In the Distance Read Online Free Page B

top with their Halloween dishes and decorations.
    “Back me up here, Tyler. I mean, I could have done the whole cold spaghetti and peeled grapes gag to add some panache to our dishes, but that idea got vetoed in our last meeting.”
    Jamie rolled his eyes. “The horror and injustice of it all is almost too much to bear, but I’m pretty confident you’ll recover, E.”
    “Mock me all you want, Lassiter, but my cranberry relish is a hot item on the menu right now. And don’t even get me started on the decorations, because I still think Igor would look awesome in the dining room.”
    My eyes suddenly went to the decoration next to the fryer station. In addition to the fresh pumpkins and gourds tastefully adorning the dining room, Ethan had strung up less tasteful but more entertaining decorations in the kitchen—including a life-size skeleton next to the fryers with a sign that read “Caution: Proper Attire is Required Around the Fryers. You Have Been Warned.” I had thanked the kitchen gods multiple times since it went up in early October I wasn’t scheduled for the fryer station until the week after Halloween.
    I was just coming out of the storeroom when Ethan brushed past me with a scowl on his face. A harried-looking younger guy followed him, a clipboard clutched tightly in his hand and a look of pure fear on his face. I knew both of those looks. One said another delivery had just been screwed up. The other said someone wished he was anywhere but following a very pissed-off Ethan Martin.
    “How do you forget the motherfucking potatoes? You’re a goddamn vegetable supplier.” Ethan groused as he worked himself up into one of his epic rants.
    I went back to chopping my veggies for Witch’s Caldron Tortellini, which was Ethan’s Halloween version of pasta primavera. No sooner had my knife sliced through a bright red bell pepper than Siouxsie stopped singing. There was a brief moment of silence, then John Denver began serenading the staff about his Rocky Mountain high.
    Jamie’s low laugh echoed behind me. “E will have your ass for that, you know.”
    I turned to see who’d been stupid enough to touch Chef Martin’s remote. Trevor Pratt, Jamie’s friend and the guy who managed his career, leaned against the counter with the stereo remote still aimed at the iPod dock. His charcoal-gray Henley and faded blue jeans were a stark contrast to the rest of the kitchen staff’s chef whites. “Thanks for the warning, J, but I’m pretty sure that, as little as he works out, he couldn’t handle my ass on a good day.”
    “You just love pissing him off.”
    He shot Jamie a wicked smile as he laid the remote on the counter next to him. “I do enjoy poking the proverbial bear.”
    As Jamie enveloped Trevor in a hug, Trevor’s snarky expression morphed into something gentler. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Jamie. When they pulled apart, Trevor’s smile was still there, but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes as he turned away from Jamie and walked over to my station. I felt my heart speed up as he leaned against the counter next to me.
    “Hey, Tyler. These guys being good to you?”
    I kept my eyes trained on the cutting board as my brain suddenly blanked out. I wasn’t chatty on my best days, but put me in the room with an attractive guy and my mouth felt like it was filled with sand. Unable to form a coherent word, I simply nodded.
    “Good. I know Ethan can be a major PITA, but I have faith Jamie can keep him in line.”
    “
Trevor
.” Jamie’s voice held the same kind of exasperated warning it always did when Ethan was spazzing out in the kitchen.
    I heard him snort, and looked up just in time to see him snatch a pepper off my board. “So, Jamie told me you started classes at the Culinary Institute. How are they going?”
    He popped the pepper in his mouth and I watched, mesmerized, until he grinned at me.
Shit
. He’d caught me drooling over him. I jerked my gaze away and focused on