Page 58 of April

“Good morning,” she replied, turning to see that Asher was staring at her, offering her a tired smile.

“Need another hour or two?”

“At least. I feel like I haven’t slept in days.”

“That’s my fault,” Linden replied, rolling over to face her. “How about I get breakfast started, and you get some more sleep? I’ll wake you up in thirty.”

“That’s not fair. You need sleep, too.”

“I’m okay,” she lied and smiled. “Just close your eyes, and I’ll have pancakes ready before you know it.”

“Well, if you insist,” Asher said and closed her eyes.

Linden smiled at her again and rolled away. She found herself in her own kitchen a few minutes later, with a bag of whole wheat flour in front of her, along with the other ingredients she would need to make breakfast. Pancakes from scratch weren’t difficult. She’d made them for Asher a few times over the years, and it made her feel like she was doing something nice for her friend whenever she did. Her mom had made her pancakes from scratch every Sunday morning when Linden was a kid, and as she had gotten older, they’d made them together. Now, when she visited, Linden would sometimes make them for her mom, giving her a break after all these years.

She dropped the pancake batter into the pan with a ladle, making sure not to splatter all over the place, and while it sizzled in the pan, she pulled out the bottles of orange juice and maple syrup she had gotten the night before. Then, she started the coffee, which wasn’t Asher’s favorite blend but would have to do, poured them two glasses of juice, went back to flip the pancake, and then put the syrup in the microwave to warm it up. When she pulled the first pancake out of the pan, she added another ladle full of batter and set the ready pancake on a plate, shoving it in the microwave without turning it on just to keep it warm. The whole thing took about twenty minutes before she had the coffee, juice, and enough pancakes for both of them on the plate. Having set the table, Linden decided that she would make them some bacon, too, knowing exactly what would happen the moment the bacon hit the pan.

“Do I smell bacon?” Asher asked as she walked into the room with Linden’s clothes on.

“You do. I thought I would make some. Of course, you only eat healthy food, so it’s not for you.”

“Shut up,” Asher said with a laugh. “I’ll just have one piece. I’ve skipped my workouts this week.”

“You donotneed to work out.”

“I don’t need bacon, either,” Asher replied. “You did a whole thing…” She looked at the small, round table in the eat-in kitchen.

“Just juice and coffee.”

“And a whole breakfast.”

“I figured, since we don’t have any client meetings today, we can actually enjoy breakfast.”

“Looks delicious,” Asher noted, looking down at the pan of bacon that was nearly done.

“It is. You should have more than one piece,” Linden suggested.

Asher shook her head and said, “We should eat quickly. I need to get home and change before heading in.”

“Just wear something of mine.”

Linden removed the bacon from the pan and placed it on a paper towel to soak up the grease.

“I can’t wear something of yours.”

“Why not?”

“We’re not the same size.”

“We’re not that far off. You can wear it for one day.” Linden placed the bacon plate on the table and added, “And you’re eating three pieces and at least two pancakes.”

“You and I don’t exactly have the same style,” Asher said.

“True. You could buy everything in my closet for what it costs you to buy one dress.” Linden smirked and sat down.

Asher sat across from her and said, “And your clothes are… different.”

“Different, huh?”

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