Page 22 of Broken Pieces
“Sounds good.”
After Ivy leaves, I get back into the groove. I turn up my music on the built-in speaker system, dancing along to my medley of British pop music. I finish the brownie batter I started and throw them in the oven. Then I get busy prepping breakfast for the next morning as well as some pastries and special treats for Summer. I thought she was about ready to pop a kid out, but it turns out she is only five months pregnant with twins. All she does is eat. I have taken it upon myself to ensure she has her own special treats, so she doesn’t eat all the ones I bake for the guests.
I glance at the clock and see its almost three o’clock. I grab the plate of brownies and pull the caramel I was stirring off the stove and start drizzling it over them. The oven timer goes off, so I turn around to pull the croissants out of the oven when I hear the back patio doors slam.
“Sure smells good in here.”
I turn around to see Brooks once again without a shirt on grabbing three brownies off the plate. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Eating. What does it look like?” he says before stuffing a brownie in his mouth.
“Those are for the guests.”
“I was hungry.”
“Then go walk over to your servant’s quarters and make yourself a damned sandwich.” I pull the brownies away from him and set them on a different counter. “And maybe find a shirt too while you’re at it.”
“Oh, I think you rather like looking at me shirtless. In fact, I think you would like me even more without pants on.”
I roll my eyes and turn around to finish drizzling the brownies.
“You really seemed to have liked it last week when I had nothin’ on. I bet I know where that dirty mind of yours was going when you saw me dripping wet.”
I can tell my cheeks are turning pink, but I really have no answer for him. Because he knows exactly where my thoughts were going.
“What are you doin’ in here Brooks? And why don’t you ever have any clothes on?” Summer saves me from needing to answer him. “Tonight’s guests just pulled up and I can’t have you runnin’ around here makin’ it look like we are running some strip club. And your boots are filthy, and I just cleaned the floors!”
I place the last brownie on a cake stand and turn around just as Brooks grabs a fork and stabs it into a fresh blueberry pie. “You better be paying me for that pie!”
“Get out!” Summer practically pushes him out the door.
“See you later Blue,” Brooks chimes as he walks out the door.
Summer slumps onto a stool. “Why did my husband think it was a good idea to hire his brother?”
“I don’t think he actually thought about it.”
The doorbell chimes and Summer gets up to grab it. I step in, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll get it.”
“No, no, no. I’ll get it.” She takes the cake stand of brownies off the counter and carries it toward the dining room. “Besides you got some blueberries smeared across your cheek.”
I grab a towel and wipe at my face.
Damn blueberries.
And now I need to make another pie.
Damn Brooks.