Page 28 of Grateful Hearts

They both froze as their eyes popped open.

Thud…thud…thud.The sound continued, almost rhythm-like.

“Do you hear that?” Chantel asked.

Zach nodded as he pulled away, setting down the spatula and turning toward the direction of the sound.

Chantel quickly took over the stove and turned off the burners since everything was about done anyway.

Seconds later, it happened again.

Zach frowned. “That the hell is that?”

“It sounds like it is coming from the pantry,” Chantel told him.

Zach’s mom had a custom pantry that was a chef’s dream. It was sort of its own little room that was around the corner from the kitchen.

Zach and Chantel exchanged a glance.

“I’ll see what it is,” Zach told her.

However, Chantel didn’t want to be left out. She wanted to know what the sound was, too. She followed Zach.

As they approached the pantry door, they heard the muffled thud sound again, followed by a low moan.

Zach suddenly yanked the door open. Before Chantel could see what was behind the door, Zach’s booming laugh echoed through the entire house.

Chantel leaned around Zach’s large body to see what had him laughing so hard. Bear and Jocelyn were in the small closet-type room. Bear’s hands were tangled in Jocelyn’s hair, and Jocelyn’s leg was hitched up against a shelf that held cereal boxes.

Both of them froze like deer caught in headlights.

“Are you two seriously making out in the pantry?” Zach managed between fits of laughter.

Chantel stifled a laugh as she stood just behind Zach in the kitchen.

“We were just, uh, grabbing some flour,” Jocelyn said as she was trying to straighten out her clothes. However, her red cheeks gave away her fib.

“Flour, huh?” Zach teased, leaning against the door frame. “I’m pretty sure that’s not how you use it.”

Bear groaned, running a hand through his disheveled hair. However, he didn’t look nearly as embarrassed as he should have been.

“It’s six-thirty in the morning,” Zach said, his voice a mix of disbelief and exasperation. He crossed his arms, his eyes glinting with amusement.

Bear shrugged, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. “We were being romantic.”

“Romantic?” Zach repeated, incredulous. “In a pantry?”

Chantel was biting her lip to keep from laughing, but the sight was too funny.

“Y’all are the worst,” Jocelyn muttered, but Chantel could see the smile she was trying to hide.

Just then, Ethan, Justin, Clover, and Joker all walked into the kitchen, wondering what had Zach laughing so loud so early in the morning.

Zach just pointed to the pantry where Bear and Jocelyn still stood.

Justin burst out laughing. “Were you two in the pantry—together?”

“Looks like Bear and Jocelyn discovered a new spice rack?” Ethan drawled, making everyone laugh.

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