Personal Chef

Chapter 34

Shawn and I got up early to make the chocolate cake. Shockingly, he only made half a dozen dirty jokes about his love of licking the bowl. While the cake layers cooled, Shawn went to the gym. I went to the grocery store and picked up the ingredients for dinner that I wanted to be fresh. We ended up arriving back at the condo at the same time. Shawn quickly showered, and we got back to work frosting the cake.

When the cake was done and looking pretty in a glass-domed stand I'd bought, we ate a simple lunch of tuna salad. Mine had tons of tomatoes which Shawn said made him question my sanity. After lunch I started cooking since Andrew was due to arrive around 4:30. Shawn cleaned house as I worked in the kitchen. He was pretty adorable pushing the vacuum around the condo while singing at the top of his lungs.

We both got dressed in nicer clothes late in the afternoon. It was a warm day, so I chose a sundress and a cardigan. More and more of my clothing was finding its way into Shawn's closet. I knew he didn't mind because he'd cleared a space for me and had given me a bunch of hangers to use. He wore a tailored white polo-style short-sleeved shirt and black jeans. Of course.

When Andrew arrived I gave him a huge hug.

"It's so good to see you!" I told him.

"Same! And no, it's not just because I know this will be the best meal I've eaten since we were in Malibu," he said.

Shawn got us each a glass of wine and I got the appetizer platter out of the fridge. We'd made crostini with fig, blue cheese, and pancetta. The three of us went out on the patio and sat down. Shawn sat next to me and put his arm around my shoulders. Andrew shook his head and smiled.

"I'm glad you two figured things out. You have no idea how hard it was for everyone else to watch you both be so dense for a month," he said.

"I think it's for the best that we took things slowly," Shawn said before reaching for a crostini and taking a bite. "Fuck that's good," he said after he'd finished it.

"You helped make it," I reminded him.

"Shawn can cook?" Andrew asked as he looked warily at the food in his hand.

"I'm learning! In fact, Chelsea is more of a cooking instructor than a personal chef these days. We should give her a raise for the promotion," Shawn said.

I set my wine glass down. "I do not need a raise. If anything, I should take a pay cut. I eat half the food that gets made, and I'm not spending nearly as much time in the kitchen as I used to. Don't start with any bullshit to pay me more, Shawn."

Andrew cleared his throat, "Shawn tells me you want to open a restaurant. That's exciting."

"It's been a dream of mine for a long time. I hope to get the ball rolling before the end of the year."

"And at that point you'll no longer be in Shawn's employ?"

"No. Which is why there's no need to change things now, other than paying me less or not at all," I explained.

"Not gonna happen, honey," Shawn said. "You do a lot in the kitchen and you need to be compensated."

"I could change my bank account so that the automatic deposits don't go through," I argued.

Shawn rolled his eyes and turned to Andrew. "I've changed my mind. Let's just fire her. She's a bit insubordinate, don't you think?"