His tone was a blend of skepticism and condescension.
Then he added, “Can you even hold a knife properly?”
That did it.
My blood boiled. Insulting me was one thing. But throwing shade at my mother’s judgment, then questioning my skill? This guy had some nerve.
I took a step forward, eyes narrowing.
“With all due respect, Mr. Black,” I said, my voice steady but firm, “if you don’t want me working here, that’s fine. But I won’t stand here and be disrespected. I’m not here to be belittled, and I won’t tolerate it.”
Something flickered across his face again. Surprise? But it disappeared as quickly as it came, replaced by a hard, unreadable look.
“Oh, feisty,” Jason murmured from behind me, clearly amused.
Liam shot him a glare but said nothing.
The tension in the room was suffocating.
“What’s your name?” he asked finally, his tone clipped.
“Emily.”
He pulled out his phone and tapped out a reply to a message, then paused, glancing back at me.
“Why should I let you cook in my kitchen?”
His voice carried that same cool edge, like this was some kind of test.
I bit the inside of my cheek, forcing myself to remain calm. What was this, an audition?
“Because I’m capable,” I replied, meeting his gaze.
He raised an eyebrow. “That’s it?”
I shrugged. “You’ve already made up your mind about me. I’m not here to convince you. I know my worth. If you can’t see it, that’s your loss.”
A tense silence followed. Then, without warning, he asked, “You’ve read the instructions? The rules? No second chances here. One mistake, and you’re out.”
“Crystal clear,” I said without hesitation.
He stared at me for a beat longer, then turned and walked out without another word.
As soon as he disappeared, Jason exhaled.
“That was intense,” he said.
“Intense?” I scoffed. “I’m sorry that’s your brother. He’s a jerk.”
Jason laughed. “You’re not wrong. Liam can be... uncouth.”
“Uncouth is putting it very mildly,” I muttered. “Who insults someone five minutes after meeting them?”
“He’s a special kind of disaster. You’ll get used to him. Or not. Either way, you held your ground. That’s more than most people manage on their first day.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, I’m not most people.”
“That,” he grinned, “is becoming very obvious.”
I turned back to the kitchen, opening cabinets and checking the pantry. “I need to take inventory. Make a list of what I’ll need while I’m here.”
“Want some company?” he asked.
“You’re still here?”
He shrugged. “Didn’t have anything planned today. I actually came to annoy Liam, but meeting you’s been far more entertaining.”
I gave him a sideways glance. “Lucky me.”
He smiled, completely unbothered. “So, how often are you working here?”
“Mondays and Fridays. Why?”
He tapped his fingers on the marble countertop. “I’m shooting a music video soon. I think I just found my vixen.”
I stopped what I was doing and gave him a look. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Nope. Dead serious.”
“Jason, I cook. I don’t do ‘vixen.’”
“Ouch.” He clutched his chest in mock pain. “The first favor I ask my new friend and she turns me down.”
He pouted dramatically.
I laughed. “Wow. You really don’t play fair.”
“Never have.”
I sighed, trying not to smile. “Fine. I’ll think about it. Funny, I thought I’d be the one using you for favors.”
He leaned forward, eyes sparkling. “You’re still welcome to take advantage of me.”
“You’re insufferable.”
“You have no idea.”
He stood, phone in hand. “Let me call my manager. Be right back.”
As he disappeared down the hall, I leaned against the counter and shook my head.
What did I just agree to?
By the time I finished taking inventory, Jason was back, grin firmly in place.
He handed me his phone. “Type in your number.”
I hesitated, then took it and punched in my digits. I called myself too, just to have his.
“Done.”
“Perfect,” he said, slipping the phone back into his pocket.
I turned my attention to dinner prep, chopping onions and setting ingredients on the counter. Jason stayed, watching me like I was a live cooking show.
“You seriously don’t have anything better to do?”
“Nope. Today is all about bothering Liam and watching you cook.”
I smirked. “Well, mission accomplished.”
He leaned back. “How old are you, anyway?”
“Twenty-two. You?”
“Twenty-six.”
He tilted his head. “So, Em…can I call you that?”
“Yeah. Sure.”
“Call me Jay.”
I nodded.
“So, Em... what do you do when you’re not rescuing your mom’s job?”
“I’m still in college. Culinary arts.”
“Nice. Believe it or not, I studied engineering.”
That made me pause. “Seriously? You did?”
He chuckled. “I know, I know. Everyone expects me to be just another pretty face with a guitar. But yeah, graduated with honors.”
“That’s actually impressive. Famous and smart?”
He shrugged. “People have layers.”
“You’re not wrong.”
He stayed with me until I was done. I packed up my things and checked the time.
“Well, Jay... this was unexpected.”
“In a good way?”
I smiled. “Yeah. Surprisingly, yes.”
His gaze followed me to the door. “Goodnight, Em. Better brace yourself. Your summer’s about to get lit.”
I laughed under my breath, shaking my head. “We’ll see about that.”
As I stepped outside, the warm evening breeze swept across my skin.
Something fluttered in my stomach.
Nerves?
Excitement?
I wasn’t sure.
But one thing was certain.
This summer was already nothing like I planned.
And something told me... it was just the beginning.
- Writer
