“Almost ready,” I said.
Along with the petit fours, we’d made pumpkin spice macarons and snickerdoodle cookies. Miles helped me sort the desserts on a platter, and then I filled cups with freshly brewed coffee. Rose organized them onto trays, along with dainty spoons and decorative dishes containing sugar and cream. The serving staff grabbed the dessert platter and the cake and left the kitchen.
Our job was done. After hours of going back and forth between the hot ovens and working like mad, exhaustion caught up to me.
“Whew.” I plopped down in a chair, wiping at my brow. “I think we deserve a treat too after all that.”
“Yes. We did well.” Miles offered me his fist.
I grinned and bumped it.
As we munched on leftover cookies and macarons, I glanced toward the large window. It was dark outside now. Had my men eaten dinner yet? Knowing Rowan, he’d probably just drank rum and ate the rest of the garlic bread I’d made the previous day. Hopefully, Lake forced him to eat a more substantial meal.
“Pardon the intrusion,” an oddly familiar voice said from behind us. “May I join you for a moment?”
When I turned around, my jaw smacked against the floor. “Kuya?”
“Good evening.” He tipped his head. My cat boy bestie wore a suave burgundy suit, and his reddish brown hair had been combed and styled, not a strand out of place.
Posture perfect and wearing shoes he wasn’t trying to kick off, I barely recognized him. Even stranger? He’d referred to himself as “I” instead of in third person.
“Who are you and what have you done with my Kuya?”
Then, just as I was convincing myself it was a case of the body snatchers, the edge of Kuya’s mouth hitched up and his rainbow eyes sparkled. He leapt toward me, his long tail swishing in the air behind him. “Kuya looks fancy, right? He sounds fancy too.”
“Oh thank god. You’re back to normal.”
“Kuya missed his Evan!” He pounced on me, nearly knocking me out of my chair.
“I missed you too,” I said, still baffled by his appearance. “Mind explaining what’s going on here?”
“Fancy classes.” He snatched one of the macarons and shoved the whole thing into his mouth.
“Ah, your etiquette lessons,” I said, remembering.
“Kuya was tortured for so long, but he can now attend dinners with his prince.” He put his mouth at my ear and whispered, “Kuya fooled that mean old man and made him believe Kuya was fancy, but he’s not. Guard Kuya’s secret.”
“I will,” I said with a laugh.
“You look handsome,” Miles told him. “That color suits you.”
“Kuya likes it too.” He smiled down at it. “Prince Sawyer chose it for Kuya.”
“Did you enjoy dinner?” I asked.
“Oh, yes. Food was yummy. Not as yummy as Evan’s treats though. Kuya loved the fancy little cakes.” His face fell. “She liked Evan’s treats too.”
“She? Do you mean Lady Alina?”
He hissed. “Kuya wants to bite her.”
Movement from the doorway caught my eye. Sir Noah entered the kitchen, looking elegant in a decorative uniform and with his black hair combed back.
“Evening,” I greeted him.
He nodded to me. “A pleasure to see you again.”
“Want a cookie?” I motioned to the plate.
