Page 61 of Cupcake of the Month
Josh listened with half an ear as he mixed and measured, while Jordan told Wendy about the request for paperwork. The melody of her voice provided a sweet song for his morning.
Like her gasps of passion last night had provided him with a symphony that would remain in his memory for a lifetime.
He reached for the bacon grease, forgetting for half a second that Jordan was kosher. He used the butter again, then cracked a couple of eggs and fried them up quick. He put them in front of her as Brandi came downstairs.
“Let’s get this staff meeting started.” Wendy swiped her tablet.
Josh bagged the bacon, tossing some and a leftover waffle in a separate container for Zach. He put it in the fridge and took out the beef and vegetables.
“Any leftover bacon?” Jordan stood next to him, holding out a plate.
What was that? He turned to her, carrots dangling from one hand. “Bacon? But you—”
“I was being petty and stupid, and I’ve missed having bacon going on three weeks.” She nudged him with the plate. “Give it here before I go out and raid a pig farm.”
He took the bag out of the fridge and held it out of reach. “So you don’t…”
“Keep kosher. No. Punish me later. Bacon now.”
He hardened at her choice of words, nearly breaking a plate getting some warmed and ready.
She took a bite, letting a low moan loose in her throat. Her face was pure bliss, like it was last night after she’d come.
“Uh…” Brandi raised an eyebrow at her friend. “Should we leave you alone with your meat?”
Jordan waved the slice in the air. “No, I’m good. Carry on.”
“Ooookay.” Wendy went back to her tablet, her finger marking her place. “We have interviews lined up after the anniversary lunch for the special events coordinator. Four applicants passed the initial screening.”
Josh half-listened to the meeting and chopped, keeping Jordan in his peripheral vision as he worked. Wendy told him anything unusual he needed to know about, so he didn’t have to give it his full attention.
“I’m heading back to Connecticut to deal with the contents of the paperwork,” Jordan said. “I was able to get a late flight out of Atlanta.”
Josh snuck a glance over his shoulder and met Jordan’s eyes.
She gave him a quick shrug before turning back to Wendy. “Yom Kippur is in a couple of days, so I’ll be back here after that.”
“Oh, man.” Brandi put her hand on top of Jordan’s. “Good luck with everything.”
“Thanks. Oh, and Josh?”
He turned to her, pushing the celery into a pile on the cutting board.
Her eyes grew wide and her expression was perfectly neutral. “I think I saw your keys next to the microwave this morning.”
“Okay, yeah.” She had tossed him his keys that morning,watching as he put them in his backpack. “Thanks. I should be done here in a little over an hour.”
“See you then.” She headed out the door with an extra sway added to her hips.
Wendy tapped her pencil on the island. “You good? Can I help?”
He took stock of the stew meat and vegetables, bread, and the time. “I’ve got it. And I mean it.”
She nodded on her way out. “Call the house phone if you need me.”
After the crescendo of the night and the frenzy preparing breakfast, the silence surrounding him was restful. He went through his remaining tasks, mulling over Jordan’s not-so-subtle hint of going back to the stables when he was done. He told Zach he’d be home before lunch. Not that Zach had cared. Josh didn’t want his brother to ever think he was alone and abandoned.
An hour later, the dough was ready to go and Josh kneaded it, over and over, until he was satisfied. He put it in the oven and let Wendy know when to take it out, then cleaned up, grabbed Zach’s waffle, and headed to the stables.
