Page 94 of Mother Parker
This syrupy Parker was creepy.
And only because he was being that in public. He’d always been sweet with me behind closed doors, a fact I wholeheartedly embraced. This new publicly agreeable Parker was scaring me, and frankly, I wanted him all for myself.
“Hwan, what the hell did you do to Officer Grumpypants?” Maddox asked, nudging his boyfriend playfully.
“Is that what they call you? Oh my God, Parker. That’s so fitting,” Camden said to his brother.
“I know, I know,” Autumn sang all innocently, and I stared her down, hoping she could read my mind when I silently asked her,What the fuck, bitch? I thought you said mum’s the word.
“Oh, shut up,” Parker snapped. “He didn’t do anything to me.”
Autumn smirked and raised an eyebrow as if daring me to say something.
“There’s songpeyon if you don’t want Autumn’s pie.” I picked up the box with the rice cakes and sent her my sweetest, most menacing smile, and she pouted.
She pouted even more when everyone cleared the songpeyon but left her pumpkin pie untouched.
“Oh, stop with the long face. Here, see?” I said and stuffed a big bite into my mouth.
It was sweet, salty, and spiced, and then it was burning my mouth, so naturally, I spat it back out.
“Did you put chilies in this thing? God, that’s gross.”
I grabbed a glass of water and swallowed it all in one go. When I put it back down, Parker refilled it for me.
I offered him my smile for a split second before I turned back to Autumn and waited for her response.
“Of course not. What on earth are you talking about?”
She stabbed a fork through another slice of pie and shoved it in her mouth, worry lines creasing her face.
Those same worry lines exploded when she spat it back out.
“What the…fudge? Why is it so spicy?”
She also grabbed the glass of water in front of her and quite literally tipped it over her mouth.
Halmeoni took a small bite, and without giving any emotion away, confidently turned to Autumn.
“I think you use paprika instead of nutmeg.”
“No!” she screamed and ran to the kitchen.
Everyone laughed, and Parker stacked the plates around him, brushing his leg against mine and giving me a quick and dirty look that happened to reignite the burning sensation in my mouth.
“I’ll help,” I said and took Halmeoni's plate and a few others, following Parker toward the kitchen.
Autumn burst out just before we reached it, holding a tub in her hands.
“It was paprika and chili!” she cried.
The room roared with laughter again. I felt a firm hand close around my wrist, and Parker pulled me into the kitchen.
The noise died down and the buzz of electricity coursing through the industrial kitchen made my stomach roar.
“How do you think I’ve done so far?” he asked and dumped the plates in the large, deep sink.
I cocked my head for a second and mimicked him, and when my hands were finally free, it struck me.
