A grin split Charlie’s face as he bobbed his head. “Mac and cheese is me and Drew’s favorite.” A little of the smile slipped. “I don’t know about salad. I don’t always like that.”
My lips twitched. What kid enjoyed greens? “Well, you can try it and tell me what you think. Maybe you can help me with the recipe.”
Charlie brightened at that. “Really?”
“I could use a sous chef.”
His face scrunched. “What’s a soush chef?”
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. He was too adorable. “It’s a second-in-command.”
Charlie’s doubt slipped away at that. “I wanna help with the recipe! I don’t like olives or peppers. Or broccoli or spinach. Or—”
“How do you feel about corn, onion, cucumbers, tomatoes, and avocado?” I asked, thinking it might be simpler this way.
He paused for a moment. “I don’t know about cucumbers…”
“That’s fair. Why don’t you try one bite, and then you can tell me whether they make the cut or not.”
Charlie nodded, sliding off his stool. “Sure. I’m a real good taste tester. I gotta get my chef’s hat first, though.”
He was running down the hall before I could ask how—and why—he had a chef’s hat.
I moved to the sink, rinsing the cucumber with some veggie wash before placing it on the cutting board. As I began dicing it, I heard a door slam down the hall. I expected Charlie, but Luke entered the living area.
“Do you need anything?” I asked.
I’d made Charlie a snack when we got home, but Luke had gone straight to his room. Now, he ignored my question and crossed to the fridge. He grabbed a soda and then turned, entering my space as he bent to pull a bag of chips out of the drawer next to me.
I focused intently on my chopping and breathing. The quicker Luke knew he wouldn’t get a rise out of me, the better.
Luke paused, hovering near me. “Jesus. Did you do that to yourself? Did Dad hire some sick freak cutter or something?”
I stilled, my knife halfway through the cucumber. So stupid. I hadn’t thought. I was so used to being around Emerson and Adrian, and they knew all about my scars. I’d pushed my sleeves up to wash the cucumber and hadn’t pulled them back down.
My heart hammered in my chest. Memories slammed against the walls I rebuilt on a daily basis. I swallowed the bile surging up my throat and looked up at Luke. “No. I didn’t do this to myself. But if I had, it would mean I was hurting. And needed help. I doubt your response would’ve inspired me to seek that help.”
Luke’s mouth snapped shut, and his cheeks flushed.
My goal hadn’t been to embarrass him. It had been to make him pause and think. To remember that his words and actions had consequences.
I gentled my tone. “Everyone has a battle, an inner war they hide from the world. It’s good to remember that.”
Luke’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. He didn’t say anything, simply turned on his heel and stalked away. But he left the bag of chips on the counter when he fled.
12
LAWSON
Each leg feltas if it weighed a ton as I trudged up the steps to my house. I’d sworn the day would never end. A mountain of paperwork. A town council meeting. Reed and Clint getting into it about something that didn’t matter at the station and me having to soothe egos. Nash demanding that he wanted to meet thenew, mysterious nanny. And a call from Luke’s English teacher telling me he had failed to turn in the paper that was due today.
All I wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for a week. No, a month. A month might actually catch me up on what I’d been missing.
I slipped my key into the deadbolt and turned it. Opening the door, I stilled. Charlie’s and Drew’s voices came from the kitchen, and warmth blasted me. They were laughing as they debated who would win in a fight, a great white shark or a grizzly.
But it wasn’t their laughter that knocked me sideways; it was my house. The living room hadn’t been this clean since the place was built. Toys, books, and games had been put away. Blankets were folded on the backs of the sectional. The pillows were even fluffed, with that little karate chop thing you only saw in furniture showrooms.
When I stepped inside and closed the door behind me, the smell hit me. Chicken. And maybe bacon? Something else I couldn’t identify, but it smelled damned amazing.
