Chapter 990:
Rylie lifted her brow. “So you prefer handling the oven settings for that cake instead? Or would you rather join Felix and work the marinade into the turkey?”
Thinking about the mountain of chores ahead, Deandre sagged right away. He would have preferred handling a weapon to dealing with those fiddly tasks. Accepting his fate, he picked up a potato and a peeler, mumbling, “All right, peeling it is…”
Once everyone had their roles, the kitchen shifted into something that resembled organized chaos.
From Felix’s station came the soft thuds of his ongoing clash with the turkey, along with his hushed recitation of the written steps. “Five grams of rosemary…”
Marcus’s corner produced a steady, crisp pattern of “tap-tap-tap” as he carved vegetables with the steady accuracy of a seasoned craftsman.
The loudest commotion came from the area where the vegetables were being cleaned.
Deandre worked awkwardly at peeling potatoes, and Brad, wearing a stern expression, kept pointing out every flaw. “You missed a spot here.”
Deandre grew so irritated he looked moments away from hurling a potato at Brad’s head, but one sharp look from Rylie froze him on the spot.
“Brad, stop standing around and supervising,” Rylie instructed. “You are doing the work as well.”
Brad hesitated for a brief moment, then reached for a potato of his own, his movements smooth and practiced as he worked the peeler with the confidence of someone familiar with kitchen tasks.
After trimming the skin cleanly, he lifted the potato with exaggerated flourish in front of Deandre, flaunting it as if it were some sort of victory prize. “This is what proper peeling looks like.”
D𝘰n’𝘁 𝗺𝗶s𝘴 ne𝘸 𝗋𝖾𝗅еa𝗌𝗲ѕ 𝘰𝘯 𝗀a𝗅𝘯𝘰𝘷e𝗹s.соm
Deandre dropped Brad’s peeled potato into a bucket of water, then pressed two fresh ones into his palms, his brows arching with mock challenge. He said, “In that case, you can take on a few extras.”
Brad found himself at a loss for words.
Rylie let out a soft laugh as she watched their silly back-and-forth, her hand briefly rising to cover her smile.
The sight of these full-grown men bustling around the kitchen reminded her of mischievous boys fussing through a pretend cooking game.
Of course, a few mishaps inevitably surfaced.
Deandre became overly spirited while rinsing vegetables and splattered water across the tiles, nearly slipping until Marcus reacted quickly and steadied him by the arm.
Then Felix managed to coat himself in a cloud of seasoning, triggering a fit of harsh coughing while Deandre teased, “If your employees caught you like this, they would tease you forever.”
Felix brushed his nose and eyes with the back of his hand before shooting back, “Says the man who scrubs vegetables like a boar splashing around in a muddy pool.”
That snapped Deandre into silence, while Marcus released a soft chuckle, his quiet confidence standing out among the group, and even Rylie complimented his techniques.
Marcus felt a satisfying glow settle over him, and the pleasant boost made his movements lighter as he continued prepping ingredients, reaching for another carrot with a content rhythm. The kitchen brimmed with playful banter, cheerful laughter, and the steady clinks and thuds of busy cookware.
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Message from Noa: Dear readers, today we have new releases, hope you like them. God loves you and Noa wishes you all the best. (ɔO‿=)ɔ ♥
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