Helanie:
While I cooked, Maximus stayed beside . He helped with chopping vegetables and tried to get his hands on the pans. Most of the ti, he was kind of in my way. He would excitedly jump whenever he heard what I was doing next.
I never thought of him as being so full of life—full of himself, yes!
That’s when Kaye walked by, saw us working, and decided to step in. His arrival froze us both. He stood tall, hands on his hips. My first thought was that he might disapprove of cooking for them or call Norman to take over the "dirty" job. I guess my opinion of Kaye was low because, deep down, I was still upset about how things went between us. We were both at fault, though.
"What is going on?" he asked, his eyes shifting between , my apron, and Maximus—who was also wearing an apron, though in a way that made feel sorry for him. He’d tied it around his waist, leaving the straps hanging awkwardly, even after seeing wear mine correctly.
"Helanie is cooking for us tonight," Maximus responded with a huge smile on his lips. Kaye looked unimpressed at his apron.
He stepped closer and glanced around, his eyes landing on an apron hanging on the wall.
"I’m going to help, too," he muttered, grabbing the apron to put it on.
I watched him struggle for a bit, holding the straps in the air, his arms stretched wide, his eyes darting around as he tried to figure it out.
"Put these behind," I gestured, but Kaye still seed clueless.
"There are simpler ones in the shop. Why do you guys pick the most complicated ones?" Kaye grumbled, trying to get it right.
"It’s not rocket science, Kaye. Just do it the way I did," Maximus shrugged, giving his brother a look for complaining about sothing so trivial. I glanced at Maximus and stifled a laugh.
"You’re not wearing it correctly either, Maximus," I pointed out, cracking eggs into a bowl.
"Huh?" Maximus sounded genuinely shocked, as if he hadn’t realized it. "But we can wear it like this too. You don’t know anything—I do. Kaye, wear it like I did," he urged, passing his "expert" advice to his brother.
Kaye quickly handed the apron to Maximus, who claid to know better. The two clowns stood to the side, arguing and "helping" each other, before eventually coming back to ruin my progress.
"What is this white stuff?" Kaye asked, extending his hand over my head. I didn’t see it until I lifted my head and accidentally hit his arm.
The bowl he was holding slipped from his hands, and the flour spilled all over the floor.
"Ugh!" I turned to him, scolding, "Can’t you stand on that side like him?" I yelled, pointing at Maximus, who was quietly engrossed in cutting fruits into smaller, similar sizes. That task had worked because he was focused and silent.
"I’m sorry, but give sothing to do," Kaye muttered, avoiding my eyes.
"You’ve got to clean the floor now," I pointed to the ss on the floor. Without any argunt, he agreed.
The kitchen’s dynamic had shifted, and even the mood felt different now. I was enjoying cooking again. It reminded of my childhood, though thankfully, the sadness didn’t linger long because Kaye was now on a mission to clean everything.
"Stop it! I’m still using that," I heard Maximus complain. I briefly turned to check on them. Kaye, holding a paper towel, was cleaning every little thing Maximus dropped.
"Ugh! Get him off my table," Maximus cried out for help.
"No way!" I stood straight again, refusing to redirect Kaye’s attention. I didn’t want him back at my station, so it was good that Maximus had his full focus.
They bickered the entire ti. Later, I assigned them both the task of cutting vegetables—anything to keep them busy.
I swear, they made realize how hard it must be to cook with two kids. Especially ones as hyperactive as them.
We cooked for so ti, and finally, the food was ready. The two, who had done the least amount of work, looked the ssiest. Kaye had flour in his hair and even on his face. Maximus wasn’t any better. Because of them, I ended up with so flour in my hair too.
I had to shower and get ready while the maids served the food.
Wearing a pink dress—another one of Lamar’s picks—I walked out with my hair still wet. I had only towel-dried it before joining everyone for dinner because the maid had inford that they were waiting for .
Everyone was already seated at the table when I arrived. Lord McQuoid gestured for everyone to begin eating.
Maximus and Kaye had also changed into clean shirts. Norman, who was holding a file, set it aside once the food was served and turned his attention to his plate.
I watched as everyone started filling their plates.
Charlotte and Emma hadn’t joined us. I heard they made up an excuse about not feeling well. Lord McQuoid and my mother had just returned from a party, so they were probably unaware of what had happened.
My mother gave a quick glance, her mood souring the mont she saw . Sotis, it felt like she tried her best to forget I existed. So whenever I happened to catch her attention, she looked shocked at first, then exhausted.
"How was your day, Helanie?" Lord McQuoid asked, tilting his head slightly toward my mother. I could feel the tension between them whenever he spoke to .
"It was great, thank you for asking," I replied, grateful that he always made an effort to include in the conversations and even asked about my day.
My eyes wandered to Emt next, who was excitedly examining the food.
Emt was the first to fill his plate. My heart started to race as I wondered if I still had what it took to impress him—and everyone else—with my cooking.
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