Page 38 of Best Friends for Never

“Rise and shine, bub! Your ceremony starts in an hour!”

I groan, rolling over toward the door. “Five more minutes!”

Gran laughs, probably feeling the same as I am—like I’m back in my teen years, and she’s waking me up for school or something I really don’t want to do during summer break. “Not a chance. Get up, or I’ll come in there and drag you out of bed myself. I’m making pancakes.”

Thathas me feeling more awake instantly. I sit up, letting mySpider-Manprinted sheets fall away. I thought Gran would have changed them to something else by now, but she hasn’t. My entire room looks the same as it did when I left. It’s completely ridiculous, though I can’t help but appreciate it a little. My room was always my sanctuary, and she never came in without my permission, always preaching boundaries. To know she kept that up all these years ... Well, it’s just fuckin’ sweet.

I pull myself out of bed with less reluctance than I’d have if no pancakes were on the way and shuffle to my adjoining bathroom, something I was very grateful for during my teen years here.

I take a quick shower, then dress in simple gray dress slacks and a button-down shirt, folding my suit jacket over my arm for later.

My stomach growls the second I pull my door open.

“Bacon!” I call out. “You made me bacon too? I knew you loved me!”

“And if you don’t get in here, I’ll eat every last piece.”

I grin, scratching at the hair still dotting my face as I round the corner into the kitchen. “You wouldn’t dare, Gran. I know you well enough to guess you made a pound, and your scrawny ass couldn’t eat that if you tried.”

She narrows her eyes in my direction from her spot at the table. “Can too.”

I hang my jacket over my chair with a chuckle and head for the coffeepot. Caffeine is a must if I’m going to make it through this ceremony.

But the second I take a sip, I regret it. My grandmother can make almost anything I request, but coffee is not her forte. How she manages to mess it up every time is beyond me.

“Stop making that face, you little shit. I worked hard on that coffee.”

“You shouldn’t have to work hard on coffee,” I counter. “It just happens or doesn’t.”

“Well, we can’t all be coffee wizards like Astrid.”

“She’s not a wizard. She just understands there shouldn’t be grounds in your coffee.”

Gran shrugs. “We all have our strengths and weaknesses. My weakness is coffee. My strength is cooking. So sit your ass down and eat these pancakes I made specially for you.” She points at the chair across from her.

I laugh, abandoning my coffee in the sink and parking my ass in the chair as instructed.

I load my perfectly fluffy pancakes with butter, douse them in syrup, and then shove a bigger-than-appropriate bite into my mouth.

A moan leaves me involuntarily, causing my grandmother to snicker, a proud smile curving at her lips as she sips her grainy coffee like it’s not the most horrid thing in the world.

I’m too impressed by these pancakes to razz her about it. I cram another bite into my mouth.

Man, if my personal trainer could see me now, shoveling this sugar pile into my body, he’d kill me. Maybe not literally, but I’d definitely be doing burpees for hours.

I finish my stack of five flapjacks and a good portion of the bacon before I finally tap out.

“I’m done,” I say, tossing my napkin to the table. “I can’t. No more.”

“Aw, you sure, bub? I made another loaf of banana bread ...” Her smile may seem innocent, but she looks like the devil in a poorly made disguise right now.

I glare at her. “You’re evil, you know that?”

She lifts her dainty shoulder. “You love me, and you know it.”

“More than you know, Gran. More than you know.” I pat my stomach. “Fine. Justoneslice of bread, but then that’s it. I have to get going for the ceremony.”

“Ah, right. Don’t want to be late for your big day. Here,” she says, rising from the table. She cuts a quick slice from the freshly baked bread she must have made while I was sleeping and slides it onto a plate. She sets it down in front of me. “You eat this, and I’ll finish getting ready.”

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