and surprise him in his home.”
The shower had stopped. Jay stood in the bathroom doorway naked and smiling as he rubbed a towel over his hair.
“Just a minute, please.” She muted the phone, waved to get Jay’s attention, and called down the hall. “Get Henry.”
“Demanding little thing, aren’t you?” Jay smirked at her. “Where’s my breakfast?”
Oh, shit. Breakfast.
“Jay, catch.”
He dropped the towel and grabbed the phone in midair.
“Tell Henry Emma’s coming to dinner and he needs to tell her it’s okay with him.”
Thank God the smoke rising from the pan on the stove hadn’t set off an alarm. At least she hadn’t dropped bread on the griddle. As it was, she only had to turn down the heat and fish soggy bread pieces from the egg mixture to trash them.
Potentially burning the place down probably wasn’t a reasonable way to demonstrate her prowess at breakfast duties. Make a note, Allie-girl.
* * * *
A stack of French toast waited, warming beneath a foil tent, when Jay sauntered into the kitchen. Fully dressed, sadly. She was rather fond of the look he’d sported right out of the shower. He sidled up to her as she turned off the stove.
Aluminum foil rustled.
“Hey.” She blocked him with the spatula. “Breakfast at the table, goof, and not until Henry’s ready, too.”
Jay walked his fingers up the spatula. “But if I don’t taste them first, how do you know they’ll be good enough for Henry?” Wide, innocent eyes gazed at her with puppy pleading. “I’m doing this for you, Alice. From the bottom of my heart.”
She snorted. “From the bottom of your stomach, more like. Can you carry the plate to the table without sampling?”
He heaved an exaggerated sigh. “If I must, my cruel-but-beloved chef.” He kissed her cheek and danced away with the plate.
Following with the syrup and cut fruit, she surveyed the table, mentally checking things off.
Henry caught her as she turned, trapping her against his chest. Freshly showered and scented, his chest warm and broad. Mmm. Good morning.
“I forgot the juice.”
“Jay will fetch it.”
She tipped her head back. “So serious. I can—”
“Jay, will you fetch the juice and glasses, please?”
“On it.” He raised his eyebrows when he passed her.
Henry prowled her back with his fingertips. He still hadn’t smiled.
A prickle of not-lust crawled up her spine. Concern.
“Now, my dear girl, shall we discuss what orders I am to carry out?”
“Orders?”
“Mmm. I believe Jay informed me I was to tell Emma to join us for dinner because it was okay with me.”
Oh. Fuck. Yeah, she’d pretty much said it like an order. Jay would never have done what she’d done. He might’ve brought Henry the phone, but arbitrarily invited someone to dinner? When hell froze over.
“Imagine my surprise to be handed my phone as I stepped from the shower, a caller already waiting on the other end.”
Shifting from foot to foot, she squirmed in his embrace. “I shouldn’t have answered your phone, Henry.” She’d known she was in the wrong as soon as she’d picked up the phone. “It was rude.” No point trying to hide. “I know that, and I’m sorry.”
He studied her with narrowed eyes. “I note your contrition only extends so far. What of your spur-of-the-moment invitation?”
A trickier question. If this was going to be her home, too, she had to be able to invite people to meals without being intimidated. With more courtesy next time. Especially when she was rarely the one responsible for providing those meals. “I should’ve told her one of us would call her back instead of assuming.” Even if her intent had been to help repair Henry and Emma’s friendship, she’d acted like a kid walking in the door with a friend after school and expecting Mom to stretch dinner without notice. “But I’m not sorry I invited her.”
One corner of Henry’s mouth twitched.
Her suspicion rested on that microscopic evidence.
The shower had stopped. Jay stood in the bathroom doorway naked and smiling as he rubbed a towel over his hair.
“Just a minute, please.” She muted the phone, waved to get Jay’s attention, and called down the hall. “Get Henry.”
“Demanding little thing, aren’t you?” Jay smirked at her. “Where’s my breakfast?”
Oh, shit. Breakfast.
“Jay, catch.”
He dropped the towel and grabbed the phone in midair.
“Tell Henry Emma’s coming to dinner and he needs to tell her it’s okay with him.”
Thank God the smoke rising from the pan on the stove hadn’t set off an alarm. At least she hadn’t dropped bread on the griddle. As it was, she only had to turn down the heat and fish soggy bread pieces from the egg mixture to trash them.
Potentially burning the place down probably wasn’t a reasonable way to demonstrate her prowess at breakfast duties. Make a note, Allie-girl.
* * * *
A stack of French toast waited, warming beneath a foil tent, when Jay sauntered into the kitchen. Fully dressed, sadly. She was rather fond of the look he’d sported right out of the shower. He sidled up to her as she turned off the stove.
Aluminum foil rustled.
“Hey.” She blocked him with the spatula. “Breakfast at the table, goof, and not until Henry’s ready, too.”
Jay walked his fingers up the spatula. “But if I don’t taste them first, how do you know they’ll be good enough for Henry?” Wide, innocent eyes gazed at her with puppy pleading. “I’m doing this for you, Alice. From the bottom of my heart.”
She snorted. “From the bottom of your stomach, more like. Can you carry the plate to the table without sampling?”
He heaved an exaggerated sigh. “If I must, my cruel-but-beloved chef.” He kissed her cheek and danced away with the plate.
Following with the syrup and cut fruit, she surveyed the table, mentally checking things off.
Henry caught her as she turned, trapping her against his chest. Freshly showered and scented, his chest warm and broad. Mmm. Good morning.
“I forgot the juice.”
“Jay will fetch it.”
She tipped her head back. “So serious. I can—”
“Jay, will you fetch the juice and glasses, please?”
“On it.” He raised his eyebrows when he passed her.
Henry prowled her back with his fingertips. He still hadn’t smiled.
A prickle of not-lust crawled up her spine. Concern.
“Now, my dear girl, shall we discuss what orders I am to carry out?”
“Orders?”
“Mmm. I believe Jay informed me I was to tell Emma to join us for dinner because it was okay with me.”
Oh. Fuck. Yeah, she’d pretty much said it like an order. Jay would never have done what she’d done. He might’ve brought Henry the phone, but arbitrarily invited someone to dinner? When hell froze over.
“Imagine my surprise to be handed my phone as I stepped from the shower, a caller already waiting on the other end.”
Shifting from foot to foot, she squirmed in his embrace. “I shouldn’t have answered your phone, Henry.” She’d known she was in the wrong as soon as she’d picked up the phone. “It was rude.” No point trying to hide. “I know that, and I’m sorry.”
He studied her with narrowed eyes. “I note your contrition only extends so far. What of your spur-of-the-moment invitation?”
A trickier question. If this was going to be her home, too, she had to be able to invite people to meals without being intimidated. With more courtesy next time. Especially when she was rarely the one responsible for providing those meals. “I should’ve told her one of us would call her back instead of assuming.” Even if her intent had been to help repair Henry and Emma’s friendship, she’d acted like a kid walking in the door with a friend after school and expecting Mom to stretch dinner without notice. “But I’m not sorry I invited her.”
One corner of Henry’s mouth twitched.
Her suspicion rested on that microscopic evidence.
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