“Excellent work, little man.” Jack held his hand out in the shape of a fist, waiting for the kid to fist-bump. “I told you, all it takes is practice.”
“Hey, Jack.” A young girl sidled up between the pudgy boy and him, stars in her eyes. Clearly she was smitten. She fiddled with her hands in front of her, probably unsure of how to deal with her crush. “What are we making today?”
“You’ll find out soon enough, Megan. Grab your space.” He gripped her shoulder and guided her toward a counter.
Three other kids—teens, really—took their positions and waited with excitement in their eyes for his next words. He had even these kids mesmerized.
“Come on, Sterling, you’re with me at the front.” He pulled her along and positioned her behind the long counter that spread across the back of the room.
“Huh? No. I can’t cook.” She had been excited to see him in front of an audience. When she thought he was teaching them. She stared down the young kids. “Jack?” she whispered, holding her hand around her mouth to keep the kids from hearing. “Remember the microwave?”
He only smiled and placed his hand on her shoulder.
But if he were as good a cooking instructor as he was a dance teacher, maybe she’d be a chef in no time.
“Good evening, everyone.” He stood beside her behind the front counter, a confident, easy smile spread across his face. The group of teenagers stared back at him with awe. With a simple good evening he held them in rapt attention. He was incredible.
“Who’s your friend, Jack?” the smallest of the group asked. He wore a skullcap and a red basketball jersey—what team, Sterling had no idea.
“This is my friend, Sterling Andrews.” He grabbed her hand and squeezed. That simple gesture set off the butterflies in her stomach. “Sterling is going to cook with us.”
She tensed. “I really can’t cook.”
He leaned closer to whisper in her ear. “Neither could they.” He gestured to the kids. “Anyone can cook. All it takes is practice.”
“Oh, Jack, I…”
He crossed his arms over his chest and stared her down. “If they can do it, you can do it.”
She looked at the kids, who all had determination in their eyes. He was right. If they could do it, so could she. She stood strong and waited for her instructions.
“Can everyone say hello to Sterling?”
A round of hellos surrounded her. She shyly waved at the group.
“That’s not fair. She’s an adult,” the pudgy kid whined.
She had the overwhelming urge to stick out her tongue.
Jack laughed. “Don’t worry, Jesse. I assure you, she’s no threat.”
She’d show him just how much of a threat she could be.
“Can anyone guess what’s on the menu today by looking at the ingredients at your stations?”
“Cheese pasta,” one of them yelled.
He laughed. “Essentially, yes. It’s cheese pasta, better known as…”
“Macaroni and cheese,” Megan shouted.
He pointed at the correct answer.
“Macaroni and cheese?” Sterling asked. “I thought this was a cooking class. Don’t you just boil water and stir?”
“Not when you’re making it from scratch.”
The kids glared at her. Was she not supposed to question the teacher? She was in serious trouble. Boiling water was the extent of her culinary expertise. She was going to be upstaged by a bunch of kids.