Page 22 of Recipe for a Curse
“You got all that? No one at the manor appreciates the subtlety of it, but I make pork belly into bacon. Smoke and flavor it myself. Used to buy it at a butcher but the flavors were too strong, or they would use too much wood and it would taste like tree bark.”
“The bacon was excellent,” Rio assured me. “The chicken too.”
“Hot damn. I love when a man loves my cooking. You’re not allergic to any of that are you?”
“Only thing I’m allergic to is chocolate…” he paused as if debating whether to add something else. I quirked a brow at him. “Wolfsbane, too. It’s in tea sometimes.”
“The chocolate thing is sad. I have some great chocolate recipes, and I will watch the tea blends. But I’m sure I can keep you full without either of those things.”
“I don’t understand why you would care.”
“Food allergies are a big deal,” I told him. “In culinary school I took a bunch of classes on dietary science about allergies and how they affect everything from immune deficiencies to entire populations based on shifts in the nutrient supply. Fascinating stuff.”
“I don’t mean the allergies. I mean, why me? You have people here already to feed.”
“Why not? Everyone deserves food.”
“I’m cursed,” he said quietly.
“Poverty is a bit of a curse. People think they are immune, but it’s one bad turn to drop most of us in that pit. Been there myself. Sometimes you really need a hand up to get out of it. But you gotta be willing to accept the help. Just understand I want to help, not because you owe me anything, you don’t. I would help everyone if I could.”
“Even if they weren’t hot?” Rio seemed to mock himself with that statement.
“You are hot,” I shrugged. “But I work at the food bank. I see a lot of people in hardship. I wish there were less people in need. The pandemic has made it worse. I’m not a medic or a scientist or an economist. All I can do is feed people.”
“That’s important too,” he said softly.
“It is,” I agreed. “Now I need to get ready for the day. Lots to prepare. And I have to see if Zach thinks the roads will be clear enough to get to town soon. I try to deliver fresh baked goods to the food bank at least once a week. If you’re not opposed to helping a bit, I could use a hand making up bread.”
“Never made bread before.”
“Lots of kneading.” I glanced at his hands, long fingers, big hands, and tried not to think about the delightful things they could do to me, and imagined how I could teach him to work a bit of dough. “Willing to help?”
After a moment, he nodded.
“Off you go then.” I shooed him toward the bathroom.
Rio stared at me another moment or two before he made his way to the bathroom, still silent. I wasn’t sure if it was brooding or he simply thought that hard, but it was okay, he didn’t need to be aChatty Cathyfor me to feed him.
After the door closed, I dried all the dishes and tucked them back into the basket to bring back to the manor with us. Zach sent me a text that read,Did he eat?
Of course, I sent back. I thought for a minute or two about asking the question but sent it anyway. Zach was older than me, a good twenty years or so, I thought; that meant he knew more right? I suspected Rio was at least a decade older, but couldn’t be sure. Since I had a thing for older men, the number didn’t matter so much.He ate it all. A lot of food. Do you think he’s sick?
The little bubble appeared for a while, but all I got back wasNo, not sick.At least that was a relief. Wasn’t there some sort of illness that made people eat and eat and eat until they died because they didn’t have the “full” off-switch? I thought I’d seen some show about it a while back. But wouldn’t that mean Rio would have been larger rather than looking like he barely ate?
I tugged on my shoes and frowned at the worn pair that had appeared next to mine on the mat beside the door. Obviously Rio’s, since they were filled with holes and worn down, I didn’t know how they could be useful at all in the snow, or even if the weather had been nice. I’d find him a pair of slippers for in the house, something soft with solid bottoms. There were a dozen sizes in the entry closet for guests.
When Rio emerged, it was in a pair of worn jeans, a dark T-shirt, and what appeared to be a newish sweater over the top that was a little large on him. Must have been Zach’s, since Rio was leaner than my boss. The socks were obviously new too, as they were crisp and white. His long hair was pulled back in a little ponytail. I smiled. “You look great. Ready to see my kitchen?”
This time he did smile. “Take me to this wonderland of yours. I’d like to see where bread is born and cupcakes rise from the soil.”
I laughed at his teasing. “If you like cupcakes, I can make some crazy good cupcakes. No one at the manor really eats a lot of sweets, and I’m not technically a pastry chef, though I had a few classes. It’s more a hobby, but I’d love to finally have someone to bake for who enjoys it.” I pointed to the empty cookie containers. “You must have liked those.”
He flushed and looked away. “They were delicious. Those moon cake things were good too, though different… the texture was a bit unexpected.”
“I forgot about those.” But the containers hadn’t been in the sink. I opened the fridge and retrieved one of the containers. Either he hadn’t liked them as much or the cookies had filled him up. “Sean likes these the most. And Mr. Yamamoto, but I don’t think he’ll be up for a few days since the snow is so bad.” I added the container to the stack and wondered how I’d get it all over to the house. Rio lifted the whole pile as though it were nothing. He was wearing his worn-out shoes now.
“Thanks!” I told him as I stepped out the door and held it for him. He followed. “We’ll get you a pair of slippers when we get to the manor. Sean doesn’t like outside shoes worn in the house.”
Rio didn’t protest, just followed me down the stairs and through the garage. His sled full of supplies had been pulled inside and left near the doorway to the stairs, but Rio didn’t more than glance at it. I hoped he’d remain at the manor a few days at least, maybe let us work out a safe place for him to stay since his trailer was ruined.