Something Like Perfect

by Stephens, S. C.

  Mom chuckled. “That’s true. He’s gone for long stretches with his job, but whenever he’s home . . .” She paused to shake her head in amusement. “Kylie let it slip that she’s been thinking marriage. Jake just might be the one.”

  An icy feeling struck me in the gut. It was so powerful, more like a physical blow than an emotional one, and my body reflexively curled to absorb the hit.

  “You okay?” Mom asked, looking at me strangely.

  Unfolding my body, I forced a smile to my face. “Of course. That’s great news about Kylie. Jake seems like a good guy. I hope he asks her.” Jesus, what would I do if Jake became my brother-in-law? What if he was always on the edge of my social circle, tormenting me from a distance that was entirely too close? What if I never moved on from him?

  The entire drive home I wondered and worried. And then I began to think that maybe the reason I hadn’t applied for a job in LA was because I didn’t really want to be in LA anymore. I didn’t want to watch the epic love story unfolding. And I didn’t have to stay. There were exquisite culinary experiences all over the world. But then again, the thought of leaving home, of not seeing my family whenever I wanted to see them . . . it seemed a little drastic of a move. I just needed to deal with this like an adult. And the first step was applying for a job.

  The minute I returned home, I turned on my computer. Might as well start applying for a position at that restaurant Mom had mentioned. Just as my computer finished booting up, there was a knock on my apartment door. Frowning at the clock, I wondered who was here. I wasn’t meeting the girls for a couple of hours, and we weren’t meeting here.

  I opened the door, then stared in shock as Jake’s jade eyes looked back at me. “What are you doing here?” I whispered. Had I fallen asleep in the car while driving home, and I was dreaming?

  Jake gave me a sheepish smile. “Can I come in?”

  Not sure if I wanted him inside my place, I nodded and held the door open wider. “Of course.”

  He walked in, and I shut the door behind him. “So what’s up?”

  Jake shifted on his feet. “I feel weird being here. Is this weird?”

  “A little bit,” I answered honestly. “Especially since I don’t know why you’re here.”

  “Oh, that . . . right.”

  He inhaled a deep breath, and my stomach started tingling with nerves. Why was he here? To finish what he’d almost started in the cab? Because that couldn’t happen. Ever.

  “The guy I’ve been working for is looking for a new chef’s assistant. I told him all about you, and he said the job is yours if you want it.”

  “You . . . got me a job?” Jake telling me that he and Kylie had broken up was the only thing that would have surprised me more.

  Jake cringed as he took in my expression. “Yeah. Your mom mentioned that you hadn’t found anything yet, and Mr. Thomas is an amazing employer. It’s a part-time job, but he pays you like it’s full time. It’s on his yacht, and you only work when he takes the boat out, which isn’t too bad, maybe two weeks at a time, with a couple of months between trips. And you’re free to get another job in between trips; you just have to be ready to go at a moment’s notice.”

  My knees felt like they were going to give out and make me crash to the ground. “So . . . I’d be personally assisting the chef, on a yacht, for a couple of weeks every couple months . . . with you.”

  “Yeah,” he said, shrugging.

  God, it would almost be like being alone with him. We wouldn’t be alone, but somehow, it still felt that way. “Why did you think of me for this?” I asked, mystified.

  “Because you want to be a chef, and it’s an amazing opportunity. Chef Sinclair is world renowned. He’s a genius with food, and his meals are amazing. I honestly can’t think of anyone better for you to work with right now. He’s tough, but he’ll definitely get you ready to run your own restaurant.”

  My mouth dropped open as excitement tingled in my belly. All of that sounded amazing—exactly what I’d been waiting for. “Wow . . . that’s . . . thank you for telling me.”

  He gave me a small smile. “Does that mean you’ll think about it?”

  I nodded, and he smiled wider. “Good. Well, I guess I should get going.” He looked like he was about to say something more, but then he stopped and chewed on his lip. Instead of whatever he’d been about to say, he only said, “Bye, Valerie.”

  He let himself out, and I couldn’t stop staring at the door as he closed it behind him. What had just happened? All this time I’d been searching for the perfect job, only to be disappointed by my lack of good options. My friends had tried to help, my family had tried to help, but it was Jake who’d nailed it. Only . . . saying yes and taking this job meant being alone with him. A lot. And that was a prolonged temptation I didn’t really want to endure.

