Culinaria L'amore

Culinaria L'amore Chapter Thirty-Four

"Kirsten." He muttered stiffly. "You'll be helping me."

When nothing else was said, I nodded quickly in return before rolling up my sleeves and following Garrett as he made his way to one of the cooking stations. Turning to me, he tossed me a couple sheets of paper.

"Can you wash the cilantro and then chop it into small enough pieces that it's just flecks? I don't want any bruised pieces so make sure you're being careful with it." When I shook my head in affirmation, he turned before grabbing a piece of raw salmon.

I worked diligently, occasionally brushing a piece of hair out of my eyes, trying to ignore the stares and whispered that accompanied the crowd. Taking a big whiff of the fresh cilantro, I scooped up the slices and dumped them into a ceramic bowl before presenting them to Garrett. When he nodded his approval, not looking at me the entire time he examined my handiwork, he grabbed the bowl from me before cracking four eggs and whisking it briskly.

"Take this and add two cups of flour. Then pour some oil into the skillet and create a quesadilla. You got that?"

Scowling a bit at how condescending his tone was, I nodded again before following his instructions. After beating the mixture for a couple of minutes and satisfied with the liquidity of the batter, I poured it slowly into the pan before throwing the bowl into the sink.

Wiping my hands on my apron, I rested for a second watching Alonzo and Angela working as a team, a serious look on both of their faces. While one slathered butter onto the rye bread, the other minced raw salmon, both just an inch away from each other but comfortably maneuvering. Looking over at Garrett, who worked with diligence on his handsome face, his movements were smooth and well practiced but we didn't act like a team. In fact, if a person walked by, it would look like we were on opposite teams competing for the award.

Shaking my head, at both my immaturity and his, I rested my hands on my hips before stomping over to Garrett.

"Anything else?" I asked, my voice clipped and harsh, obviously showing my irritation.

He look up, surprise flashing over his face at my angry tone before muttering quietly, "Stop it Kirsten. You're being immature."

"You're kidding me, right?" I hissed so that no one could hear our conversation. "I'm the one that's immature? You've been ignoring me and only puts on a good front when other people are around!"

"Kirsten." Garrett paused for a moment, maintaining eye contact for a second before looking away. "The omelet."

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"He's being a total dickhead." Angela muttered quietly as we rolled the spicy curry salmon wraps and drizzled balsamic vinegar onto the plate in a decorative style, Alonzo and Garrett working on their roasted salmon.

"Who? Alonzo?"

Angela rolled her eyes at me, as she sliced the carrots and put them on the edge of the plate. "No. Garrett. What is up his ass, man?"

Gulping, I stared at the powdered curry on my hands, debating whether or not to answer her. Finally, I sighed and wiped my hands on my apron. "I may have said some things."

Angela snorted. "He probably deserved them."

"I told him he was being stupid and that I saw Mira drinking champagne."

Her eyes narrowing, Angela looked confused as she wiped off a bit of stray cilantro with a towel. "I drink champagne.  You drank champagne. What's so weird about that bitch drinking champagne?"

I sighed, biting my lower lip. "Well, she says she's pregnant, and women are supposed to contain their drinking to a certain amount while pregnant unless they don't mind hurting their child."

The expression on Angela's face was one of shock, anger, and if she had been drinking water, I bet that there would be water all over the place, like in the movies where people spit out water when in shock.

"Seriously? Mira? Pregnant? That's absolutely wonderful!"

My eyebrows shot up at Angela's unexpected reply until she cackled softly and muttered gleefully, "I'd like to see her lose all that baby fat. She'll have stretch marks. My dreams have come true!"

Looking over her shoulder, I noticed Garrett glancing over at us, and I swatted Angela's arm to stop her laughing. "Angela! Garrett's looking at you."

"Screw him. He's unimportant. Now the real question is; did he break up with you because of her getting pregnant or because of something else?"

Twisting the towel in my hands, I brushed a piece of my hair off of my forehead, thinking before I replied. "I don't know. But right now? I'm beyond caring."

I didn't manage to hear Angela's reply as a loud buzzer rang, signifying the end of the show.