This woman just might be the death of her.
And what a way to go.
Chapter Twelve
Things took a turn after that night, and for the better.
Ava didn’t know how that was possible. She didn’t understand any of it, but it was so much more than what things around Regan had always been in her mind—sobeyond—and she wasn’t willing to overanalyze. Ava was not a “just go with it” kind of person, but it’s exactly what she did. She just went with it.
It had been two weeks since their initial make-out session, and there had been more. Many more. Like, every night. Making out. Every single night. Then they’d stop and fall asleep together, in one bed or the other, snuggled close, entwined like vines. When was the last time Ava had felt so relaxed sleeping with someone else? Just sleeping? She couldn’t remember. She’d woken up practically lying on top of Regan. And she’d woken up with Regan practically lying on top of her. And neither had been bad. Both had been awesome.
The atmosphere in the kitchen had changed, too. It had relaxed. Ava and Regan joked and played and laughed. Even the other chefs seemed to feel the shift, lightening up, their amusement clear, their own laughter seeming to come easier. When Ava had made a smart-ass comment to Regan on cupcake day and been rewarded by a handful of flour thrown at her, the entire kitchen had broken out into an impromptu food fight. Flour, brown sugar, chocolate chips, and cupcake cups had been launched across the aisles from workstation to workstation, shrieks of laughter filling the air, until Ava noticed Liza standing at the front of the room, hands clasped behind her back, looking not terribly pleased with the behavior of her retreaters. Ava cleared her throat loudly and shot a look Regan’s way.
Regan was laughing but noticed Ava’s expression and sobered quickly, also clearing her throat so that Vienna in front of her caught on and the rest of the room ceased their antics and smothered their grins.
“Well,” Liza said, her voice stern, unimpressed. “I’m glad to see none of you care about the messes you make or the seriousness of this retreat.”
Maia raised her hand before saying, “We’re sorry, Chef. Just blowing off a little steam.”
“Hmm,” Liza said. She stood in silence for a moment, then waved a dismissive hand. “Clean it up. We’re done for today. Hopefully, you’ll come back tomorrow ready to be serious.” She turned on her heel and stormed off while the rest of them stood in silence for a moment. For two. Finally, Vienna turned to look back at them and mouthedyikes, which broke the tension and allowed for quiet chuckles.
“Sorry, guys,” Regan said, scrunching up her nose with guilt. “That was my fault for starting things.” She glanced over at Ava and then flushed a pretty pink. Ava smiled at her but said nothing.
“I don’t care what Chef says,” Maia said softly. “I needed that.Weneeded that.”
“Yeah, but now we won’t finish cupcakes.” Paige seemed bothered by this, and Ava glanced at Regan, who looked like she felt worse.
“I know. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” Regan grimaced, and Ava wanted to wrap her up in her arms and reassure her.
“Listen,” she finally said. “It’s been tense here. Chef has put us under a lot of pressure, and sometimes…” She shrugged as she let the sentence taper off.
“Sometimes, a little fun is warranted,” Madison said, shaking her head. “I mean, does she expect us to just be super serious all the damn time?”
“I think she probably does,” Vienna pointed out, and Ava had to agree with her.
“Doesn’t matter,” Ava said. “It’s done. Let’s clean up and come back tomorrow ready to work.”
Just as nods were going around the kitchen, May appeared in her usual black pants and white shirt. The retreaters all gave her their attention.
“Chefs, hello. Dinner will be served in the dining room at the usual six p.m. Assistants, Chef Bennett-Schmidt would like to see youall before you leave for the day. Please meet her in the conference room on the third floor in twenty minutes.” And with that, she glided out the same way she always did—silently and seemingly not touching the ground.
“Man, she is so weird,” Ava heard Maia mutter, and had to smother her own grin because Maia was not wrong. She went to find a broom to take care of all the flour that had ended up on the floor, and they all got to work on the cleanup.
Later that night, after dinner, the chefs split up. Vienna wanted to chill on her own for a while. “I need some introvert downtime” were her exact words. Maia, Madison, and Paige decided to go back to the arcade because, according to Maia, all her steam hadn’t been blown off yet. She asked Regan and Ava if they wanted to join.
“Oh, um, I think I’m just gonna chill.” Regan glanced at Ava, and Ava rolled her lips in to keep from shooting her a sexy grin. “You wanna go?”
Ava worked hard at her nonchalance, no easy feat. “Nah. I think I’m gonna read or something. But you guys have fun.”
Maia glanced from one to the other and back. “Okay. Cool. Well, we’ll catch you tomorrow, then.” And when Madison and Paige had gone out the front door ahead of her, she turned back to them and winked. Then the door shut behind them, leaving Ava and Regan standing there.
“Did she seriously just wink at us?” Regan asked, her disbelief clear.
Ava laughed softly. “I believe she did, yes.”
Regan shook her head. “I didn’t think people younger than my grandpa even did that anymore.”
“You’re clearly mistaken,” Ava said, then winked at her and headed up the stairs to their room.
