Page 14 of Grumpy Darling

“Probably because dinner was spicier than Mom’s dirty books,” Parker joked.

Reed thumped him on the arm while Cammie groaned. Violet and Paige glanced at each other and tried their best not to laugh. My mom was a saint because she didn’t seem the least bit ruffled by my younger brother.

“Oh, I hope it wasn’t that spicy!” she gasped as she glanced in the direction of the kitchen, guilt flickering in her gaze. “Although, maybe it did have a little too much kick,” she admitted.

“A little?” Everyone at the table responded in unison. Well, everyone except Paige and Violet, who were both still heroically trying to continue with their meal.

“I think it’s got a nice zing to it,” Paige said.

“Yeah, I don’t mind food that packs a bit of a punch,” Violet added with a smile.

“Well, Mom really went straight for the knockout blow with this dish,” Parker said. “One hit and you’re on the floor.”

“I was just trying to make it more flavorful,” Mom tried to explain. “But I might have gone a bit heavy with the chilies. I don’t want to make anyone sick, so I’ll get us some takeout just to be safe.”

We all exhaled with relief.

“Can someone clear the plates while I order the food?”

I quickly jumped up to help and Reed did the same.

My dad looked up as we entered the kitchen, his eyes still watering from his valiant attempts at eating dinner. “Take my advice, boys,” he said as he sipped on a glass of milk. “I love your mother, but marry a girl who can cook.”

Memories of Paige’s muffins immediately filled my head and I couldn’t help but glance back toward the dining room. I could see her through the open doors, where she was laughing lightly at something Violet had said. All I could think was that I’d happily put up with terrible cooking every night for the rest of my life if it meant I could be with Paige.

“Or I could just become a great cook myself,” I said, turning back to my dad.

Reed gave me a knowing look, which I ignored.

“Always a safer bet,” my dad agreed. “And last time you made something for us, it wasn’t too bad...”

“Not sure either of us will get much time in the kitchen come next year,” Reed replied. “Did you see Ryker lost again today?”

My dad winced as he nodded in reply. “They’re not having a good season. You two will certainly have your work cut out for you. I bet Coach Mercer can’t wait for you guys to join the team.”

I remained silent as my dad and brother continued to discuss the Raiders. I couldn’t afford to think as far ahead as next year, because I might not be joining the team at all if my knee didn’t improve. Ryker’s legendary hockey coach, Mack Mercer, was coming to Ransom in two weeks to watch Reed and me play and then have us sign our letters of intent, committing us to four years at Ryker University. It was a whole big thing, including a formal presentation at the school and interviews with local media and everything. I blinked the image from my mind. I just had to focus on making it to signing day in one piece.

We managed to survive the rest of dinner without problem, although Cammie took the meal as an opportunity to lay down ground rules for Paige sleeping in her room. My sister seemed mostly concerned about losing sleep. She had a figure-skating competition coming up and was training with a new partner, which meant she had a lot of early starts.

Paige had happily nodded along with all of Cammie’s stipulations, until my sister told her she wasn’t allowed to snore.

“How do I know if I snore or not?” Paige whispered to Violet, the moment Cammie turned away.

“I’m not sure...” Violet replied. “But I have a feeling you’ll know by tomorrow morning.”

The girls both grimaced and then shared a laugh. While Violet and Reed had only recently started dating, she and Paige were becoming fast friends. But the two of them had been so engrossed in conversation this evening, Paige had hardly said a word to me. Come to think of it, she hadn’t even looked my way.

I got the unfamiliar feeling she was genuinely annoyed with me. Surely she wasn’t actually pissed I’d made fun of her killer muffins? I thought we’d just been messing around. This was why I should never try to be funny.

My suspicions only grew stronger when she joined me in my room after dinner to work on our homework. She had a test tomorrow, so I was quizzing her using a set of cue cards she’d meticulously written out. She was mostly quiet, keeping our conversation firmly on the quiz. Paige was famously easy to distract, especially while studying, so I kept waiting for her to laugh about my mom’s cooking or gush over how cute Reed and Violet were together. She hadn’t even mentioned Cammie’s stringent rules yet. All she wanted to talk about was homework. It wasn’t like her, and I hated every moment of it.

I finally lay the cue cards down on the floor. “Something’s up with you.”

“Nothing’s up with me.” She refused to meet my eyes as she responded, which only confirmed my fears.

“I know you, Paige. You’re taking this test way too seriously.”

“It’s important,” she replied, picking up the cards and flicking through them. “You never know when you’re going to need to reel off a list of facts about cumulonimbus clouds and atmospheric pressure systems.” She was reading directly off the cards, so it was safe to assume she hadn’t been very focused on the study session.

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