"Good afternoon." Ruby directed the greeting to Tristan, who sat without a single expression whatsoever on his face.
Tristan nodded, not saying a word back to her.
"Well, as for it being your job. True. But I saw what you did with the bacon and toast yesterday, so unless I want to eat scallops and risotto all weekend, I think I'll handle the cooking." Roth said, not noticing Tristan's cold response to Ruby.
But, it's what you're paying me to do -" ruby responded almost immediately, that moment she had forgotten about how Tristan responded to her greetings and focus her attention on the man who suddenly wants to take her job.
Roth glanced over at her and smiled. "True again. But you have other duties besides the kitchen."
Her mind immediately went back to the previous night and the hours they spent enjoying the feel of each others body. How many orgasms did she have? She lost count. He had been insatiable, and just the thought of the previous night had a blush forming on her cheeks.
Tristan heaved a heavy sigh, his face slowly revealing the anger he had supposedly thought was successfully suppressed.
''And we already discussed the duties that didn't necessarily include what happened last night." he reminded her, as if reading her mind.
Ruby's blush deepened, and she found it suddenly hard to look him in the eye.
"Neither does it include her staying here. It should be far better if she comes and goes." Tristan chipped in immediately.
Ruby looked up to him, she could see the fire of anger in his eyes, she wanted to ask him what exactly his problem was, but she held herself. This wasn't the time to be like a bitch towards people who had taken her in, not like she asked to live with them though.
Roth decided to pretend not to notice her uneasiness. "And to answer your second question" Roth chipped in, not wanting Tristan's last word destroy the lively atmosphere in the kitchen, "I prepared some seafood chowder. It's a little heavy for the time of day, but I had a hankering." Scooping out two portions of the chowder He made his way over to the table and set a steaming bowl of it in front of her and then sat down opposite of her with his serving.
"Smells. Amazing. My grandmother used to make the most delicious seafood chowder.'' Ruby picked up her spoon and dipped it in. Bringing the steaming hot chowder to her mouth, she blew on it gently, aware that Roth's eyes were glued to her.
"I say shame on anyone living in New England who can't prepare a chowder."
Ruby cringed as she lifted guilty eyes up at him.
"Present company excluded, of course." Roth chuckled, watching her for a reaction, but not touching his utensils. Apparently, he had no intention of eating until he had her opinion on the food.
Plopping the spoonful of chowder in her mouth, she felt like moaning from the amazing favours of the creamy soup and the perfectly cooked chunks of lobster and fish. "This is delicious!." Roth grin widened. "Almost as good as my Grams," she added with a wink. "So what's in it?" She scooped up another portion and popped it into her mouth.
Roth frowned. "Why don't you tell me. Let's test that little palate of yours."
Ahhh shit! she sighed. Okay, I can do this... "Lobster."
"That's an easy one. Go on."
"Clams."
He nodded.
Ruby scooped up another helping and thrust it into her mouth savouring the creamy mixture. "Scallops."
"Two more then I want to know the seasonings in the broth."
Ruby's eyes widened. Was he fucking serious? She felt like reminding him once more that she was not a chef and had never had skills in the kitchen. How was she supposed to know?
"It's very important to be able to distinguish tastes in food and be able to pick out the flavourings. It will greatly improve your skills when you are able to identify and break down a recipe simply by tasting a dish."
Ruby nodded. Okay, she got that. Here was the problem. She spent most of her life living off of frozen quickie foods, most of which bore only a slight resemblance to what he'd consider real food. But they were cheap which was why she bought them. Just realizing this reminded her that he was way out of her league. But he likes you, the voice at the back of her mind responded to her self-doubt.
Deciding to at least give it a shot she scooped up another bite. "Haddock."
He nodded. "Very good."
As much as she'd have liked to give credit to her palate for that answer it was more of a logical guess than anything else.
"Alright, the final fish then we move onto the broth." He scooped up a spoonful and began to eat as he kept his eyes glued to her.
Damn, damn, damn. She had no clue, not even a guess. After a couple of minutes trying to decipher she shook her head, giving him a wry smile. "I don't know."
"Alright. What vegetables?"
"Potatoes."
"Alright, that was a given, but good."
He made her feel like she was in high school again, trying to ace an oral exam. She squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. "Onion." Another given answer.
He nodded.
She gave him an apologetic smile. "If there's any other vegetables in there I can't taste them."
He beamed at her with a reassuring nod. "Seasoning."
"Salt and pepper."
Roth rolled his eyes as if to say she was stating the obvious but nodded.
She had no idea from there. Didn't her Grams always put thyme in hers? She eyed Roth closely as though if she looked at him long enough, the answer would appear on his forehead for her to see. She sighed, "Thyme?"
He laughed, "Your grandmother's recipe?"
She opened her mouth to protest, but instead, she nodded guiltily. "Yeah."
"Well, finish up eating. Try some of the salad and biscuits," he ordered, grabbing a biscuit himself, slicing it in half and buttering it up.
"Well, did I get it right?" She sincerely wanted to know. His enthusiasm for cooking and her sudden need to please him made it impossible for her not to want to know.
He clucked his tongue off of the roof of his mouth and then gave her a wink. "Can't tell ya. But I'll let you know when you're ready." He pointed to her near empty bowl. "Now finish up. I have a big day planned for us."
She groaned inwardly, itching to toss one of the biscuits at him, but they looked too scrumptious to waste in a food fight. As she finished eating, she couldn't help but wonder what he had in store for them.