His Naughty Lessons

** Harper **

Harper spent the next hour in an alternating state of awe and shock.

To start, she did end up seeing Eli in an apron. And he looked … hot. Seriously, it was just an apron — even a well worn one at that, in a generic and plain navy blue — but somehow, the cut attenuated his tall frame in such a way that Harper thought he truly could pose as a fashion model in it.

How was that possible? How could a man look so good in an apron?

Then she watched with big eyes as he laid out a dazzling assortment of ingredients and spices, pulled a pro-looking knife out of a block that held way too many different options, and started moving with impressive efficiency between the cutting board and the stove.

Harper didn't know a thing about cooking, so she stayed out of the way and simply studied him in amazement. The smooth movement of his hands as he sliced and chopped. The practiced ease as he sprinkled seasoning without measuring or even looking at the labels. The effortless way that he kept the entire kitchen orderly and tidy throughout the process. Harper had always thought of cooking as a laborious chore, but watching him do it made it look like an art.

"What got you into culinary arts?" she couldn't help asking in the end. "I mean, I know you said that you cook, but this" — she gestured at the pleasingly butterflied veal ribs that Eli was pounding with a meat tenderizer — "is too far beyond simple home cooking. I can't even imagine it if I'm not seeing it with my own eyes."

Eli gave her another one of those amused smiles over his shoulder. "I actually went with chops for today because they're one the easiest to make. That way, you wouldn't have to keep waiting hours for dinner."

Harper stared at him incredulously. "I think you've only proved my point further."

Eli chuckled and proceeded to make an egg wash with cheese and cream. The elegant way he whisked the mixture without creating a single splash was almost fascinating. "It all started with a cooking show that popped up as a recommended video for me on Youtube. Funnily, it was about your favorite shepherd's pie, so that caught my interest. And somehow, the interest just ended up spiraling down a rabbit hole over the years."

"… You mean that shepherd's pie was so good that it made you decide to dedicate yourself to the art of cooking?"

"Well, the pie was only part of it." Eli paused and did a sweeping scan of the kitchen laden with colorful ingredients. "Believe it or not, I found that cooking is one of the best ways for me to relax. I like the process of disassembling and reassembling these fresh produce and meat into something different. It feels … transformative, if that makes sense, and it calms me whenever I get too stressed from work."

Harper thought about it for a moment. "That does make some sense," she concluded. "Though … Judging from how good you are at this, there must've been quite a lot of stress going on."

Eli shrugged, getting back to his work and started coating the veal. "Not an uncommon experience for the first few years out of college, I suppose. The company I worked for on the west coast had a lot of good hires, capable and ambitious and ready to throw in everything they had. The competition was quite fierce."

He had said it with a casual tone, but Harper could tell that stressful as it might be, he liked that kind of environment where he had to keep pushing himself in order to succeed. How different and difficult must it be for him now, with the awkward situation at his father's company that changed everything he liked about his career?

Knowing that she'd only spoil the mood if she asked about it, Harper pushed the thought aside. Instead, she mentally compared such an attitude to her own feelings over the past week. "I should probably be glad then that I didn't decide to go into business or investment," she said. "I apparently can't handle stress on nearly the same level. This new project at work had me running around like a headless chicken for days, and to be honest, I was feeling quite a bit demotivated at the beginning. It was only your call and your much-need advice that saved me from a lot of wallowing."

Eli looked back at her from his kitchen station. "No one should be expected to handle this type of stress, Harper. Your manager threatened to pull the project after the meeting. Anyone who cares about their job is going to find that demoralizing. I bet you'll feel much better once your proposal passes and you get to tell him to take his opinion and shove it."

Harper blinked. That kind of language was rare from Eli, but she liked it. The unconditional confidence and faith he had in everything she did was such a precious treat compared to the opinions she'd been getting in the office.

Impulsively, she wanted to tell him that she had already taken his advice to heart and gone all out on turning this game into something they both loved so much as kids. Maybe she could even ask him for suggestions on what he'd want to see in the presentation, if he were to imagine himself the investor … Or should she keep it a secret for now and surprise him when the proposal actually went through?

The decision was made for her when he heated up the pan to start sautéing the shallots. Heavenly smell instantly filled the kitchen, distracting her from any further thoughts about work.