Page 21 of My Sexy Boss
“I’m a volunteer with Lending a Helping Hand.”
“LHH is a great organization. They help a lot of people from all walks of life. How long have you been with them?”
“Since I moved here, a little over five years.”
“You’re not from here?”
“No. Fresno.”
“How’d you like growing up in Fresno?”
“Not so much.”
He laughed and gave me two of the plastic bags. “You’ll need these.”
Ripping them open, I found a disposable apron and hair cap inside. I pulled them on quickly, feeling awkward as I attempted to reach behind myself to tie the apron. Trace stood there and watched me for a moment, then stepped behind me and brushed my hands away.
“Here, let me do it,” he murmured, and I stood stock-still as he deftly tied my apron secure around my waist. His fingers brushed against me through my thin shirt and a tingle raced up my spine.Crap.
“The way it works is that we plate the food and give it to Natalie, who serves it. A couple of volunteers bailed, but I persuaded a few buddies to come by and help. They’ll be here soon. You and I will work the kitchen. We’ve got goulash, coleslaw, and bread for dinner, and fruit salad for dessert. You can work the coleslaw and bread station and I’ll do the goulash. Once the doors open, it gets hectic in the kitchen, so be prepared. Sound good?”
“Whatever you think’s best.” My voice sounded a little croaky and odd, even to my ears.
Trace paused for a moment, then grinned at me.
“We’re not in the office, you know. You don’t have to agree with everything I say.”
“Don’t tempt me,” I shot back, and his smile broadened. His eyes flicked up and down my body so fast that I wasn’t even certain it had really happened, and then he headed over to the pot on the stove.
“Come on, help me get this thing over to the serving station,” he said, and together we hefted the enormous steaming pot toward the counter. Natalie was waiting there, and she glanced between us with satisfaction.
“I see you two are already working well together,” she remarked, and Trace and I exchanged a brief glance. I couldn’t help but smile in his direction.
“Come on, let’s get everything ready.” She clapped her hands together. “It’s just the three of us on tonight, so I’ll need you both working at full capacity.”
“Actually, a few friends of mine are lending a hand. They should be here soon. They’ll help you serve,” Trace said to Natalie.
As if on cue, booming voices bounced off the brick walls as three guys burst through the doors. They came up to Trace and bumped fists. He introduced them to Natalie and me, and I recognized one of them as the guy who’d been with Trace at the Tipsy Cow. All three of them checked me out, and one started chatting me up.
“Drew, Cierra isn’t interested. Besides, you’re here to help out.” Anger laced Trace’s words and his eyes flashed.
Wow. Is he jealous?
I didn’t get a chance to think on it as Natalie opened the doors and people swarmed inside.
“Nick, Drew, Jeff, take the dishes we put on the counter and serve everyone. Just follow what Natalie tells you to do. You’ll have to get the drinks too. When Cierra and I are done dishing up the food, we’ll help out with the drinks. Let’s get to it, Cierra.”
For the next two hours, I buttered rolls, scooped coleslaw, poured coffee and tea, and listened to the stories many of the hungry wanted to tell me. There were over two hundred people, and they quickly worked their way through the three giant pots of goulash we had steaming on the stove, all the rolls, and the two enormous bowls of coleslaw. I was grateful Trace’s friends had come to help because I honestly don’t know how we would’ve done it. I wondered if I’d called any of my friends if they would’ve given up their night off to help the poor and hungry.
Before I knew it, Natalie locked the doors. Trace and I cleaned up while I nibbled on the heel ends of some of the bread that had been left over. I’d worked as a waitress to put myself through college and had forgotten just how tiring it was to be on your feet for hours in such a situation.
“How’d you find it?” Trace asked as we picked up pots and pans and deposited them into the sink.
“Not as bad as I thought. The time just flew by. It was great to have your friends helping out.”
“I find it relaxing after a hectic day.” He rinsed off some plates and handed them to me to stack in the dishwasher. “You know, all that time thinking about everything in such intense detail, and then I can come down here and do something that doesn’t require a huge amount of mental energy. It’s a good way to wind down.”
“So this is your therapy?” I teased.
