“Exactly. And in my case, I want to avoid drama at all costs. I have a little girl to think of.”
“Damn right. Who needs a clingy hookup?”
“And, I never extend it either. Once we’ve both taken our pleasure and had a little conversation, I’m good to go. Not last night. Even at 4 o’clock in the morning, it was hard to walk away from her.”
“What kind of voodoo witchcraft spell has this woman put on my big brother?”
Beckett’s comment catches me off guard.
“Only you would ask a question like that,” I laugh. “On second thoughts, Jace would ask the same crazy question.”
“It’s only fair. She sounds too good to be true. Speaking of the devil, Jace is going to drill right through you when he finds out.”
“This conversation is between you and me.”
“Got it.”
“Thanks. I don’t know where things are going to go with Everly. I don’t need Jace breathing down my neck or breaking my balls.”
“You’re right. He’d be all over you.”
“I wouldn’t be able to get the guy to shut up.”
Beckett laughs.
“So Everly doesn’t mind you’re a single dad?”
It’s a legitimate question. Jagger and I might not put ourselves out there, but Jace does. You’d be surprised how quickly a child becomes a deal breaker for some women.
“We haven’t talked about Naomi much. I usually keep that part of my life guarded. A casual hookup doesn’t need to know that much about me, but my daughter is the reason why I met the cheeky baker.”
“I can’t wait to meet this woman when I’m back in LA.”
“Who says I want you to meet her?” I tease.
“Fucker.”
There’s a long stretch of silence between us before my brother speaks again. “There hasn’t been a woman in your life or in Na––”
“Don’t go there,” I warn.
CHAPTER 18
Everly
“Thanks for being such a great cousin,” I say as I let Ainsley in.
“It’s my way of saying thank you for asking me to be your plus one last night,” she says, walking by me.
“Let me help,” I say, following her.
“I got this,” she throws over her shoulder. “Mother of God, that enormous bouquet looks phenomenal. It’s far more spectacular than the photos you sent me.”
“I know, it’s pretty fabulous,” I blush.
There’s no way I was going to leave Holt’s gift at the shop. The crystal vase is so heavy, I had to ask Callum to bring it up to my apartment. The gorgeous white flowers against my neutral palette work like a charm.
“At least he didn’t dash off and forget all about you,” she quips.
“He’s a perfect gentleman.” And a fucking insane lover. There I go blushing again.
“Looks like you raided Trader Joe's,” I say, taking stock of the number of bags weighing her down.
“I figured you’d be starving by now,” she drops the bags on the counter.
“You’re a savior. I had my head deep inside my refrigerator when you texted. It was a sad sight. My freezer isn’t much better. It’s been so busy this week, grocery shopping kind of fell off the radar. I dreaded the idea of having to go out to do grocery shopping at this late time. Takeout was my only recourse, but your idea is far better. And a whole lot more delicious,” I grin.
“It sounds like you had an interminable day. All good, but still, excessively long.”
Ainsley is right.
“Callum held the fort until I got here, but the second I slipped the apron over my head, it was balls to the wall––”
Ainsley lets out a loud laugh. “That expression always reminds me of Dad,” she says.
“Where do you think I stole it from?”
It’s my turn to laugh.
“Other than a short break for lunch, it’s been nonstop. I’m not complaining. It’s just a lot in one day. We’ve had an insane number of special orders for the next few weeks. Between the walk-ins and phone––that was ringing off the hook––we ended up closing at nine.”
Since Callum had a date, he had to escape early, leaving me to close the shop.
“What do you expect when you make the best donuts in the city?” she winks.
I love her so much for saying that.
I still can’t believe all the stars and celebrities who were able to sample my donuts last night. Unbelievable.
“Well, they are pretty darn good,” I say with a tinge of cocksureness. “You drove all the way out to Belloni’s?” I ask when I spot the name of one of my favorite restaurants.
“Belloni’s is untouchable… just like you.”
I can’t help my grin.
“Is there any other way to end an epic day than with a sumptuous meal?” Ainsley says.
“Thanks,” I say.
Belloni’s is one of the best Italian restaurants in LA, but they don’t deliver and you won’t find them on any food delivery services’ website. You want their food? You have to show up.
“Holy shit, how much food did you buy?” I yelp, rummaging through the bags. “There’s enough here to feed a Caribbean island and still have some leftovers for San Diego.” I laugh.
“Something tells me the rest of your week is going to be as crazy-busy. Why not stock-up? One less thing to worry about,” she says with a shoulder shrug.
“You know what, I think you’re absolutely right,” I say, opening a container. “This is going to hit the spot nicely.”
“I got you a whole roasted chicken, house-made pork sausages and the best meatballs in LA for your freezer. For tonight, I bought us a salami calabrese and a gorgonzola pizza. I couldn’t choose. Oh yeah, I asked them to throw a salad in there. Daily vegetables and all. And for dessert, I got ricotta cannoli.”
“Half a dozen of them?” I ask when I open the box.
“As if we’re ever able to stop at only one?”
I laugh. “Good point.”
“You’ll have some for tomorrow. And I got you some tiramisu.”
“You do remember I own a bakery shop?”
“A girl can’t live off of donuts alone.”
“I beg to differ,” I wink.
We both laugh.
For the next few minutes, it’s all about the food. The beautiful smell of garlic filling my kitchen has my mouth watering and my stomach growling. While my cousin focuses on artfully displaying the Southern Italian spread on my small kitchen table, I focus on the bottle of Italian red Ainsley brought with her. Once everything is ready, we dig in. I didn’t realize how famished I was until the first bite of pizza. Three slices later, I’m stuffed.
“That was ridiculous,” I say, leaning against my seat and rubbing my protruding stomach.
“I’d drive to another state if I had to for that food,” Ainsley jokes.
“I fully support that!”
We sit in silence enjoying our wine.
“Soooooo.” My cousin’s eyes twinkle with mischief.