Page 10 of True Calling

CHAPTER 4

Berk had been at the mansion for a week now and was excited to get to the farmer’s market and then the butchers shop. He’d already called and talked to Merle, who said he could come in and get a good look at his prime cuts of meat. The way he said it sounded like more inuendo than his profession, but Berk wasn’t interested. No. The only thing he wanted to do was get started doing what he had been hired to do.

The first day he had arrived, Berk had gone into the kitchen to see the dream of all dreams before him. Holy shit the place was decked out in the most up-to-date equipment Berk could ever hope to work with. There were two double ovens and a large gas stove with a grill on one side, griddle on the other, and six burners in between. There was a prep sink, worktable counters, backsplashes, and metro shelving. Hell, there was even a separate cooking area with a built-in wok and sushi bar set up and in the back was an actual all-brick pizza oven. However, the crème de la crème was the island in the middle that served both as a place for people to sit and an area to do a bitch-ton of prep work.

Berk had hoped that when he cooked the guys would come in and maybe they could get to know each other, but with no actual food in the house and the farmer’s market not opened until Wednesday and Saturday, that meant he had to go to a grocery store.

When Berk had set out to do just that, Bo had stopped him and told him they would wait and for Berk to just get settled in and rested. He could start the following week and until then they could just do what they normally did and order in.

That had surprised Berk. Eating out that often wasn’t only unhealthy it was expensive as hell. Then again, it didn’t look like these guys had to worry about cost and not one of them looked malnourished. They all seemed extremely healthy. However, Berk really wouldn’t know, since he rarely saw any of them.

It shouldn’t hurt as much as it did that the guys didn’t seem to want to get to know him or allow him to get to know them, but every time Berk walked into a room and someone would be in there he’d say hello and they would say hello, but when he asked for them how they all met, the guys would scurry out of the room as if their asses were on fire.

There was a few times Berk had watched them sneaking out of the house and he knew they were doing it so Berk wouldn’t know and try and follow. He never did and it was unnecessary. Berk didn’t go where he wasn’t wanted and if Berk had learned anything, it was that these guys didn’t want him where they were.

Berk had talked it over with his foster dad and he said that it wasn’t unusual for people to need time to warm up to others, besides, he wasn’t there to make friends, he was there to cook. Berk knew his dad was right, but damn it still kinda stung that he would be living in a place that he had no friends. His dad then went on to say that if at any point he wanted to come to Florida and look for something else, he was always welcome and, in all honesty, Berk was leaning that way more and more.

That’s why instead of asking one of the guys to take him to town, Berk had pulled out Mark’s card and called the Uber driver up. This he could gladly do alone. Bo had given him a credit card for expenses that first night and Berk was planning on using it.

Mark had just arrived and Berk was heading out, when Garth came down the stairs looking at him curiously. “Why do you have your jacket on?”

“Because there’s a bit of a chill outside and I’m going to need it to go out.” Berk answered.

“Where are you going?” Garth asked gruffly.

Berk couldn’t understand the sudden flare in the guy’s eyes. It wasn’t like Garth had given him the time of day as it was. Hell, whenever he saw Berk, Garth took off as if the hounds of hell were after him. Yet, Berk could feel the man’s unease with Berk leaving.

The car horn honked, and Berk headed for the door. “I’m going to the farmer’s market and then the butcher.”

“Alone?” Garth asked, sounding more upset then just a moment ago.

“Yep.” Berk said, twisting the handle and opening the door.

Garth was at the door grabbing his arm before Berk could step out, “You can’t go alone!”

Berk was confused, then he got a bit pissed. How dare he talk to him like that? Garth might be the big boss, but that didn’t give him any right to snarl at him or treat him like a child. Jerking his arm out of Garth’s grasp, Berk said, “What the hell is your problem? I came here to do a job that I haven’t been able to do since I got here, because of your lack of food in this house. I’m going to go get the supplies I need so I can start...” Then a thought hit Berk, “Or do you not want a chef anymore? If that’s the case, I’ll ask Mark to hold up a few more minutes, grab my shit and get out of here.”

Garth’s eyes widened in shock. Whether it was from the way Berk had just spoken to him, or the thought of losing his cook... which made no sense since all he’d made for them since arriving was an omelet. “What would give you that idea? Of course, we want a chef. It’s just that... well, it isn’t... I mean...” Sighing, Garth said, “Berk, it isn’t safe to go out to a place you’ve never been, by yourself. You could get lost, run into the wrong people, or get hurt and have no one to help you. One of the guys would be more than happy to...”

“Are you shitting me? I’m like a fucking leper here with those guys and you.” Tossing his hands in the air, Berk said, “You know what? Forget it. I’m just going to ask Mark to give me five and I’ll get my stuff and go. I don’t think this arrangement is going to work out.”

Berk took off outside and went straight to Mark, “Can you give me five and I’ll be with you?”

“Sure. Everything alright?” Mark asked, looking at the mansion warily.

Nodding, Berk said, “Yeah, things are fine. I’ll be right back.”

Berk made his way to the house and heard people arguing. They stopped as soon as Berk walked inside and watched as he started making his way upstairs. Fuck, it sucked to be talked about and not to. Berk didn’t understand what he had done wrong. The first day he had arrived, everyone seemed so damn nice, and then everyone went to sleep, and pod people took over.

He hated that he was getting teary eyed, but this had been Berk’s dream and it had been shattered all to hell. Berk didn’t understand why or what happened, but he wasn’t going to stay where he wasn’t wanted. Yes, his dad had said he had a job to do, and he really should stay and do it, but Garth’s harshness and being ignored... Berk just couldn’t do it. He might not mind being alone, but he was used to being alone with no one else around, not when a place was filled with people.

Grabbing his suitcase, it only took Berk to two minutes to pack and snap up. He was glad he had packed light to begin with.

Berk started making his way downstairs, hearing Bo yelling. “Damn it, Garth, you can’t let him go.”

“What do you want me to do? I didn’t mean to upset him, but he can’t go into that town alone.” Garth argued back.

“Well if you don’t do something, he’s going to go further away than town, and then no one will be safe from you.” Chance hissed out.