Shawn begged me to let him stay until they returned, but I promised to see him again tomorrow if he would leave before they came. Other than Julie, I wanted to keep our little escapade a secret. Just between him and I. And yeah, Julie doesn't count cuz I tell her everything.
Shawn begged to come over that night and I told him he could...on 2 conditions. The first being, that he would bring back my Emmalie. And the second being, that he was coming to "re-welcome" Aaron.
Later that day Aaron and our parents came home, never to know of my adventures over the past few days. Aaron and I were close and he knew all my other secrets, so I'm entitled to this little, harmless secret.
Shawn and I didn't talk much about the trip, not cuz it wasn't amazing, but because it was. Sometimes we reminisced, but we liked to make more memories together and reminisce things when we're alone and miss each other. That trip was always my reason to smile when I was lonely, which was pretty often. I mean, I was okay though cuz i had Shawn to talk to even if I didn't get to see him all the time. And I had Aaron too, but he was working on being more committed to YouTube and school so college would be easier. With Bella and Cameron married; Nash and Hayes so busy with their girlfriends, fame, and visiting their mom and Skye; the other boys off on their own paths; I was bored all the time.
Shawn noticed this of course, and he always encouraged me to eat when I was bored... Haha, I'm not getting into that habit. But I did eat a lot more and I worked out to build much needed muscle. Pretty soon I was 105 pounds and determined not to gain any more. It wasn't hard at all to keep it there.
After that, and I was still bored Shawn asked me, "Why don't you have a job?"
I honestly didn't know and sometimes, yeah, people that knew my aunt had talked to about me had me cater for them now and again, but I was jobless.
"To keep you busy," he suggested, "I vote we find you a kitchen to work in."
So for the next month whenever Shawn and I were together, we searched for someplace for me to work. The few opportunities that did come up didn't fit quite right. Finally we found a restaurant looking for an assistant chef.
Something about it seemed just right.
So Shawn encouraged and begged me to call.
I dialed the number given.
"Hello," was the answer on the other end. It was the voice of a guy probably in his 50ies. He didn't seem like the white beard type of 50 year old, but the bald, hard working kind of older guy.
"I'm Athalia Carpenter. I saw your add-"
"For the assistant chef?!"
He seemed excited.
"Yes. I'm 19 years old and I graduated from vocational school in the culinary field."
"The early bird catches the worm."
"It's a passion and addiction."
"Your energy intrigues me. Can you come in for an interview."
"Yes, just name a time and I will be there."
"Tomorrow at 3:00, it's usually a slow time."
"I'll be there. Thank you so much!"
"I'm pleased you called."
"Until tomorrow."
"Tomorrow."
"Goodbye and thank you again."
"Goodbye."
Shawn grabbed me in a hug and squeezed me tightly, "You've got an interview!!! The job is as good as yours, babe."
"Thank you for your vote of confidence, but i wouldn't be too sure. And what if I don't choose to take the job?"
"Fine, but I know you'll make a good impression so he will give you the job."
"I'll do my best. Wanna help me choose what to wear?"
"Sure, I love dressing you."
"No, you like undressing me," I smirked, partially joking.
We walked into my room and shifted through my closet. We decided on black skinny jeans and a burgundy button up that fit me nicely. I set it on my dresser.
He stayed for dinner and then told me goodnight, promising to return the next day at lunch to eat and talk and help me get ready.
I slept a little restlessly in anticipation but well enough.
In the morning all I could do was think about the job. Restlessly, I flipped through my composed cookbook, searching for my favorite and the best recipes. I whipped up a fourth of each of the 10 that I picked out. I tasted each of them nervously and, panicked, I couldn't decide if they were good or bad. I made them the best they could be but I was freaking out. Where had my skills gone?
I was still fretting about the last recipe when Shawn knocked on the door. I ran to open it, wiping my hands on my apron. He greeted me at first with a smile, then his expression changed to concern. "What are you doing?"
"Cooking."
"You look like you just ran a mile."
"I'm not breathing hard."
"No, but your face is red."
"I've been using the oven."
He closed the door behind him and walked into the kitchen. And there it was. 10 single serve sizes of each of my best recipes. "What's all this?"
"Stress-cooking."
"Okay so there's stress-eating but stress-cooking?"
"You know me, Shawn."
"Alright, alright."
"Ugh, and oh my gosh, I can't taste anything properly. Everything is as good as I could ever make it, but nothing tastes good. Somethings off."
"Lemme be the judge of that."
So Shawn took a mouthful of each of them. After every bite, he just sighed blissfully. "I've never tasted anything so perfect ever," he complimented me.
"Oh, okay," I was taken aback, "thank you. I didn't-"
"No, they're perfect, but why are you in the kitchen? Shouldn't you be getting ready?"
"Well there no application to fill out and we already picked my outfit and my makeup only takes 15 minutes.
But Shawn insisted that I curl my hair, so he watched me give it a much needed trim and blow dry it. We had so much extra time. Then he begged me to let him help me put the hot curlers in and hairspray them.
When I was all dolled up and ready it was almost time to leave. "Hey, want me to drive you over?" Shawn offered.
I didn't want him to be aimlessly sitting around waiting for me so I responded, "Its honestly alright. You'll just be sitting around waiting for me and I don't want that."
"But I really want to go with you. I can meet the guy, grab a bite at a table, and wait for the news."
"You're going to protect me too aren't you?"
"Yes, you're walking alone into a restaurant belonging to a guy you haven't even met."
"I'm sure he's harmless."
"So am I, but I want to be there to hear the news first thing. I'll be there for a hug if you need it or a hoorah preferably."
"Alright, alright, you can take me. Thank you."
