It’s not my finest work.
“Go shower,” I say, nodding towards the hallway. “Get dressed. I’ll sort breakfast.”
Wynter arches a brow. “You? Sort breakfast?”
“I’ll have the chef do it,” I correct, already pulling my phone from my pocket. “Before you get food poisoning.”
She huffs out a laugh. “Smart move.”
“And hurry,” I add. “You look like you slept in a hedge.”
“Charming,” she mutters, but there’s a smile on her face as she disappears down the hallway.
The second she’s gone, I get to work. I clear the counters, wipe everything down, dump the burnt disaster into the bin, and open the windows. By the time the chef arrives, the kitchen looks like nothing ever happened.
Perfect.
“Right,” I say, grabbing fresh ingredients. “We’re doing something different and I need your help.”
By the time Wynter walks back in, with her hair damp, everything is set up.
Clean counters. Bowls lined up. Ingredients ready. And the chef standing beside me.
She stops dead in the doorway. “What’s going on?”
I nod towards the counter. “You said you wanted to learn to cook.”
Her eyes flick to the chef, then back to me. “So, you hired someone to teach me?”
“To teach us,” I correct. “We’re both useless.”
She folds her arms, trying not to smile. “This should be interesting.”
“Simple breakfast,” I say. “Scrambled eggs, bacon . . . and pancakes.”
“Pancakes?” she repeats.
“Competition,” I add. “Fluffiest wins.”
Her eyes light up instantly. “You’re on.”
Twenty minutes later and there’s flour everywhere again. But this time, it’s on purpose.
“That’s too much milk,” she says, peering into my bowl.
“You’re just trying to sabotage me,” I reply, whisking faster.
She laughs, bumping her hip into mine as she reaches for the vanilla. “I don’t need to sabotage you. You’re doing that all on your own.”
“Focus on your own disaster,” I shoot back.
“My batter is perfect,” she says proudly.
“Your batter is suspiciously runny.”
“That’s because you don’t know what you’re doing.”
The chef stands back, watching us like we’re a pair of children, occasionally stepping in to correct something before stepping right back out again.