get done with a class. It’s just like that feeling I used to get in high school after winning a football game, when the adrenaline was so high, I couldn’t sit still even if I tried.
Who would have thought I would trade in my football gear for an apron? Certainly not me. In high school, I was the ultimate jock. I was the guy chicks stood in line to date despite my frequent spikes of anger and bad reputation for getting into fistfights. And usually, it was me who started them.
Looking back, I didn’t have a calm bone in my body until my football coach swooped in and taught me how to release my negative energy on the field. Coach Reynolds gave me a fresh start, a home, and a family. I’ll forever be grateful for the way he helped me carve a path to my future. Unfortunately, the man who saved me was the same man who abandoned Maggie when she was younger.
The chime on the door dings, and I curse myself for forgetting to lock up after Gretta left. I’m never going to finish cleaning this place if I can’t control the interruptions.
“Looks like you need more help around here.”
I look up to see Maggie’s sister, Monica, approaching me with a smile.
I return her smile with an amused one of my own as I start to wipe down a workstation in the front of the room. “Looks like you’re right,” I say without looking up again. I’m already dreading what Monica came here to talk to me about. Surely, it has everything to do with her sister. Maybe if she sees that I’m busy, she’ll go easy on me. “What’s up?”
“It’s about Maggie.”
I bite down my retort while she continues. I’ll need to tread this conversation lightly. Monica is dating my best friend, Zach, so I have a soft spot for the girl, one that doesn’t mix well with her troublesome sister or my anxious mood.
“I know you two have this… tension, but are you sure you can’t look past the whole lobster thing? She really wanted that certificate today.”
“Well, then she should have done the work.” My retort is snappier than I meant it to be, but as much as I love getting under Maggie’s skin, she sure gets under mine too.
“Really?” Monica challenges. “Is it really so bad that she didn’t want to kill a lobster? I think it’s kind of sweet.”
The term sweet and Maggie Stevens do not go together, but I refrain from letting that comment slip from my brain and out my throat. I’m not an idiot.
I stand straight, right my shoulders, and stare back at Monica with as much firmness as I can muster without coming off as a complete asshole. This will undoubtedly get back to Zach, and then I’ll have to explain myself to him too.
So be it.
“Look, Monica, it’s not just about the lobster. It’s about the past three months. She’s half-listening in every class, distracts the rest of the students with her heckling, and she makes it obvious to everyone that she doesn’t want to be here. Not only that, but she criticizes everything—the food, the kitchen, me.” My eyes widen, hoping that I’ve made my point. “I can’t give a certificate to someone who doesn’t want one.”
Monica is biting her lip, and I can tell she’s holding back a laugh. Clearly, she doesn’t agree with anything I just said. But she eventually sighs and tries again. “It’s not like the fate of the free world is resting on Maggie’s cooking ability. Come on, Des. She’s going through a hard time right now, and you’re right—she doesn’t want to come to these classes—but she does it for me. The least you can do is give her the stupid certificate.” Monica’s eyes go wide at her own words. “I shouldn’t have said stupid. I’m sorry.”
I know Monica didn’t mean anything by it, but her words still sting. “It’s fine. I get it.”
She tilts her head, her smile morphing into a desperate plea. “So you’ll hand it over? You probably already printed it.”
I raise a hand and let out a sigh. If there’s one thing I have a weakness for, it’s a well-meaning pouty woman. I just don’t have the heart to disappoint Monica too. “Fine,” I growl. Then I walk around the island, slide open the top drawer, and pull out the single certificate that was meant for Maggie. I approach Monica and hand it over. “Tell her congratulations