Page 38 of Recipe for Rivals
Of all thethings to say to fully stuff my foot in my mouth, maligning police officers to a cop’s kid was one of the stupidest. They bred some loyal people, which I could understand. My cheeks warmed, but I decided not to let Nova win so easily. I followed her down the short hallway and leaned against the door jamb, watching her pull some Yoda-themed pajamas from the top drawer of a cedar dresser.
“I can forgive you for that,” I said.
Her laugh was somewhere between surprised and amused. She opened another drawer, rooting around for something, her ponytail moving as she looked. She was on the taller side for a woman, her legs long and lithe. I forced myself to look away before I was caught staring.
The room clearly belonged to the kids, evidenced by the bins on each side holding toys. Two mattresses sat on the floor, one covered in a yellow bedspread with Minions, teddy bears, and bananas on it, the other with a classicStar Warsblanket boasting different droids ranging from R2-D2 to BB-8. There was no other furniture except the toy bins and a dresser they probably shared.
Nova shut the drawer and looked at me. “We’re Team Blue in this house.”
I grinned. “I wear blue most of the time.”
She rolled her eyes, passing me to go back to the kitchen. “We all know who the real heroes are.”
“The ones who pull kittens out of trees and people from burning buildings?”
She lifted an eyebrow. “The ones who put murderers in jail.”
Okay, that was a hard one to argue with. “Your dad is a pretty big deal, I take it.”
“The biggest,” Gigi said from the kitchen. “That’s my brother you’re talking about, so watch your tongue, young man.”
My arms went up. “I’ve said nothing.”
Nova opened a Ziploc bag and filled it with ice cubes from a freezer tray. “He was pretty well liked,” she said casually, in a way that made me think he was extremely well respected.
“Who?” Alice asked quietly before her eyes darted to me and her cheeks pinked.
“Grandpa. I was just telling Dusty how much we like police officers in this family.”
“I miss Grandpa,” Alice said, before ducking her head. She climbed down from the kitchen stool and ran toward her room.
“She’s shy,” Gigi said.
Nova lifted the bag of ice and pajamas. “I’m going to take care of this.”
“Okay, I’ll clean this up.” Gigi motioned towards the cookies spread out on the counter. They were everywhere. How did I miss them before?
“I’m not fin—shoot.” Nova dropped everything in her hands and moved to Gigi’s side, peeling a large icing bag from a section of cookies. “I dropped it when you guys arrived.”
The bag had ruined at least five circles. No…they were moons.
“Mom?” Ben called, clearly feeling forlorn and forgotten on the toilet.
Nova tossed the icing bag in the sink and picked up the pajamas and ice. “I’ll deal with it later.” She disappeared immediately.
The moons weren’t alone. There were planets, rockets, and astronauts littering the counter, too. “These are amazing,” I breathed.
“Just wait until she’s added the details.” Gigi picked up a rag and rinsed it out, then wiped the spilled icing on the counter. “She has a gift.”
I couldn’t imagine the cookies looking even better than they did right now.
Gigi peered down the darkened hallway before settling her gaze on me. It made me want to run, like the time she’d caught me fighting behind her diner in high school, or when she had seen me and Tucker stealing the Gables’ cows and leading them to the football field. It was a harmless senior prank, but she’d put a stop to it. That look said better than words how she expected more from me.
I didn’t know why I was being silently reprimanded this time.
“You promised, Dusty,” she said softly. “That girl has been hurt. The last thing she needs right now is an entanglement.”
Nova had been hurt. I could only imagine. She put on a brave face and seemed like a tough woman, but if Gracie Mae was correct and she’d just had a nasty divorce, then there were many layers to the pain she’d endured. I wanted to take it away, but knew it wasn’t my place or my right to take that on.