Sweet and Spicy [COMPLETED]

A Conversation with Jacob

Kaya turned so she could lean against the counter at her work station. "Everyone knows?" 

"Everyone thinks they know." Jacob tipped his head like a curious bird. "I'm asking the source, though. Did you really stay late at the Big Boss' office and why were you there in the first place? Did something bad happen?" 

"You could say that." Kaya shook her head. She couldn't believe that she was about to divulge this information to the loosest-lipped member of the kitchen department. "I almost got run over, so it was a bad day for me. Ransom brought me back to force me to calm down." 

"Someone tried to kill you?!" Jacob reached out to take her shoulders in his hands. "Big Sis, are you okay? Are you injured? How are your nerves?" 

"I'm fine, clearly." Kaya shook off his hands. "I'm more worried about the rumors." 

"Aw, don't be. It'll rile Alicia up for a bit, but I can just pull her hair. Everyone else seems to think you and the Big Boss are adorable."

Adorable? Not a word that had been used to describe Kaya in the past. She supposed people could change, but it felt awkward to accept such a compliment. 

Jacob leaned down to catch Kaya's gaze with his own, the puppy eyes firmly in place. "Nothing happened, right? You're okay?" 

"I'm fine. Really." 

Only a half-truth. It concerned Kaya that she had almost died twice so closely together. As if plans had been set in motion that she couldn't stop if she tried. Kaya hated when things were out of her control. If she couldn't stop them, why did she try to run away at all?

"I'm sure Lawrence has you covered on security. He's a good guy and a great employee." 

Okay, why did Jacob sound like an ad for the company? It didn't make sense that he suddenly sounded fake. Jacob was the most genuine person that Kaya knew. 

Kaya narrowed her gaze at him. "What's wrong?" 

"Nothing's wrong! I just really like Lawrence." 

"Why?" 

Jacob chuckled softly. "He's my brother. How do you think I got an interview for an internship?" 

Ah. That made sense. Now that she thought about it, Kaya could see the family resemblance. Both in their manners and their physical features. 

"You can trust him. If he does something wrong, I'll beat him up for you." Jacob lifted his fists like a fight, then winced and cradled his injured wrist to his chest. "I'll let you get back to cooking now." 

"Come see me if Alicia gets out of control. I have connections." 

"So do I. Not that I need them." Jacob pointed to his wrist. "This should do the trick." 

Kaya laughed, because Jacob's way of controlling Alicia worked, in its own way. If Alicia were a better person, Kaya might turn into a matchmaker for those two. Jacob deserved the best, though, so she wouldn't. 

Besides, matchmaking had never gotten anyone anywhere but in trouble. 

Kaya went back to making breakfast for Ransom, her mind set solely on the task before her. If she thought about much more, she might break down again. Kaya determined she wouldn't break down anymore. 

If Ransom could wait so long for her to realize his true identity, Kaya could grow a backbone to help with his plan. She didn't know how, but she was determined to be better.