Page 24 of The Pack Next Door
Tonight was going to be a complete disaster.
“Chicken isn’t supposed to look like that, right?”
I poked the blackened monstrosity with a fork, and the meat was so tough and dry the tines just bounced off.
“Maybe we can just cover it with gravy?” Jace said.
Before I could even reply, he lifted the jug he had of homemade gravy and poured it all over the chicken. A pool of brown sludge formed in the pan.
“Is gravy supposed to be that lumpy?” I asked, pretty sure what the answer was.
“Don’t think it’s supposed to have those dark brown bits in it either.”
He looked at me and I stared back, right as Gideon marched in.
We’d told him we’d sort dinner. Me and Jace poured over a cooking website, watching videos on how to properly cook roast chicken. Season well, don’t undercook it because our human stomachs couldn’t handle being exposed to the bacteria in raw chicken. Gideon looked down at the chicken and then frowned.
“What the hell is that?” But before we could answer, he glared at the oven. “And what’s burning?”
“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit…”
Jace legged it over to the oven and yanked it open to reveal some very well-cooked roast potatoes.
I’d cooked the chicken on the barbecue outside, leaving him to fill the oven full of roast vegetables.
“Well, that’s two for two,” I said with a shake of my head. “We’ll order pizzas.” My wallet was shoved into my pocket as I made for the front door. “Jace, toss that mess out and open all the windows to air the place out.”
“They are already open,” Gideon growled.
“I’ll be back with tasty, tasty pizzas before…”
A knock on the door stopped me in my tracks. No, they couldn’t be here already, could they? I wrenched open the door to see the sweetest of treats.
I didn’t even notice the cake at first. A quick smile directed at Maggie, my focus was jerked sideways, as I fixated on her. Briar was wearing a damn sundress, the soft folds draping over every curve.
Curves I remembered very vividly from this morning.
“Soo…” I forced myself to smile. “How do we feel about ordering pizza?”
Gideon swept forward, ushering the ladies in, and Maggie made a beeline for the kitchen. With a snort, then a guilty grin, she peered at all of our hard work and looked up at us.
“Pizza might be in order. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a chicken that burnt before.” Maggie threw me a lifeline when she turned to Briar. “You always loved the pizzas from Pizza Haven, didn’t you, darling?”
“Supreme with Italian sausage?” I sucked in Briar’s wry smile. Any kind of approval was much needed in the face of our culinary disaster. “You got it. And for the lady?”
Maggie laughed at my faux waiter act and then rattled off her order. I knew exactly what my brothers would want, so I found the number for the pizza place, but as the phone started to ring, Gideon stepped in.
“Ladies, would you like to come out on the deck? I’ve got some wine cooling and some non-alcoholic drinks, then there’s some hors d’oeuvres to nibble on until the pizza arrives.”
When he stuck both arms out, the ladies took them, allowing him to escort them outside.
“How the hell does he do that?” Jace asked, left holding the amazing cake Briar had brought over. “And when did he prepare ‘hors d’oeuvres’?”
I didn’t get a chance to answer. Someone at the pizza place picked up, so I placed our order, paying a little extra to jump the queue.
I was hot, sticky, and covered in grease splatters, and when we walked out onto the deck, it was to find that Gideon had transformed the space. All the dead leaves and dirt were swept away, and he’d set up our outdoor furniture in the middle. Plates and cutlery had been found, but those wine glasses had to be new. So were the fairy lights strung across the trellis above. Jace and I shook our heads in wonder, but more importantly, so did Briar. Maggie was explaining what the place used to be like, the two women sharing memories, when all I wanted to do was make more of them.
I wanted to be the one that put the fine pink blush in Briar’s cheeks. It was me she should’ve been talking to, praising the transformation I’d made to the space. Instead, all I had to offer was burnt bloody chicken. When Briar went to sit down, I moved, drawing out her seat for her, which forced her to turn to me.