  I was still stewing over the strange turn of events a few hours later, when it was time to meet up with the girls. Alicia had a craving for wings, so we were meeting at the sports bar where we’d run into Jake that fateful night. When I stepped into the place, I was immediately assaulted by memories of that evening. The alcohol, the cuddling, Jake’s tender touch . . . that halted kiss. Inhaling a deep breath, I banished the memories from my mind. That was not ever going to happen again.

  I spotted the girls at a nearby table and raised my hand in greeting. My fingers paused halfway in the air when I realized there was an extra girl at the table. Stephanie, Alicia, Chloe, and . . . my sister. Resuming my wave, I tried to calm my surging heartbeat. I could hang out with my sister. This wasn’t a big deal.

  “Hey . . . everybody.” Sitting down, I smiled at Kylie. “I didn’t know you were going to be here. I figured you’d be with Jake.”

  Kylie smiled, but there was a tightness behind her eyes. “Yeah, Chloe invited me.” Shit. Was she angry that I hadn’t invited her? Her smile slipped; then she frowned. “Okay, I’m just going to say it. I haven’t seen you in forever, Val. It’s almost like you’re avoiding me. Are you mad at me or something?”

  Guilt swept through me, rampaging across my heart like a storm. “No . . . no, of course I’m not mad at you. It’s just . . . I’ve been stressed, trying to figure out what to do after school. Nothing seems right.”

  Alicia snorted. “I think you should just take that job at that place I told you about.”

  I gave her a droll expression. “That was a grocery store.”

  She put a hand over her heart. “They have the best deli in the world. The cashew-chicken salad is to die for.”

  “I’ll consider it,” I told her with a laugh.

  The waitress arrived, and the girls began giving her their orders. As Stephanie and Alicia got into a lively discussion about the waitress’s boots, Kylie leaned over to me. “Jake told me he talked to you about the job offer on his employer’s yacht. I think you should take it.”

  My eyes widened, and I twisted to face her. “Really? Do you think so?” Would she truly be okay with me working with Jake for so long, mostly alone on a boat in the middle of nowhere?

  She gave me a bright, carefree smile. “Of course. It’s one of those opportunities you just can’t say no to. You would kick yourself forever. And Jake said the chef is some sort of amazing food guru. You would learn so much . . . it would be a mistake to say no.”

  Longing made me sigh. “Yeah . . . it sounds . . . pretty damn amazing.” But it didn’t change the fact that Jake and I would be spending a lot of time together. “Would you really be okay with that?” I asked, deciding to be forthright. “With Jake and I working together . . . like that?” I didn’t want to spell it out too much for her, but she had to see that there would be a lot of potential for alone time. I wanted her to truly be okay with what she was agreeing to.

  Kylie tilted her head, like she didn’t understand. “Of course I’m okay with it. Is there a reason why I wouldn’t be?”

  Cringing that I’d given her any doubt about me at all, I shook my head. “No, of course not. I just w
anted to make sure . . .” I shrugged. “It seemed like the right thing to do.”

  Kylie giggled, like she thought my question was cute. Alicia laughed loudly just then, distracting us from our private conversation. Kylie turned her way, so I followed suit.

  “And what would you two like?” the waitress asked. “Besides my boots. Because apparently those have already been claimed.”

  The other girls laughed at the waitress’s comment, so I laughed too. “Great, I’ll have the wings, I guess.”

  “And to drink? There’s a special on Fireball.”

  My stomach roiled at the mention. “No, no . . . just a beer. Something pale.”

  The waitress moved on to my sister, who ordered the same thing. The minute the waitress left, Alicia rounded on me. “Oh my God . . . Fireball. I’d forgotten all about that night. You and Jake were so drunk!”

  Embarrassment and guilt raced up my spine. Could we please talk about something else? Anything else. “We weren’t that drunk,” I said, trying to make it seem like Alicia was exaggerating. From the corner of my eye, I could see Kylie intently watching me. Please don’t mention we were cuddly. Please don’t mention that we shared a cab at the end of the night.

