“Cheesy clam chowder sauce? Where the hell did you come from?”
I chuckle. “It’s something I’ve been dreaming about for a while. But I never tried to make one because, well, I wasn’t cooking. So there it is. Let me know what you think.”
I hold my breath while he takes a bite, and as a slow smile creeps across his face, I know I have another winner on my hands.
My heart might be broken, but at least my cooking talent isn’t.
“Here.” I plop a plate of cider donuts down on my parents’ empty dinner table and then take a seat.
My mom comes over to my chair, grips both of my cheeks, and plants a kiss on my head. “There’s my favorite chef. What are these?”
“Cider donut bites.” I pop one in my mouth. “Eric and I had a competition to see who could make a better one, and he won. He’s always had a way with the sweet stuff. So we’re going with his recipe. Now you get to eat the rejects.”
“How thoughtful.” She reaches out and takes a small bite. “Wow, these are amazing; if these are the rejects, I can’t wait to taste the winners.”
“He does something fancy I still can’t pinpoint.” I shrug and drum my fingers on the table.
“Can I just say”—yup, I knew this was coming—“I’m so proud of you, Reid, for taking another shot at this. Dad’s been telling me all about the progress you’ve been making over the last month, and I took a sneak peek in the restaurant the other day. I can’t believe the transformation. The crew is working really hard.”
“They are, and I’m impressed, actually. They think we’ll be able to do the soft opening in just two months.”‘
“Seriously? Just two more months?” Mom’s eyes widen. “That’s . . . soon.”
“I’ve been putting in some work, and so has Rogan.”
“Well, he is the renovation expert in the family. That’s so wonderful. I can’t wait to see how everything comes together. Your dad is positively giddy.”
“Yeah, he’s been hugging me a lot lately. I’m guessing that’s his way of silently thanking me.”
“That and he’s a little heartbroken about you and Eve.”
“Jesus. So glad my siblings can keep a secret. Was it Brig?”
Mom brushes her graying hair off her shoulder. “He came racing into the house, looking for matches, the night he found out. Everything was closed, and he said he needed to light a cleansing candle.”
“Such a douche.” I chuckle, thinking about Brig’s panic and worry, his unwavering belief in the curse. I don’t think my breakup with Eve has anything to do with the curse, other than bad timing and falling for the wrong girl . . . at least that’s what I’m telling myself.
“He’s concerned, honey. We all are. You seemed to be so right for each other. What changed?”
I pat my mom’s hand. “Nothing you need to worry about.”
“What doesn’t she need to worry about?” my dad asks, coming into the kitchen, freshly showered, his thinning hair combed to the side.
“What happened between him and Eve.”
“Oh, it’s quite the talk of the town, how they’re no longer a couple, especially since Eve went out the other night.”
I freeze, lungs seizing. Did I just hear that correctly? “What? She went out? Like girls’ night or out on a date? With who? Do you know who it was?”
A knowing smirk crosses my dad’s face as he reaches into the fridge and pulls out a water bottle. “Not quite sure about the details, just that she went out on a date.”
Of course he doesn’t know the details but has no problem dropping a bomb like that without any sort of additional information. If you’re going to make a man keel over, at least have the decency to provide some details.
Was it a casual date? Someone I know? Someone I don’t like? Did they kiss?
Did they fuck?
I have an urge to punch a wall and throw up at the same time. Wow, that’s a new sensation.
“You might want to wipe that stricken look off your face because she’s going to be here any minute.”
“What? Why’s she coming here?” My heart rate kicks into overdrive as I try to grasp this barrage of new information.
The doorbell rings, and I swear to Christ, my balls jump up inside my stomach. She’s here, and I’m supposed to act normal?
“She’s here for training,” Dad calls over his shoulder as he walks down the hall. I hear the door open and then, “Eve, come on in. We’ll hang out in the kitchen.”
“Sounds great.” Her sweet voice echoes down the hall.
I attempt to stand, but Mom digs her claws into my leg, pushing me down. I love my mom, but I’m pretty sure she’s working for the devil. “Tell me, sweetie, what kind of spices did you use in these donuts?” She barely gets the words out before Dad and Eve walk into the kitchen.
She looks so goddamn beautiful it hurts in a pair of tight-fitting jeans and a green sweater that highlights her hazel eyes. Her hair is styled in waves, loosely hanging over her shoulders.
I can feel my mouth gape open at the sight of her. It’s not like I don’t see her every week at the restaurant, but lately, she’s been showing up either after or before me. We’ve been skirting each other, and I haven’t been in the same room as her for a while.
Why the fuck did I have to bring those donuts to my parents’ house? Because seeing Eve now, looking positively breathtaking . . . well. It’s unraveling any resolve I had left in me.
“Hey, Reid,” Eve says casually as she follows my dad to the table and takes a seat beside me.
“Uh, hey, Eve. How’s it going?” This is painful. Painful to watch, painful to be a part of.
“Great. Thanks. Oooh, are these Eric’s cider bites?”
“Reid’s, actually,” my mom says. “Apparently not as good as your brother’s.”
Eve pops one in her mouth, and her nose crinkles as she nods. “Yeah, definitely not as good.”
Well . . . damn, they’re not that bad. They’re not as moist and fluffy as Eric’s, but they’re still pretty tasty.
“Are you staying for training?” Eve asks me as she starts to set her notebooks and pens out on the table.
“No, just dropping off donuts.”
“Oh, Clint, before you get started, can you help me with something in our bedroom?” Mom asks.
“Can Reid help you?” Dad replies, bringing Eve a water bottle. “Eve and I have a lot to go over.”
“No . . . it’s . . . in the bedroom.”
“Oh.” He chuckles, so oblivious sometimes, and then takes my mom’s hand as they go up the stairs, leaving me alone with Eve.
Needs help with something in the bedroom—yeah . . . okay, Mom. Insert giant eye roll here. She just wanted us to be alone, and guess what? I’m going to take advantage of it.
Spinning in my chair, I waste no time. “You went on a date the other night?”
From a little pouch, she takes out a pen and clicks it a few times before saying, “Yup.”
Wow, not even going to dance around it.
“So just like that, you’re going to start dating people?”