Page 69 of Clap Back (Carter Brothers)

Absolutely not. I don’t want to see Scott or Chief Austin.

I just shook my head.

Me:

I don’t know that I’m going to go either. Would it be the expected thing to do? Yes. Do I care at this point? Absolutely not.

Dorsey:

Good. It’s time we take care of ourselves. Guess Mom was right. Time to get my own phone plan.

I choked on my own spit.

Me:

Night, Dorse. Love you.

Dorsey:

Love you, too. Also, just sayin’, but it’s seventy degrees here right now.

I choked.

Me:

What?!

That bitch.

It was a hundred damn degrees, and it was damn twelve-thirty in the morning.

After signing off with Dorsey, I texted Athena to see if she was awake, but she didn’t answer.

Which left me to my own thoughts about the man who was sleeping just feet away.

The man who made me burn and had been doing it since I’d met him the first time he came into my bakery.

I got up and started pacing. After the fourth down and back, I decided to brave the kitchen.

The only thing that would make this better was if I had either the man himself, or a Danish.

Since the man wasn’t a possibility right now, I chose to take the Danish.

Opening my door as quietly as possible, I snuck down the hall to the kitchen, once again admiring the house.

Auden had landed somewhere between rustic farmhouse and simply modern.

The kitchen was bright and airy, had top-of-the-line appliances, but also boasted the best farmhouse sink I’d ever seen, a great big butcher block island in the center of the room that would be perfect to bake on, and a roof line that was glorious.

The ceiling was a clear, sealed pine, and the walls were simply white.

The countertops that lined the back counters of the kitchen were white quartz with gray accents.

The floor was a rustic dark wood that felt like it was tile, and…

“Hey,” Auden said.

I gasped, surprised to find him sitting at the island counter munching on my cheese Danish.

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