Page 106 of House of Desire

I nod, standing up, reaching out my hand to pull her to her feet.

“Should we go eat some pizza?” I ask.

“Hell, yeah,” she says, and we walk back in the house hand in hand.

Mom works the front of the bakery today while Liam is at school and Dad is at a doctor’s appointment. I sit in the back, trying to do all the planning necessary for Ryan Jade’s party. Earlier in the week she stopped by to do a tasting, something I normally only offer for weddings, but considering the size of the party, I was happy to do it for her. My tablet includes all of my notes and various reference pictures I’ll need for the day.

One of the buttercream shapes is new to me so I pull out my phone, trying to find a video that shows the technique so I can practice. I go to click on the video I found, but an unknown number pops up on my phone.

“Hello,” I say, tentatively.

“Anya? It’s Courtney, Charlie Price’s, well I guess King now, best friend?”

“Courtney, yes! Hi. How are you?” I ask.

“I’m good, thanks. I’m actually calling for a favor, or really, offering a favor.”

“A favor for me?” I stand up and begin pacing around my kitchen, a habit I’ve had since the first time a boy called my house to ask me out.

“Parker was at dinner at Charlie’s house this past Friday, we missed you by the way, and he mentioned you had a big job coming up and you’d be looking for help?”

A small smile escapes. The fact he remembered our conversation touches me.

“Oh! Yes, oh my gosh, thank you for calling. I definitely could use some help. It’s for next weekend and I am a bit overwhelmed to say the least.”

“Awesome! Well, I need to finish settling my family into our new house and get my son enrolled in school. Do you think I could start with you on Monday or is that too late?”

“No, that’ll be fine. It gives me time to finalize some designs and choices, and then we can hit the ground running on Monday.”

“Sounds great. Thank you, for this. I’ve always wanted to work in a bakery. I figured this move would be the perfect opportunity,” she says.

“Really, you’re saving me. We’ll discuss your pay and everything when you get here.”

“Works for me. I’ll see you on Monday, bright and early.”

“See you then,” I say, hanging up the call.

I stop pacing for a moment, a warm feeling creeping up. I pull up my texts and find the thread with Parker, tapping into it. It has been so hard not calling and texting him every second of the day, but I know he has a lot to work through with Brittany showing up. I can only imagine how hard that must have been for him and no matter how much I want him, he needs this time. Hopefully, getting the closure he’s needed will only help us. If there’s still going to be an us after all is said and done.

Anya: Hi, Parker. Just got off the phone with Courtney. Thanks for telling her I needed help. Would you like to come over on Sunday, after Dom’s game? I could cook us dinner and we could talk.

I hit send, nerves running rampant through my body. Reaching back to tuck my phone in my pocket, before I can even put it away, it vibrates.

Parker: Thank God. I’ve missed you. I’ll be there.

A small smile lights my face and I move around my day feeling lighter.

Lorelei and I walk in through the entrance designated for guests of the players. I decided to keep my outfit simple today and am wearing a t-shirt with our last name on the back and Dom’s number and some plain jeans and tennis shoes.

“Do you think this outfit is too much? I was a little worried about it, but I wanted to try something different,” Lorelei asks, spinning for me while we wait in line for security.

Her hair is streaked red today, paired with a mini skirt, thigh-high boots, and a strategically ripped up shirt. She looks much more like the other wives in this outfit.

“I think you look great. Your feet are going to die in those boots, though.”

“No, didn’t Dom tell you? Sasha invited us to sit in her suite today.”

“And?” I ask.

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