Page 54 of Accidentally Checked By My Brother's Best Friend

“Thank you, Scarlett. You definitely need to wear pink more often,” Ava directs at me, a playful glint in her eyes. “I think your teammates would get a kick out of it.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I roll my eyes at her, looking over at Scarlett. Throwing a thumb over my shoulder, I ask, “Do you want to tell your aunt who the real boss is?”

Scarlett turns to Ava, a grin splitting her face, hands on her hips. Ava covers her mouth and giggles when she reads. ‘While I have this apron on,Iamthe boss. Any questions?’

“Aunt Ava, look at yours!” Scarlett giggles and covers her mouth.

Letting the apron hang in front of her, she laughs, reading the message. When she slides the ‘It was me. I let the dogs out.’ apron over her head; it’s to me and Scarlett singing. “Who, who, who, who, who?”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Ava

Thelastfewhoursbaking with Scarlett and Duncan have been the most fun I’ve had in…I don’t remember how long. I’m walking on sunshine.

The best part of it all was having Duncan as a teacher. He was patient and kind while guiding me through every step. Sliding the tray with the dog treats I made in the oven was one of the most satisfying experiences. And in two minutes, we’ll see the final results.

The worst part of today was being so close to Duncan without touching him. It’s the greatest form of torture I have ever known. An innocent graze or a touch of the hand to help me with the right pressure for rolling out the dough left every part of my body pinging with energy.

I can’t help but wonder if he could hear my heart every time it jumped around my body like a jackhammer.

I lean on the island and watch Duncan clear the space to make room for the cooling racks. When he places the last rack on the island, he glances at me and gives me a crooked smile, causing my heart to leap into my throat.

Blowing out a slow breath, I ask the question that’s been on my mind this entire time. “What do you want to do after you’re finished playing hockey?”

“Finished with hockey?” Duncan asks, surprised.

“Yeah.” Giving myself permission, I let my gaze linger on his strong jaw. When I shift my gaze to his, the heat I find staring back at me makes my stomach swoop. I swallow hard before finishing. “Do you ever think of what you’ll do after you’re done playing?”

“He’s going to open a bakery where he bakes dog treats,” Scarlett answers and points at his apron. “‘Time To Make The Donuts’. Right, Uncle Dunky?”

My eyebrows shoot up, and I look back at Duncan. He pulls at his collar and works hard to make himself look busy.

“Is that right?” Unable to hide the surprise in my voice, I smile at him. “That’s kind of cool, actually. Of course, I’ll decide whether or not I think it’s a smart idea after I see if the dogs enjoy them on Saturday.”

Duncan’s gaze snaps to mine, and a shy expression lights his eyes. It still amazes me that the man in front of me, the one that everyone and anyone would think twice about messing with, is such a mush. A warmth of emotion fills me, and my heart expands.

“The dogs go crazy for them.” Scarlett claps her hands. “They get all excited and jump when we go into the kennel area. Wait until you meet Ryder; he gets so excited and does a ‘wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo.’”

“Ryder was adopted, Scarlett,” Duncan says gently. “I’m not sure he’ll be there Saturday.”

Scarlett’s face falls before she gives us a forced smile. “I’m glad that he found a home; I just wish I could’ve said goodbye.”

Slipping my arm around Scarlett, I pull her close and kiss her on the top of her head. A beeping noise intrudes, and my niece jumps up and claps her hands again.

Duncan puts on a pair of oven mitts resting on the counter and pulls down the oven door to reach in and grab the trays of treats. Moving closer to Duncan, I try to squeeze around him to see the finished product.

“Here,” Duncan says, placing the treats on the island; he lifts his arm so I can fill the space between him and the counter. Warmth from him surrounds me, but this time I focus on the biscuits we made.

The dog bones, fire hydrants, and paw prints look amazing. My cheeks lift, and I feel a smile stretch across my face, a sense of pride filling me. “These came out so great!”

“We still have to put on the icing,” Scarlett says, heading over to the refrigerator and pulling out a bowl with white icing.

My eyes widen, and somehow, my smile expands.

“We take our baking very seriously.” Duncan pins me with his gaze, his lip lifted at the corner. “Right, Scarlett?”

“Yup!” She sticks her finger in the icing and brings it to her mouth. “Yum!”

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