Page 81 of The First Cut
“Someone wants us to know something.”
“I just wish we knew who and what. See what you can figure out. It might just be the break we’re looking for.”
“I’m on it. The kid there yet?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, good luck with that.” He disconnects. Asshole.
Trying to decide what to do next, I stare at the house. Should I leave them alone to talk or do I go back inside and try to figure out what the fuck it is I’m supposed to say and do?
With a sigh, I walk back, heading inside and closing the door behind me. I listen closely and hear the murmur of voices coming from upstairs. Not wanting to intrude, I make my way to the kitchen and rummage through the freshly stocked fridge and cupboards, deciding to focus on making some food instead. Having no clue what Millie will eat, I throw together a stir fry, figuring I can always make her something else if she doesn’t like it.
I look up when I see movement out of the corner of my eye and pause carrot chopping as Lola comes into view.
“She okay?”
“She cried for a bit, but I stayed outside her door until she settled. I wanted to go in and hug her or something, but I didn’t think that was the right move. She’s wary of us, but that’s to be expected, right?”
“She’s living with strangers. We might share blood, but she doesn’t know me. I’d be more concerned if she weren’t wary.”
When she doesn’t reply, I look at her and notice her gaze on my hands.
“What?”
“You’re cooking?”
“We’ve gotta eat, right?”
She steps closer. “I can cook for us. I was just showing Millie to her room.”
“It’s fine. I’ve got this.”
She sits at the island and watches me slicing the rest of the vegetables. “You’re good at that,” she comments at the uniform slices laid out before me.
“What can I say? I’m good with a knife.”
She huffs out a laugh. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a man cook for me before.”
I pause. “Driller’s a dick, but surely Havoc cooked you a meal or two?”
Her face flushes as she shakes her head. “The club kept him pretty busy.” I hear the hint of loneliness in her voice and wonder if Havoc inadvertently pushed Lola into his brother’s arms.
“Well, I’m the fucking president. I’ll make time to cook, and the others can wait for me to be done.”
She looks at me in surprise before dipping her head, a shy smile on her face. I’m stuck dumb for a second at just how fucking gorgeous this woman is when she lets down her guard.
I keep an eye on her when I cook, finding myself wanting to punch Havoc in the face. I don’t claim to be an expert on relationships, not by a long shot, but there has to be give and take on both sides. I’ll be damned if it doesn’t look like Lola did all the giving while Havoc happily took. What the fuck did he give back to her?
“I got a question for you.”
“Okay.” She looks over at me warily as I throw the veg into a large, hot pan and stir it around a little.
“What did you want to be when you grew up?”
She bites her lip as she thinks before sighing. “You’re going to think it’s dumb.”
“Nothing about you is dumb, Lola.”