  In response to my comment, Alicia tossed her hands into the air. “More shots!” she screeched, mimicking me.

  I wanted to crawl into a deep dark hole, but thankfully, Steph skillfully changed the subject. “Be nice, Alicia. She was just celebrating a once-in-a-lifetime moment, and we’ve all overindulged in times like that. Like when you caught your boyfriend cheating on you and we all helped you drown your sorrows?”

  Alicia grabbed her head, like she instantly had a headache. “God, don’t remind me. About him or the drinking.”

  The topic of conversation thankfully moved away from me then, onto the other girls and their over-the-top nights. I relaxed as we joked around about other subjects. My sister relaxed, too, letting whatever odd thoughts she might have had die.

  The entire time we ate, drank, and laughed, I thought about Kylie’s comments about this yacht job. She’d made it sound so appealing, a once-in-a-lifetime chance, but it meant being enclosed on a ship with the man of my dreams. Who was also the man of her dreams. I wanted the opportunity, but I didn’t want to torture myself. I honestly had no idea what to do.

  Exhaustion took me over when I finally got back home, and I collapsed on my bed in a heap. This really shouldn’t have been such a monumental decision. It was a chance to work with a renowned chef one-on-one. If I took Jake completely out of the equation, my decision was easy. Take the job! In addition to paying well, it would be an adventure and a great learning experience. The answer seemed so simple, so why was my mind spinning?

  Jake. His smile, his eyes, his shaggy hair, his sensuous lips. He was undeniably alluring, and he’d be all too tempting on the open ocean. But the job . . . that was an even bigger temptation.

  I dug through my bag and found my cell phone. Jake’s number was already programmed. Sometime during that fateful drunken night, we’d exchanged numbers. Biting my lip, I debated if I should give my answer to him or my sister. He was the connection to the job, though, so I decided to send my message to him.

  Tell your boss I want the job.

  A long exhale left me after I hit send. Then my nerves spiked as doubt crept inside. Jake’s response was just a moment behind my text. Good. I’ll tell him tomorrow. The job starts next Tuesday.

  My heart was pounding in my chest as I read his words. We hadn’t had many reasons to directly talk to each other since our drunken evening. It made me a little heady to know he was thinking about me right now.

  Thank you, I texted back. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was with Kylie right now. She hadn’t mentioned meeting up with him after dinner, but she certainly could have. I didn’t want to ask him, but curiosity was killing me. Kylie mentioned how great the chef is. She pushed me to say yes.

  You saw her tonight? he responded.

  Yeah. She came to dinner with the girls. She didn’t come over after? God, that wasn’t super obvious, was it?

  His response took a little bit longer. No, I’m alone.

  I had to close my eyes, because that almost sounded like an invitation. A part of me wanted to tell him I was alone too. A part of me wanted to invite myself over. A part of me wanted to tell him I adored him. But all I told him was, Good night, Jake. See you Tuesday.

  Chapter Six

  I was a nervous wreck waiting for Tuesday to arrive, so nervous that I actually got sick a couple of times. But when it finally arrived, when it was finally time for me to head out on this journey, I was more excited than anything else. This was it! My dream was coming true. Or at least one more step in the dream.

  The nerves returned, however, when I stepped onto the deck of the most luxurious yacht I’d ever seen. It was absolutely breathtaking, and I had to pinch myself to confirm that this was real, that this floating piece of art was where I’d be working for the next two weeks. Stunned, I just kept looking around at all the finery. I had to force myself to close my mouth and act professional; I wanted to make a good impression on my new employer and my new mentor. Straightening my shoulders, I lifted my chin and settled my rampaging emotions. I could do this. No problem.

  Looking around the gleaming, polished beauty, I wondered where I should go first. The instructions I’d received from my welcome aboard email hadn’t been entirely clear. I supposed I could just wander around, looking for the crew’s quarters, or I could try and find my boss so I could check in with him, or I could seek out my new office—the kitchen. Or galley, I guessed, since we were on a boat.

  A smile stretched across my lips as joy bubbled to the surface. I couldn’t wait to get down to the galley and start cooking. I’d wanted something meaningful for my first job after culinary school, and it didn’t get much more unique than being a personal chef on a billionaire’s private yacht.

