Page 8 of Lilly's Little Labor Day

That’s okay, Lilly thought, because I have enough excitement for the both of us. “I made chocolate chip cookies! Just for you.” She giggled.

For a moment, she saw something change inside Edward. His eyes softened. There was an almost whimsical quality to his slight grin, as if he found her cute.

“I guess that explains the flour in your hair and the dough on your lip,” he said.

She blushed, wiping her mouth. “I, uh, snuck a little bite.”

He cleared his throat as his eyes narrowed.

“What?” she said.

“Raw cookie dough? Does it have eggs in it?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Sis, we’ve been over this before. That can make you sick.”

She waved off the suggestion. “I haven’t gotten sick yet.”

He cleared his throat once more.

“What?” she pressed.

“Don’t do that again. I mean it.”

Lilly’s back stiffened. And just like that, he was throwing off major Daddy energy. Oh so much Daddy energy!

Gross! Stop thinking like that! My brother does not want to be my Daddy.

And I can’t believe I had to just utter that statement! Seriously, Lilly, get ahold of yourself!

Just as quickly as Edward had softened, his stance and gaze shifted back to the aloof, annoyed CEO.

Lilly wasn’t going to give up that easily. Their time together was just getting started. She was going to get her big bro to loosen up one way or another. She grabbed his hand and pulled. “Come on! Let’s go get a cookie.”

He left his suitcase in the entryway and allowed himself to be tugged straight back, toward the kitchen. They fell through the swinging door and were greeted by an even stronger aroma from the freshly baked cookies that sat cooling on a wire rack.

“Don’t they look yummy?” Lilly asked, sweeping her hands across them, obviously proud of her accomplishment.

“Yeah,” Edward said. “Great.”

That’s it? I worked hard on those. Why do you have to be such a sourpuss?

Lilly held that comment to herself. As stern as Edward had seemed about the cookie dough, she didn’t feel now was the right time to push him.

He might pull my shorts and panties down and spank my bottom right here in the kitchen!

An excitement swirled in Lilly’s core. She tried to fight it off, though, reminding herself once again not to mentally go down that road.

“Try one,” she said, reaching for the cookies.

She grabbed one, spun around, and tried to shove it at Edward’s mouth. But he was immobilized, standing there, his eyes wide and his jaw slack.

“What’s wrong?” she said.

She followed his line of sight, craning her neck around to see what it was that held his gaze. It didn’t take her long to realize the source of his astonishment.

Oh crap! I left Ms. Duckworth out!

---