Page 34 of Asher's Assignment
“Three twenty-five,” she answered.
She heard the beeps as he set the oven to preheat.
“So, what kind are you making?” He came closer to stand beside her.
“Chocolate. Leah loves M&M’s, so I thought I’d make a chocolate cake and decorate it with the candy.”
“That’s cute. And her parents didn’t object? Or didn’t you ask?”
“I asked. Rob actually didn’t have a problem with it. He seemed more surprised than anything. He just told me that she’d like that, then thanked me.” That part had surprised her. She hadn’t expected him to say yes, let alone thank her for doing it.
“Well, I’m glad he didn’t give you any grief. He might not be Leah’s biological father, but it sounds like he cares.”
Esther agreed. The man was gruff and gave her the creeps, but he was kind to Leah. He put up with all the craziness of her life without much of a fuss. “He does, yes.”
“So, what do you want me to do?”
“Hand me the pans you prepped.”
He picked them up and set them next to her. She detached the mixing bowl from the stand and split the batter between the pans. After tapping them lightly on the counter to get the air bubbles out, she rounded the island and put them in the oven. With a few quick taps, she set the timer, then turned around and gave Asher a wide smile. “You ready to see Edie as a cheerleader?”
“Yes. Can I take pictures to use as blackmail if I ever need it?”
Laughing, Esther led him toward the stairs. “I’d love to say yes, but I value my life. And my relationship with her.”
He chuckled, following her upstairs. “Yeah, she probably wouldn’t speak to you for a while.”
“She’s still going to be ticked I showed you. But there are just some things that aren’t meant to be hidden away. Edie as a cheerleader is one of them.” Reaching the landing, she led him into her bedroom and went into her closet. All her old photos were in a box on a shelf. Standing on her toes, she reached for it. Her fingers grazed the edge. Why did she put it up so high?
“Here. I’ll get it.” Asher stepped up behind her.
Heat from his body radiated into her back as he reached over her head for the box. Esther didn’t dare move. Any direction she went, she’d end up touching him. At this hour, her defenses were at a minimum. Self-preservation meant staying right where she was.
His hand closed around the box, and he brought it down, handing it to her as he stepped back.
She cast a quick look at him and took it. “Thanks.” On swift feet, she high-tailed it out of the closet’s confines and into the bedroom. Sitting down on the bed, she lifted the cardboard flap.
The mattress dipped as Asher sat next to her. She planted her feet so she wouldn’t slide toward him and kept her eyes down. Perhaps looking through the pictures in her room wasn’t the best idea. But they were already seated and she had the box open, so it would be a little strange for her to suddenly stand up and run away.
Doing her best to ignore the two-hundred pounds of yummy male magnetism next to her, Esther leafed through the packs of photos in the box until she found the ones from high school. It didn’t take her long to locate the ones from her junior year—Edie’s senior year. She flipped open the envelope and pulled out a set of pictures, quickly flipping through them.
“Is that homecoming? Don’t tell me she was homecoming queen too?”
“Pfft, no. Sierra Wells took that honor.” Esther rolled her eyes, then chuckled. “On the phone the other day, Edie said she wanted to bring Jordan home for a visit just so she could sit in the local coffeeshop and show him off to all the girls in high school who turned their noses up at her.”
“Even though she was a cheerleader they did that? Didn’t that automatically make her one of the ‘cool’ kids?” He air-quoted.
“To a degree, yes. But she didn’t hang out with them—at least, not all of them—outside of cheer. Edie always had her nose stuck in a book or was doing something else on her own.”
“What about you? Were you a party animal?”
“No. I went to more than Edie, but I still spent a lot of time with a few close friends and by myself.” She glanced at him. “You?”
“Actually, no. I know I’m not shy and will be the first to dance when there’s music, but I didn’t have your typical high school experience.”
“Oh? How so?”
“I graduated at sixteen. I probably could have skipped another grade, but my dad wouldn’t let me. He didn’t think I was mature enough for the older kids. Which I probably wasn’t. My first year of college was rough. I remember feeling very, very young. But once I made a few friends who were nerds like me, it wasn’t so bad. They kind of took me under their wing and kept me safe, so that was nice.”
