Chef Charming Read Online Free Page B

class.
    “Isn’t that weird,” Jess said . “I knew that they knew each other from college, but
didn’t realize they were close. Marcus must be the college friend Jake talked
about on the ski retreat. The one that he got into all sorts
of trouble with.”
    Rori had quickly laid out a
mountain valley scene reminiscent of an old fairy tale . Glancing at the clock, she saw she had time to
outline a castle on one of the distant hills.
    “ Wow, that looks nice,” Jess jumped off her stool and
looked closer. “It always amazes me how you can do that so quickly. It looks
like a fairy tale castle. Like where Prince Charming or Princess Aurora would
live.”
    “Great,” Rori rolled her
eyes. “I’ll call it Aurora’s Castle . If I even finish it. I
really have a couple other pieces I absolutely have to finish for the show. I
don’t even know why I started this one.”
    “Oh, I do,” Jess teased. “You’ve got
Prince Charming on your mind. Or is it Chef
Charming ?" She ducked as Rori
threw a paint rag at her.
    “That’s not funny,” Rori
said.
    “I think it’s hilarious,”
Jess replied. “Seeing you thrown so off balance by the handsome chef is quite
entertaining.”
    “Off balance is an
understatement,” Rori said under her breath.
    “You are one of the most
content people I know,” Jess continued. “I wonder what it is about Marcus
MacRae that makes you so nervous. Have you ever reacted to a guy like this
before?”
    Rori fell unusually silent.
Obviously, Jessica’s question had hit a tender spot, but Rori quickly gathered
her emotions back into check and laughed.
    “Oh, all the time,” she
said. “I fall in and out of love almost daily. I should be over Chef Marcus by
tomorrow, when the next pretty face comes along.”
    “Yeah, right,” Jess said.
She was curious about Rori’s reaction, but knew now was not the time to press
for the truth.
    “Help me clean up so we
aren’t late to class,” Rori said, laughing off her roommate’s teasing.
    Marcus saw Rori and Jessica enter about five minutes before class
time. He was unsure how to behave. That he was attracted to her was obvious to
him, but he needed to hide that from the rest of the world. Jake had tried to
feed him a line about there not being restrictions on adjunct professors and
graduate students, but it still did not feel kosher to Marcus. He was certain
Aurora Sinclair would have been shocked had she been privy to the conversation
Marcus had with Jake earlier that day.
    “I know true, godly love is
not based on physical attraction,” Marcus had
pointed out to his friend, “and that’s why I’m struggling. When I saw her, it
was like a movie special effect where everything else faded away.
    Jake had barely managed to hide his laughter form Marcus.
    “And that has worked out so
well for you, now hasn’t it, Mr. ‘I’ve
Got This Under Control’?”
    Marcus was willing to accept
the teasing because he knew Jake was trying to help . He just wanted answers, or relief from this torment.
    “Well, I’ve go ne through my options,” he said, “and telling her she’s
not welcome in the class seems a little mean. Ignoring her hasn’t worked, so
being rude seems my best bet.”
    “Again, how’s that working
for you?” Jake teased.
    “Exactly,” Marcus groaned.
    Jake turned the conversation
bac k to Marcus’s original concern. “You
do know Marcus that there are stories in the Bible about men and women of God
who were attracted to each other. It’s not wrong to be attracted to her. And
maybe, just a thought, it may be God’s way of getting your attention.”
    “Oh, H e’s gotten my attention,” Marcus laughed. “Of course
now it’s about all I can think about.”
    “I know you, my friend,” Jake said, “and I don’t think there’s
a danger of you diving into an ungodly relationship based on a pretty face. The
fact that we’re having this conversation indicates you want to do His will.”
    “Tell me what you know