Page 54 of The Confidentiality Clause
“That’s what counts.” He slides out of the bed and stretches, the hem of his shirt lifting to reveal a strip of tan muscle. I tear my gaze away and find him smirking.
“Thanks for last night,” I blurt out before losing my nerve.
“It was no big deal.” He shrugs. “It’s what friends are for. We’re sort of friends, right?”
I laugh. “Yeah, we are.”
“Come on, let’s go before Sutton comes back. Also because French toast casserole sounds amazing.”
“It does,” I agree and follow him out of his room.
Everyone is gathered around the kitchen island when we get there. Warm sunlight filters through the back windows. You can hardly tell there was a storm at all, if it weren’t for the wet ground and strewn leaves.
“Good morning, sleepyheads!” Mrs. Jones chirps. “Ready for breakfast?”
“I heard something about a French toast casserole?” Brock asks.
Mrs. Jones smiles and turns to pull a large dish out of the oven. Golden brown bread and cinnamon sugar goo bubble together as she sets it on crochet potholders in the middle of the island. She grabs a nearby measuring cup and pours white icing over top. My mouth waters at the sight.
“Dig in!”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Shaw says.
“Finally!” Sutton groans dramatically and beats him to the serving spoon. He halfheartedly tries to push her out of the way, but she pushes him hard right back.
I share an amused look with Brock. We wait for Shaw and Sutton to go before getting our own servings, then planting ourselves on the stools around the island. The food is delicious, and the time together is peaceful. My heart squeezes as I wonder what it would be like for this to be an everyday thing, but with my own little family. I could cook while my husband entertains the kids, then we’d all eat and laugh together around the table. Then we’d wipe sticky faces and head outside for the kids to play in the sunshine. I wouldn’t have had anxiety about the rain the night before, because I would have spent it in my husband’s arms, knowing that a beautiful morning was a sleep away.
Brock gets up to get some more, telling his mom he wants to take some home if there’s any left. I watch as he dishes out a serving for himself, picturing little blonde kids hanging on his arm.
“Do you want some?” he asks when he catches me staring.
I blink away my ridiculous fantasies. I must be having some kind of hormone-induced hallucination. A crush is one thing, but Brock cannot infiltrate my daydreams. That’s too far.
“That would be great, thanks,” I murmur and slide my plate to him.
He gives me a large serving and slides my plate back to me with a smile.
I feel eyes on me, so I look away from him to find Shaw watching our interaction with narrowed eyes. He’s not the overly observant type–except when it comes to anything about Sutton–so I shouldn’t worry too much, but I don’t like that look.
I focus on my breakfast and avoid glancing in his direction.
“When do you two head back to Alabama?” Brock asks as we’re finishing up breakfast.
“Tomorrow,” Sutton says with a sigh. “I wish we could stay longer, but there’s only so many practices either of us can miss.”
“I’m glad I got to see you while you were here,” Brock says. I smile at his words. That’s progress.
“Since you’re so happy to see us, why don’t you take today off to hang out before we leave?” Sutton asks in a cheeky tone.
I tense in my chair as I wait for Brock’s inevitable no. It’s going to upset Sutton so much.
“I’m sorry, but I need to get back to work. Maybe we can see each other again before you leave though?”
I’m surprised he offered that last part. I hope he doesn’t bail last minute. It would have been better not to say anything at all than do that.
“That would be nice,” Sutton says quietly. I look up from my plate to see Shaw place a hand on her back to comfort her.
I want to be mad at Brock, but he’s been trying lately. Sutton doesn’t know how far he’s come. She doesn’t have a chance at knowing, though, with Brock and me keeping everything from her. I’m convinced all this progress lately means a breakthrough is coming. Once that happens, Sutton will get to know everything.
