White Knight - A First Love Romance (Complete)

White Knight: Chapter 3

Sophie stood by the dining hall doors and nodded politely as she greeted people alongside Kaja. The kitchen was her preferred domain, but the sense of guilt at not properly welcoming the shelter's guests made her skin itch like she might break out in hives. In their restaurant and in their home back in New York, her parents asserted a person's kibone was of utmost importance, no matter the circumstances. Her mother insisted all guests be treated with kindness, compassion and reverence.

"Can we have dessert first?" Garret, one of the regulars at the shelter, rubbed his hands together, mimicking glee. Scraggly brown hair peaked out from under his green knit hat. "I've been dreaming of pumpkin all week."

"You know you must eat your meat and vegetables first." Sophie checked her watch. "Speaking of, it's about time to check on the turkey. If you'll excuse me."

The lightness of the conversation with Garret evaporated with her involuntary glance at the corner where the chess match was happening. Thomas had disappeared. Of course. He was probably off arranging the best time for a reporter to show up and catch him in the selfless act of serving food at a shelter. A story sure to make the New Haven Register.

She entered the kitchen and had to eat her words. Before her, decked out in his apron, Thomas spooned globs of red jelly into the glass dishes she'd set out for the cranberry sauce. When he caught her watching him, his eyes lit up. "Hey. You looked busy at the door, so I thought I'd get started."

"I should check on the turkeys." After a quick stop to pull out the pre-mashed potatoes from the fridge, she donned the puffy mitts by the stove. With the oven door open, the delicious aroma of roasted meat assaulted her senses. She reached in and pulled out the first beast and placed it on the warming table.

"Need help?" Thomas's question made her jump.

"Can you get the foil from the pantry?" He scooted off and Sophie attempted to get her heart rate back to normal. They worked together to retrieve all the turkeys, bundle them up and fill the stove with the sweet potato casseroles she'd made the day before.

He worked alongside her, seeming happy to take her instructions. "How come you're here and not back in New York for the holidays?"

The pang she got every time she thought of not being in New York jabbed at her side. She couldn't tell him that if she went home, she might never escape. Family responsibilities would stifle her once more, and she'd have to deal with the shame of being a failure. "My family will be working at the restaurant. I'll see them at Christmas."

"Do you miss being away from them? Your parents." Thomas passed her the last casserole dish.

"Sometimes. Mostly, I'm too busy to think about it." She removed the mitts and checked on the pots on the burners. No bubbles yet. "What about you?"

He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Kinda sad, but I do. This is my first Thanksgiving without them. But I'm catching a train tomorrow to spend the weekend in New York. Maybe you could come with me?"

Sophie turned and stared. "To meet your parents?"

A pink tinge rose on Thomas's cheeks. "Um, I didn't mean... of course I'd be happy to... I just thought we could take the train together."

"Yeah, unlike some people, I have to work tomorrow." Her molars mashed together. Of course, it was easy for this rich dude to hop on a train and head home anytime he had the whim for mom's home cooking. New York was less than two hours away and if you travelled off-peak times, the tickets were fairly cheap. Still, it was the principle of the thing. Not an option to drop her responsibilities on a whim.

"Oh, right." He scratched the side of his neck. "Rouge. Sorry."

The other volunteers filed into the kitchen, Kaja herding them like a sheepdog. The shelter manager put everyone to work, and Sophie opted to heat the cream for the mashed potatoes as a reprieve from Thomas. Unfortunately, Kaja didn't get the memo and assigned him to make the gravy, meaning he was at the stove beside her.

Him and those long, lean forearms. Sophie couldn't comprehend how she could be attracted to a man's arms, but at the sight of his pale skin, her lower region responded like he was walking around the kitchen shirtless, showing off a six-pack. Now she was thinking about his stomach. She shifted her stance in a lame attempt at getting some relief from the pressure building inside her.

As if to draw attention to himself, Thomas pushed his rolled up cuff further up his arm, revealing cute elbows.

Cute elbows? She groaned internally. How can elbows be cute? Yet here she was, practically drooling over the pointy appendage that brushed against her arm on and off in the close quarters. The warmth of the kitchen caused the back of her neck to heat, and the slight touches from Thomas had licks of heat flaming across her cheeks.

Her whole life she'd never been able to pull off a poker face, her skin displaying her emotions like a lighted billboard in Times Square. At least here in the kitchen she could blame the rising steam for the redness spreading up her neck and across her face.

"Do you need some water?" Thomas had stopped stirring the brown sauce in his pan. "I can get you a glass. Or stir the cream while you grab a drink."

Sophie's fingers cemented around the handle of her spoon. "Nope. This happens all the time."

"Maybe you should sit down." The concern in his voice would have made Sophie laugh if she could catch her breath. He dragged over a three-legged stool and despite the stain on her pride, she collapsed onto it.

Away from the steam of the stove, and with the distance from Thomas, the surrounding air cleared and oxygen returned to her lungs. "Thanks."

"Sure you're okay?"

She had to look away from his bottle green—or were his eyes more olive—stare. "Yup." The gravy burst into bubbles. "Watch the gravy, or it'll burn."

Thomas jumped like he'd been awoken from a deep sleep and furiously stirred the sauce. "Right."

Hi all, D L here. Thanks for reading Sophie and Thomas's story. I was inspired by a line from the second book of Ruby Red to write this story. Thomas and Sam's mother is a force in the kitchen and food is one of her ways of showing love.

Do you like to cook or bake? Please comment

Y for Yes

N for No

or

S for Sometimes

I'm in the sometimes category. Every now and again I get the urge to make something out of my comfort zone. More often than not, its a fail, but I keep trying.