Page 27 of An Unexpected Match
“Guess I better go explain. Here, Aunt Love, can you take Avery?”
Arden dusted as much flour from her as she could and then headed out to the front of the house, looking for Brendan.
“He stood in the living room, near the front window, staring out over the pristine front yard. Hearing her, he turned to look at her, his expression unreadable.
Arden plunged into speech.
“I hope you don’t mind me inviting my aunts to visit. They miss baking, not having a kitchen anymore. And the girls love it. They took to it like a duck to water. We’ll have the kitchen spotless by dinnertime. Anyway, I thought you’d be at work all day.”
“While the cat’s away?” he asked.
“No, of course not. We’ve had this planned for a few days. You are welcome to join us, but I think Aunt Love is right. You need to change first. We’re not exactly the neatest cooking crew in the world.”
Brendan’s gaze ran over her, and Arden felt that quickening sense of awareness. She wished she wasn’t covered in flour. Wished she had put on makeup and an outfit that would show off her figure to advantage.
Not that it seemed to matter.
“Brendan?”
She met his gaze, hoping the confusion she felt didn’t show.
“Come and bake cookies with your daughters. They’d find that a treat. And you can meet my aunts.”
He hesitated, then nodded.
“I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
The glimmer of a smile showed.
“If I’m going to end up looking like you, I need to change into my oldest clothes. Do you try to wash them when you’re done, or would all the flour clog the washing machine?”
She laughed.
“We’ll brush everything off and run around outside before we change. That’ll take care of the worst of it. You’ll love watching Hailey and Avery during their cooking attempts. They insist on tasting the batter at every turn, each wants to do more than they know how yet, and neither one can measure ingredients worth a darn. But they love it. And it’s good for my aunts, too.”
He stepped close enough to reach out and raise her chin with the edge of his hand.
“And you, doesn’t it make extra work for you?”
“A little. But it’s worth it. Days like this will make special memories. Childhood should be full of special memories, don’t you think?”
He was silent for a moment, dropping his hand and turning toward the stairs.
“You don’t want to know what I’m thinking right now, Arden.”
She watched until he was out of sight, hoping the pounding in her chest would slow down. Hoping the color wasn’t as high in her face as she suspected it might be. She didn’t want to give rise to speculation by her aunts.
Brushing her jaw with unsteady fingertips, she shivered. The heat spiraling through her from his touch was exciting. And scary.
She had her life mapped out, and it didn’t include getting sidetracked into a dead-end relationship. She knew her limits, and daydreaming about her employer was dangerous. Exciting, but perilous to her peace of mind and her future.
Ruefully thinking she was too late to chastise herself, she returned to the kitchen. Keyed up, she could hardly wait until Brendan joined them.
“Everything all right?” Eugenia asked, looking at her shrewdly.
“Sure. Brendan’s changing, then will join us. Won’t that be fun, girls? Daddy will help.”
“Goody.” Hailey said, dipping a finger into the batter and dripping on the counter as she tried to transfer it to her mouth.
