Page 10 of Brazen Mistakes

I force a smile. “It’s just a day. Nothing special. I was on my way to reheat some of the food Walker left. It was a complete feast last night. You should have been here.”

The image bounces as Jansen hops into an unfamiliar twin bed. “Were there cookies?”

“Three kinds.”

“Three kinds! I didn’t even know Walker made more than his magnificent chocolate chip cookies, which are blessed by angels. Were the others any good?”

Jansen’s grin is infectious, and my smile feels easier on my face than before. I pull out some leftover roast duck. Before yesterday, I’d never eaten duck. But I will be eating more in the future. That shit was delicious. “Of course. He made these ginger snaps that were just the right amount of crunchy and then something called a Yakgwa. Those ones were covered in honey, and you don’t even bake them. You fry them. And they took two days.”

“Sounds amazing. Are there any left?”

I debate heating the duck, but I know I’ll ruin it somehow, so I pile some cold meat on a plate. “There are. For now.”

Jansen tsks, his eyes bright. “If you eat them all, I’m going to be very disappointed.”

“How disappointed?”

He pretends to think. “Disappointed enough that I’ll chase you through the house, catch you, and do raspberries on your belly until you’re laughing so hard you can’t move. Then, while you’re weak with giddy pleasure from my epic moves, I’ll carry you to my room and have my wicked way with you.”

My laughter is so genuine it surprises me. “That’s quite the plan.”

“I’m a master planner, beautiful. I’ve been hiding my strategic brain from you for months.”

“And now, in a fit of rage over the possibility of lost cookies, you’ve revealed all your secrets?”

“Ugh! You caught me! My master plan is foiled!”

I giggle, and Jansen leans forward, pressing his lips to the camera. “I love to see you laugh, beautiful. I’ve missed it.”

“You haven’t even been gone a week,” I say.

He shifts his back against the bed frame, the phone finally far enough from his face for me to see more than bits and pieces of him. “It’s still long enough to miss your laugh.”

I dig a fork out of the drawer. “I’ve missed you too.”

“At least somebody has. I’m pretty sure Jerry is about ready to kick me out into the snow.”

“I thought you and your stepdad got along great?”

“Usually, we do. But Evie’s been on a self-improvement kick and talked me into joining her. Apparently, my attempts at containing my chaos via her new methods are worse than my usual uncontained chaos.” Jansen’s eyes glint. “Oh! And Evie and I stole the smart TV converter from the living room to get everyone to play board games last night. We’re holding it hostage until after Christmas. Jerry’s not happy missing the games, and blames me personally for the slight.”

I laugh. “I hope I can meet Evie sometime.”

“She’s coming down over break. She has a show in Minneapolis.”

“A show?”

“Yeah, she’s the lead singer in a bluegrass band. She’s fantastic. Do you want to come with me?”

Bluegrass? That’s like country, right? Emma would probably love it, considering her infatuation with the band Ramblin' Moxie right now. “I’ll give it a go.”

“You and me, beautiful, we’re gonna take on the town.”

I think back to RJ’s careful invite earlier. “I’m a lucky girl. Two date offers in one day.”

“Ooo. Who’s the lucky guy? Don’t tell me, did Trips finally get his head out of his ass?”

“No. He’s, well, he’s the same. RJ asked me out.”

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