Page 40 of Zachary

We force ourselves to eat, partly because we’re hungry but mostly because Zac makes a snide comment about not cooking just so the food can go cold. It’s hard to concentrate on pancakes and bacon when so much is hanging in the balance. If this fails… well, I’ll just have to find another way to show Zac how special he is. I need him to be my friend—I didn’t realize how much until last night.

Suddenly, Garrett’s head snaps around. “Is that the printer? Is he printing? Did he find it?” He starts to get up, but Asher plants a hand on his shoulder and pushes him back into the chair.

“Stay. If he found it, he’ll bring it. If not, we’ll go to the post office later and search the council records… and hope nobody wonders what we’re doing there.”

“We should go at night,” Cam suggests conversationally. “The cover of darkness is best for things like that.” He waves his fork, almost taking Zoe’s eye out. “Last night, nobody even—”

The table jumps as three of us try to kick him at the same time. Zac, finished at the stove, takes a seat and gives Asher a wry look. “Do you get the feeling there’s something we don’t know?”

Asher’s eyes are narrowed. “Oh, yeah.”

Garrett sniffs. “I’m a hellhound of mystery.”

“And I’m an incubus.” Cam’s smile is sunny, but there’s a sudden edge to him that brings tension to the room. “Nobody asks forallmy secrets, unless you want me to ask for yours.”

Zoe shrugs. “You need me more than I need you. There’s snow in lots of places.”

As one, they turn to me. I freeze. “Uh… I just really like it here. And I want friends.” Oh, wait. “And if someone could getme a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, that would be good. Because I saw this recipe for cinnamon rolls, and I think that would make it easier. And bread too.”

Garrett turns on Asher so fast, I almost don’t see his head move. “Get him the mixer. Go today.” He looks at me. “Which one do you want? Do you have a color preference?”

I gape.

“Never mind. Asher, just get the best one they have. In all the colors. And every attachment.”

“I’m really missing something,” Asher mutters, and Zac laughs.

“Ronan likes to bake. I guess he was being modest yesterday when he told me about it.”

“The pastries,” Cam says dreamily. “I want all the pastries.”

Zac’s smile warms me from the inside. “I can go to Zurich later and get one for you.”

He’s being so nice, and guilt over all my lies last night floods through me. “I—”

“Found it,” Micah announces, walking in with a handful of papers. Cam leaps up, kisses him, then snatches the papers and spreads them over the table, pushing aside plates and condiments. We all lean forward.

I bite back a groan. It’s the same jargon as the other reports.

“Can any of you even understand that?” Micah’s amused voice floats over our heads.

“Why don’t you explain it to us?” Garrett asks.

Micah shrugs. “I don’t know. You’ve been kind of demanding today, and there’s definitely something going on that you’re not telling us. Maybe we should discuss a trade of information.”

“A trade sounds good,” Cam agrees, surprising me. “How about this: if you don’t tell us what all this means, it’s going to be a long time before you next get to come.” His curls flop endearingly into his wide eyes. “That’s a fair trade, right?”

“There goes our leverage,” Asher mumbles to Zac.

Sighing, Micah points to one page and begins an explanation of what it says. He’s two sentences in when Zoe interrupts. “Could we have the tl;dr version, please?”

“What does that mean?” I ask. Normally I hate showing my ignorance, but I know I’m safe here. Last night proved that.

“Too long; didn’t read.”

I grin. I’ll have to remember that one. Maybe later I can get her to explain what “that’s what he said” means, because Dustin still hasn’t.

“To summarize”—Micah sounds grumpy—“the land should be fine for the sort of project you have in mind.”

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