Eliona's War 1: Hesitant Healer

Chapter 35

Jake put Chad the tank to shame. He was well over six feet tall, probably closer to seven, with shoulders wide enough to block traffic. Solid muscle bulked out his big frame to an alarming degree. His T-shirt had the sleeves torn off, revealing bulging biceps strong enough to lift a horse. His hands had to be about the same size as the frying pan on which he currently was frying some burgers.

Despite that fact that his fingers practically dwarfed the spatula, Jake wielded the tool deftly, lightly and quickly flipping one burger after another. They hit the grill with a sizzle.

Satisfied, Jake finally turned to face them. His shoulders brushed against the cabinets as he wiped his hand against the many-sizes-too-small apron he wore. He regarded Seth with a serious gaze, before giving a curt nod.

"Hello," he said, his voice as deep as one would expect but oddly softspoken. Though his skin was the color of the darkest chocolate, his eyes were an unusual gray color. It made his appearance all the more memorable.

Seth had no words. All he could manage was a jerky nod in response, though it was more of a spasm than a nod.

"He's the kid Hel was talking about," Trip explained to Jake.

Jake raised his eyebrows slightly, as if questioning, This little shrimp? Or maybe he wasn't quite thinking that, but Seth figured it had to be something along that line. For crying out loud, the guy could crush skulls with one hand!

"I'm going to go man the front. Evening crowd should be starting to trickle in soon." Trip grinned. "Seth, Jake—I'll leave you two to get along. Have fun!"

And with that, Seth was left in a tiny kitchen with a giant man who ate Intimidation-O's for breakfast.

He's going to eat me, Seth thought morosely. He tried to look anywhere but at Jake. That proved kind of hard, since Jake practically took up the entire space in the kitchen. Or kill me. Oh crap, this was a terrible idea. Why did I even agree to come here?

"Dishes," Jake softly said.

What?

Slowly, Jake lifted a hand. The motion made Seth instinctively flinch. A faint frown crossed Jake's features, but he merely pointed at the industrial-sized sink by the corner. The counters on either side of it were piled high with dirty plates, cutlery, and glasses.

"Dishes," Jake repeated.

"Oh." Realization stuck Seth like a lightning bolt. Heat rushed to his face. Dishes, huh? Right. He could do that. Anyone could do that. "Okay."

Only, there was one problem. Seth eyed the stack of dishes. Then he glanced at Jake nervously. The sink was in the corner of the kitchen on the other side of Jake. The man took up the entire space —how was Seth supposed to get past him?

Should I ask him to move? Would he even listen to me? Before Seth's worries could carry him away, Jake turned his great bulk and stepped close to the grill. This opened up a narrow pathway. It forced Seth to suck in his gut and press himself against the opposite counter, yet he somehow managed to squeeze past without bumping into the giant man.

His breath whooshed out in a wash of relief once he reached the pile of dishes. That was one problem solved, for now. Seth peeked over at the grill.

Jake had already stepped back, somehow filling up his side of the kitchen once more. He was like a solid gate, closing off the entrance and preventing escape. If Seth wanted to leave, he'd have to go through Jake first.

It was not a comforting thought.

He breathed shallowly, trying not to show how close to panicking he was. He reached out with shaking hands and gripped the edge of the sink in a white-knuckled hold. Okay. He could do this. Dishes. There were tons of them, enough to keep him busy for a while.