Page 46 of What's Left of Us

The frown on her face deepens.

Taking the plate from her, I set it on the counter and pull her in for a hug. “Don’t look so sad. It was a nice thought.”

She’s stiff for a second. “I found a recipe in your cookbook,” she murmurs, her hands slowly finding their way around my waist. “Your mom said you liked cookies, so…”

She’s quiet.

Then she says, “I didn’t think I’d mess it up.”

I take in the familiar scent of my shampoo before kissing the top of her head. I’d gotten her new shampoo and body wash that smelled floral and girly before I left last week, but I like it a little too much that she still uses mine. Smelling myself on her makes me hard.

Pulling away, I ask, “Have you ever baked before?”

Embarrassed, she shakes her head. “I helped Mrs. Ricci make brownies once for some charity thing my stepmother was hosting at the house. She let me crack a few eggs. I got more shells than eggs in the bowl.”

“Happens to the best of us,” I reason, recalling the older woman’s name from the stories she shared on our first date. She looked at her like a mother figure. Somebody who cared for her in an otherwise cold household. I was glad she had Mrs. Ricci.

“My stepmother walked in and saw me helping her and scolded me for distracting the help. Then she got mad over my dress being dirty.” The tiniest smile appears on her face from the memory. “Between us, I’d done it on purpose. I hated that dress.”

Chuckling, I use the pad of my thumb to wipe some of the flour off her cheek. “You tested her a lot, didn’t you?”

The way Georgia lifts her shoulders in nonchalance tells me I’m not wrong. “In all fairness, she tested me more. I don’t think she liked me very much.”

I’m not sure whowouldn’tlike her. “Why do you say that?”

Her tongue wets her bottom lip. “Because I’m my mother’s daughter. And my father’s second priority.”

“Second?”

“His business was always number one. If my mother were alive, I’m pretty sure I’d be bumped to third place because he loved her that much. Leani is probably in his top five, but barely. She knows he still loves my mother.”

“You deserve to be somebody’s first priority,” I tell her softly.

She peers at me through her thick lashes before quickly dropping her gaze when she sees me watching her. “One day,” she murmurs.

I study the kitchen. It looks like she took every pot, pan, and tray out to find the ones she needed. “We should try cleaning up in here before the food gets stuck on everything.”

She steps back, grimacing at the sight. “I thought I would have more time to clean before you got home.”

“I tried calling you to let you know when I’d get here, but it wouldn’t go through. I think your phone is dead.”

The color in her cheeks deepens. “It got shut off. I think my father wants me completely cut off from everyone. My credit card…” She winces. “My card was declined at the dollar store when I tried buying the flour for the cookies. The nice older man behind me ended up paying for it.”

Eye twitching, I press my lips together. Nikolas is throwing a hissy fit that she didn’t come back home. Isn’t he worried about her? Wondering where she is?Whoshe’s with?

“Has anybody reached out?” I know the last time I asked, she hadn’t heard from anybody.

Softly, she admits, “No. Nobody.”

Fuck.“Come on, then.” I hold out my hand for her to take.

She stares at it. “Where are we going?”

“It’s not safe for you to be without a phone,” I say, taking her hand. “I’ll get you one.”

“Lincoln—”

“It’ll probably be cheaper to put you on my plan, so don’t worry about it.”

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