Country Tied || 1D au

Chapter 1

 This chapter is dedicated to my first ever reader on this book 1Dareortruth :) Go follow her bc nice and read her stories bc they're soo good <3

~Chapter 1~

"Lauren, are you done with the glasses? I need to take them out NOW!" There went Jasper the Kitchen Nazi's insistent bellowing again.

Ugh. I knew I was a teeny bit behind schedule, but did he have to keep reminding me about it? Elbow deep in suds, I quickly picked up a glass, and---

Ack! No! I spun around to see it fall, bounce, and finally shatter on the floor.

"LAUREN JOHNSON! I have thirsty customers waiting!"

I jumped, dropped another glass, and cringed. This was it. I was going to be fired for sure.

"What on earth is the matter with you?" All of a sudden, I was yanked away from the sink, my rubber gloves dripping all over the once-sparkling floor. I squeezed my eyes shut and steeled myself for the worst.

The deafening sounds of the kitchen suddenly went mute. On top of all my problems, was I going deaf too? This job really was hazardous.

I allowed myself a tiny peek through one eye and came face to face with Jasper's red, angry one. A vein in his forehead seemed to be twitching. I started to wonder how long it would take before it exploded. As I stared at it in fascination, a hiss that came from his gritted teeth jolted me back to my current, embarrassing situation.

"I gave you a chance because you were Mrs. Carter's niece, but this is the last straw. I can't have someone like you messing up my kitchen."

And there it was. The end of my career as a future Top Chef.

Before I could free myself from his tight grasp, he unceremoniously shoved me in the direction of the trash bags and spat out, "Dishwashing duty is too good for you. I’m reassigning you to the trash. I was going to make you clean the floors, but I don't trust you with a mop."

I stumbled, afraid to look around, and peeled off my rubber gloves. I meekly handed them over to him, and dared me one quick look around at the kitchen staff. They were no longer staring at me--- or they probably never were, since they were used to Jasper Nazi's behaviour.

Maybe it was just my self-absorption that made me think that I was always the center of attention. At least that's what my mom told whenever she said she felt “a bout of drama coming on."  Yeah, whatever. I knew something like this happened every day. I wasn't the only one who felt the brunt of Jasper's wrath. But it happened to you, you knew that for the rest of the day, you were toast... your goose was cooked... and you'd definitely jumped from the frying pan into the fire.

I'd been interning for a couple of weeks at Happy Belly, my Aunt Maretella Carter's cozy restaurant that prided itself on serving home cooked meals with a vengeance. Every time I stepped into its welcoming, country-inspired interiors, the mouth-watering smells of rosemary baked chicken and bread fresh out of the oven never failed to send my tummy grumbling and my hands itching to cook something.