  As it turned out, my new employer, Jonathon Thomas, was some Silicon Valley tech genius who’d made a fortune early in life and now spent an enormous amount of his free time on the water. As I’d discovered upon filling out the paperwork and being officially hired, this really was an amazing job. Mr. Thomas paid his employees ridiculously well. We just had to be ready to go to work whenever he needed us. So essentially, his entire staff was on call 24-7, 365. That would take some getting used to, but Jake swore it was worth it.

  Figuring that everything I needed was below me, I made my way to the stairs. A familiar face was coming up them when I got there. Jake. He was humming a song as he walked up the stairs, and my heart squeezed when I deciphered the tune—it was one of my all-time favorites. We had so much in common; it was so unfair that it didn’t matter.

  A small smile spread over Jake’s face when he noticed me. It made a swarm of butterflies tickle my stomach, and I hated that it did. How were we going to do this? “Valerie,” he said, stepping up to me. “You made it.” His green eyes sparkled in the sunlight as his smile widened, and I had to suppress a sigh. It was already difficult, and we’d only just begun.

  “Yeah . . . thank you for the directions. I definitely would have gotten lost without them.”

  Jake nodded. Then his gaze fell to our feet. “You ready for this?” he asked, peeking up at me.

  The question seemed full of double meaning. Are you ready for your new job, and are you ready to be locked on a ship with me for two weeks? In truth, I wasn’t ready for either of those things. “Yeah, sure . . . one hundred percent.”

  Jake’s eyes narrowed as he studied me, but he didn’t question my bravado. Instead he said, “You don’t get seasick, do you? I probably should have asked you that before I mentioned the job.”

  I felt my cheeks flush as his question struck a nerve. Did he somehow know I had a weak stomach? “No, no, I’m fine on the water.” That was almost true. So long as I was doped up on Dramamine, I was great.

  “Good,” he said, smiling awkwardly.

  W
e stood there, staring at each other for a few more uncomfortable seconds, before I motioned down the stairs. “Do you think you could show me where to go? This boat is so much bigger than I thought it was going to be.”

  Jake let out a nervous laugh. “Yeah, right. Sorry. I know what you mean. It took me five months to figure out where everything was. Of course, I spend most of my time on the bridge, so I suppose that’s to be expected.” Jake was just assisting the captain right now, but someday, he’d be piloting this massive barge. And somehow, that made him even hotter.

  Running a hand through his hair, Jake indicated the stairs with his head. “This way.” He started walking down them, and I took the opportunity of his absent gaze to appreciate his backside. His body was incredible, from what I could tell, at least. The most I’d ever seen of him was his bare legs in shorts and his bare arms peeking out from a T-shirt that was tight against his chest, flat against his abs. My sister had invited me to the beach with them once before, but I’d said no. Seeing him shirtless . . . God, I didn’t think I could take it. Especially not in front of Kylie. I’d be visibly shaken, and she’d instantly know for sure that I craved her boyfriend.

  With a sigh, I followed Jake down the stairs to my new home away from home. Rooms for the crew were on the very bottom level of the ship, which seemed fitting, I supposed, since it wasn’t our boat and we weren’t on vacation. There were eight of us working this trip. Jake, another guy, and the captain on the bridge; the chef and me in the kitchen; Mr. Thomas’s personal assistant, who was almost always by his side, from what Jake said; and the two women who kept the yacht looking picture perfect at all times—Mr. Thomas’s request. He was a bit of a neat freak from what Jake had told me, something that might be an issue for me, since I could be a bit of a slob. I didn’t want him to fire me because my station was too messy. Not that he probably ventured into the kitchen much. Or at all. I probably wouldn’t even see him this trip.

  “All right, here we go. This room is yours.” Jake opened a slim door with a flourish, showing me an equally slim room. There was only enough space inside for a one-person bed and a thin dresser. While I wondered if I’d feel claustrophobic sleeping in a room no larger than my bathroom back home, Jake pointed down the hallway. “Mine is at the other end . . .” He worked his lip after he said that, and confusion, desire, and guilt flooded through me. He was going to be so close to me, yet so far.