Page 68 of Only Ever You

It wasn’t a surprise that Maya whined when she had chocolate on the edge of her mouth and a few sprinkles in her hair. They’d tried to ration the taste testing of their decorating ingredients but it hadn’t entirely gone to plan.

“Hello!” Matt’s voice rang through the house, bookended by the open and close of the front door.

“They must be back from the pub,” Faye said. The girls ran out of the kitchen covered in half of what they’d made, which left just her and Bash.

Guests would begin to arrive in three hours, and if Faye’d learned anything about Michèle, it was that she was going to prepare a banquet feast.

“I need to tidy everything up.” The island was a mess of icing, chocolate and sweets, so she began scooping up empty piping bags and paper plates.

“Hey, Faye?”

“Yeah?” Damn Bash for designing this kitchen with white marble countertops, because a streak of chocolate that had set solid didn’t want to come off – she’d need to wipe everything down.

Faye half listened as he asked, “Why did the doughnut go to the dentist?”

“What—?”

“To get a filling.” Bash burst into wheezy laughter at his own joke, eyes screwing shut as he leant back.

“Ha ha,” Faye lamented drolly. “Do you really think I haven’t heard all of them before?” She didn’t give him time to answer. He was still wheezing. “Could you help me, please?”

“Have you ever heard of French doughnuts?”

She raised her eyes to the ceiling. “Oh someone help me.”

“They’re thebeignetof my existence.” More wheezing. Was he crying?

Faye propped her hand on her hip. “How long have you been holding that one in?”

“About two hours.” Bash wiped a finger under his teary eye. “I didn’t think either of the girls would get it.”

“You should be proud.”

“Ugh. Yeah. By the way—” Coming down from his high, he moved to her side. “You have icing on your cheek.”

“Oh, do I?” She tried to blindly rub the back of her hand against her jaw but?—

“Here, let me,” Bash interrupted.

Heat rose up Faye’s neck, all the way to where his thumb swiped her cheek. She inhaled with the upward spread of a fluttery sensation through her chest which she definitelyshouldn’thave felt because of him.

Her heart leapt eleven years into their past to the first minute when they’d met. She could see nineteen-year-old Bash as he was then – the youthful mischief in his eyes, the smudge of charcoal on his shirt as he touched her just like he did just then. She watched his thumb press between his lips and his cheeks hollow as he sucked the icing off.

“Thanks,” Faye somehow managed to say around all of those feelings which had come rushing back, really,reallywanting to tip up on her toes and?—

Bash turned away and picked up a couple of bowls to be washed, glancing at the doughnuts. “These all look incredible.”

“I hope no one asks what I do for a living, tonight.” The taunt in Faye’s voice was thin, but there.

“If the girls made them, then everyone will love them,” he said, running the hot water for the sink. “That’s more endearing than perfection.”

Faye looked at him over her shoulder from where she peeled the metal nozzles out of the various piping bags, getting icing all over her fingers. “That’s a really nice way of saying it’s the effort that counts.”

“As I said, they’re endearing.” Bash tossed her a smile. “You didn’t have to do all of this, Peanut. Thank you.”

“I did it for Michèle. She was going to blow a fuse in here yesterday when we found your uncle.”

Bash was by her side in a second and lifted his arm around her shoulder, jostling her and pulling her closer. “You absolutely smashed it.”