idea immediately. They’d spent months securing grants, preparing the curriculum, rounding up volunteers and spreading the word.
Sarah exchanged a quick look with Mindy, her volunteer for the week, and waited a moment until she captured Garrett’s gaze. She smiled, but the firmness of her voice relayed the promise in her words. “Garrett, the only beatings happening here are the ones with the food.”
His eyes dropped to the toes of his beat-up purple Converse shoes, but then his head jerked up and a smile spread across his face. He shoved a hand in the pocket of his baggy shorts and waved at her with the other. “Aw, Miss Sarah, I was just messin’ with you.”
She reached for another egg and rolled it in her hand. “How about you start messing with this egg and show me some of those smooth skills I know you’ve got?”
Garrett swaggered to the table, amid his friend’s heckling and hooting, trying to act as if he was doing her a favor, but for a second, he looked at her with softened eyes as if to thank her for the reassurance of her words.
She gave him a barely discernible nod and handed him the egg, giving his fingers a slight squeeze in the exchange. She stepped back, giving him a little space, and watched as he broke the egg with one hand and then beat it smooth with practiced strokes.
“Great job, Garrett. This isn’t your first time, is it?”
“Nah, my mom...she works in the kitchen at the Lakeside Lodge. I’ve been cooking since I was a little kid.”
“Great. You’ll be a huge help this summer.” She pointed to the stacks of stainless-steel bowls and a basket of whisks. “Okay, friends, grab your bowls and whisks. Let’s practice beating your eggs.”
The sounds of eggs being cracked against bowls and the scraping of whisks against stainless steel filled the oversize kitchen. Whites splashed across the table and a couple of yolks landed on the floor.
Sarah pressed her back against the counter and tried not to glance at the clock for the third time in ten minutes. Crossing her arms over her chest to tamp down the building frustration at Alec, she gave the teens space to do as directed. “Once your eggs are beaten, I’ll show you how to scramble them.”
Some of the teens were siblings like Daniel and Toby, who lived with their grandma and attended her church. Others were only children. And some like Amber, who had working parents and younger brothers and sisters at home, could benefit from the skills being learned over the summer.
And while they were here, with her, they were safe. If they learned nothing else this summer, they’d know they were loved. And worthy. They mattered. That was one aspect of the program she guaranteed.
A throat clearing behind her caused her to jump. She turned to find Alec standing in the doorway, wearing a red polo shirt with Seaver Realty embroidered on it. With a tight smile on his face, he shoved his hands in his tan trouser pockets.
Instead of jumping down his throat at his lateness, she smiled and schooled her tone. “Hey, glad you could make it.”
“Yeah, sorry I’m late. Something came up at work.” His gaze darted around the room, his jaw clenching. “How’s it going?”
She waved a hand over the crowd. “We haven’t set off any smoke alarms.”
“Yet.” A slow smile spread across his face as he pointed to the square box above the door. “Good thing, too, because these smoke alarms are tied into the city fire department.”
“Good to know. Anyway, to answer your question—we’re off to a good start.” With Mindy at the table lending the teens a hand, Sarah turned her back to them and lowered her voice. “Your suggestion about beginning with breakfast was a hit.”
“Told you it would be. Teach them the basics and build up from there. Eggs are one of the simplest things to cook...for most people.”
“Hey, I didn’t burn that third batch.” She struggled not to stick out her tongue.
“You’re right. Those had a slightly less charred taste.”
“One of these days I’m going to knock your socks off with my cooking, Mr. Seaver.”
“I may be on Medicare by the time that happens, Ms. Sullivan.” His teasing tone melted away some of her anxiety. She was so afraid he wasn’t going to show, and then she’d have been left to her own devices. That was a disaster in the making.
“You scoff at my abilities now, but you’ll see... I’m a fast learner.” He didn’t need to know she’d been poring over cookbooks and watching cooking shows in her spare time. Or see the amount of burned food she’d thrown away, making her bank account cry. At least she hadn’t set off any more smoke alarms this past week.
She slipped an apron off the hook by the door and tossed it to him. “Now that you’re here, suit up. You can help us with the next step.”
He caught the apron with his left hand, but his mouth tightened and his nostrils flared. His eyes darted around the room. A ragged breath squeezed from his chest. Color drained from his face.
She cocked her head and frowned. “You okay?”
“Hey, Miss Sarah, who’s the dude? Your boyfriend?” Garrett winked and nudged his buddy.
“No, Garrett, he’s my...friend who will be helping us with cooking this summer.” Sarah reached for Alec’s arm and tried to pull him deeper into the kitchen, but he stood his ground. He stiffened and shook off her hand while taking a step back.
Was she jumping to conclusions with that last identifier?
She and Alec were friends, weren’t they? Over the past week of cooking lessons, they’d developed a sort of rapport. His growling lessened in the kitchen, so that was good, right?
“Well, your friend’s about to split.”
Sarah turned to find Alec stalking to the door. “Excuse me a minute, guys.” She left the kitchen and hurried after him. “Alec, wait up. Alec.”
Alec ignored her call, flung the door open and let it slam behind him without even turning around.
What in the world had gotten into him?
She couldn’t exactly chase after him. She had a responsibility to the teens, especially with that same charred-egg smell she’d come to recognize filtering through the air. With a shrug and an eye roll, she sauntered into the kitchen as if she didn’t care about Alec’s actions. But her insides swirled like those beaten eggs. What had caused him to bolt? Was it something she’d said?
* * *
Alec pushed through the community center door and gulped large mouthfuls of air. He grasped the metal railing with a trembling hand and forced his shallow breathing to stabilize. A gust of wind pummeled his face, cooling the sweat on his brow and upper lip.
What was he doing? He must’ve been out of his mind to agree to help Sarah with this program. He couldn’t work with kids. He should’ve just texted her and canceled for today, promising to make it up to her. But, no, Mr. Man-of-his-Word showed up and then hightailed it out of there faster than his sister being chased by a snake.
He was such an idiot.
What kind of guy let a group of teenagers get under his skin? They were a bunch of kids. Harmless, right? He’d thought the same thing about Justin, too.
But that didn’t make it right to walk out on Sarah, especially since she’s been putting in time every day since their agreement at his uncle’s house, making a dent in the mess. She did have great organizational skills. And now he wasn’t living up to his end of the bargain.
He sat on the steps and buried his face in his hands. This day couldn’t end fast enough.
After the housing deal he’d been working on fell through and the irate owners and their screaming toddler caused him to show up late at the community center, he knew he wasn’t in the right