Page 14 of Under Pressure

I reach in and take one, the inside rich and gooey when I take a bite, exactly how I like it. Damn, that’s good. “Why’d you make them?”

She fiddles with the lid, scratching her nail against the plastic. “I just— I felt bad about the other day. I wasn’t at all implying that youneedhelp, but that I’ve personally found it helpful, so I thought you might too.”

I stare at her, pausing my chewing. I was the one that practically yelled at her, and now she’s apologizing to me? “Why are you so nice?”

She startles. “What?”

“Is it some kind of mind game? Where you kill me with kindness?”

Her eyes widen, like a deer trapped in headlights.

“You’re rewarding my bad behavior, you know.” I grab another brownie, this one as delectable as the last.

“I’m doing what?” she asks, belatedly finding her voice.

“Every time I’m nasty with you, you’re nice about it. You invite me to co-author the paper, you bake cupcakes, now brownies. It’s almost like you’re asking me to do something else.”

She narrows her eyes, finally picking up on what I’m saying. “So you recognize the way you’re behaving and actively choose to continue doing it?”

I shrug, finishing the rest of the dessert. I reach for another one but she closes the container before I can stick my hand in. “Hey, I thought you made those for me.”

“You have to say something nice before you get any more.” She stares at me defiantly, the same way she did that day at the library.

My mouth turns up at the corner all on its own. “You bake fucking delicious desserts.”

Her lips twitch. “Something else,” she says, holding the brownies hostage.

“I like your hair.” The words escape before I even realize what I’m saying.

Her eyes widen again and she reaches a hand up to her curls contained in a high ponytail on top of her head. “You do?”

“Yeah,” I say softly, watching her loop a finger through the strands, glints of sun-kissed bronze among the brown. Then I realize the brownies are up for grabs and snatch them out of her hands, popping off the lid to inhale another. “How many of these did you make?”

“Enough for all the participants today.” She releases her hair and peers into the container. “If you stop eating them all.”

“Uh-uh.” I shake my head. “It could skew the results.” Crumbs inadvertently spew out of my mouth, but I ignore it. “With the way these taste, they’d automatically be in a better mood after eating them.”

She purses her lips, looking off in the distance for a second. “You’re right. I didn’t think of that.”

“More for me now.” I grab another and she finally takes the Tupperware back, claiming one for herself before closing it up and stowing it in her bag.

“Hey, I’ll be good.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” She smiles. “And I’ll bring more next weekifyou keep being good.”

“You trying to train me like a dog or something?”

“Your words, not mine.” She smirks as our first participant knocks on the door.

Chapter Five

Mia

“I never said that!”the woman on the screen yells. “You’re putting words in my mouth.”

“Oh, you totally said that,” Kelsey laughs, her attention rapt on the television.

I carefully rinse the dish in my hand and place it in the drying rack. The kitchen sink is directly in front of the breakfast bar, which gives a full view of the living room, which also means I have a prime view ofThe Real Housewives of WhateverKelsey loves watching.

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