Page 39 of One Pucking Destiny

“What do you have in mind?” Sean asks her.

She taps her mouth. “Hmm.” Her face lights up when it comes to her. “I think when I win… Cookie here should have to get a tattoo of a chocolate chip cookie in the location of my choosing.”

The guys erupt in shouts and laughter.

“Yes.” Jaden hits me on the shoulder. “God knows he needs more ink to accompany his pretty butterfly.”

“Fine,” I agree. “And, if I win, you say yes.”

Okay, so much for my resolve. What can I say? My heart is a fickle little fuck.

Ari freezes.

“Say yes to what?” Beckett asks, eyes full of questions.

“It’s an inside joke between us. Not a big deal. I’ll explain later.” I wave him off, attempting to look as nonchalant as possible. I need time to invent something harmless Ari would be agreeing to. For now, all that matters is that she knows what it is.

I quirk a brow. “Where’s that confidence now, Ariana? You want to withdraw this bet?”

Realization sets in that she’s the object of the group’s stares, and she curves her mouth into a tight smile. “Uh, no… I don’t think I will. Game on.”

“So it’s a tattoo or a yes?” I ask her.

She nods. “Yep. But I can promise you, it’ll be a tattoo.”

Jaden raises his hand like a dork. “Okay, can I compete just so I can eat the cookie dough? As much as I hate to say it, I’m not winning this one.”

“Everyone who wants in can compete,” Iris states. “You never know what the outcome will be.” She looks at me with the last sentence, and I know it’s directed at me.

“Okay, get to ordering your ingredients. Let’s plan for the taste testing in three hours, give or take,” Beckett says.

We all pull out our phones to order our rides.

“What about no-bake cookies?” Max asks the group. “Those are good.”

“Shh,” Iris warns. “You can’t tell anyone what you’re making. No one is supposed to know when it’s time for taste testing, so it can be fair.”

“I suggest choosing a cookie that has good batter. I mean, that’s the best part,” Jaden says.

“Do you want to share a ride?” I ask Ari.

She scowls. “And conspire with the enemy? No, I’ll hop in with someone else.”

“Your call. You’re really sure you want to go through with the bet? I’ll give you an out. Unless you want to say yes.”

She huffs out a breath, flicking her hair behind her back. “My answer from last night hasn’t changed, norwill this bet make a difference because I don’t lose, Bash. It’s something you should know about me.”

“That’s funny because neither do I. Only, there can’t be two winners, Ari, so one of us is going to be sorely mistaken.”

“One of us is leaving Texas with a tattoo of a chocolate chip cookie,” she quips before turning and walking away.

We return from the grocery store with our ingredients and get to work. Several enormous kitchens among the houses on the property allow us to split up with instructions to return to our house when we’re finished.

I make my grandma’s chocolate cookies with both chocolate and mint chips. They’re chewy, satisfying, and a crowd-pleaser. When my cookies are finished and cooled, I plate them up and return to the main house. I set my plate of cookies on the granite countertop of the kitchen island and wait. When everyone has placed their plate of cookies on the island, Elena randomly assigns them numbers for voting. The idea is that no one knows who made what cookie, but it’simpossible not to match up a few of the plates of cookies with their baker.

Beckett pours glasses of cold milk and instructs everyone to start tasting. In my opinion, only three cookies are in contention. Besides my own there is a savory caramel, pecan, and chocolate chip cookie and a simple butter cookie. At first glance, the butter cookie appears lackluster—a white cookie covered in powdered sugar. However, when you bite into it, there’s an explosion of flavor. It’s buttery, sweet, chewy, and flaky all at once. Something about it makes you want to keep eating more.

“When you’re done tasting them all, write down the number of your favorite and put it in the jar.” Beckett holds up a large Mason jar and sets it on the counter beside a stack of note cards and pens.

---