Page 90 of Bake You Mine
After dinner, his mother had acted offended when Aubrey had offered to help clean up. Liam found himself elbow-deep in the dishes, half-listening to his mom and sister about their battle for back payments from the state. They’d finally agreed to one payout—a fraction of what they should’ve been paid. It all came down to a technicality with how he died. The terminology for “accident” was broad, as it turned out. The back payment was still a substantial amount, but his mother was tired of fighting. He couldn’t blame her.
“You should get out there to Aubrey. God knows those kids might have her duct taped to the ceiling by now,” his mom said.
He reached for a towel. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”
He ran down the stairs, finding the older kids circling the TV, playing a video game. Aubrey and Kiki sat in the center of the rainbow rug. They were busy affixing stickers to each other’s cheeks.
“But your eyes would look so pretty with a daisy in them!” Kiki said.
“I keep telling you, I need these to see, and so do you. There are some places stickers should never go.” She put a gold star on Kiki’s forehead.
“Ugh, fine. I’ll have to use my imagination.” Kiki smushed a sticker on Aubrey’s cheek before she ran past them up the stairs.
“Look at you, sparkly as usual.” Liam leaned over to ruffle her hair.
Aubrey chuckled as she peeled the stickers from her face. “Kiki saw the sparkle in me when she went for these stickers.”
“You ready to head out?”
The older kids started to shout at each other, giving them a perfect exit. She extended a hand to him. He clasped it and brought her to her feet. He got his arm around her shoulders and drew her in close.
“Ugh, take your PDA upstairs,” Brody said.
The other kids mimed kissing their hands, so Liam and Aubrey laughed and took their leave.
On their way out the door, his mother and Brandon cornered Liam.
“So, have you scheduled your meeting with Jason yet?” Brandon asked. “Because that’s your best shot at a plan B, bro.”
Brandon’s money was still tied up with the Cluck U chicken restaurant franchise. He never talked much about the project, but Liam knew his brother well enough to know he regretted tying his money up in it, especially now, since Elevation’s fate was uncertain.
“He wants to meet right after the announcement. He said he had an opportunity that might fit me perfectly, but the timing would have to be fast for it to work.”
Becky gathered all the kids and ushered them out, taking Brandon with her. Aubrey had started playing a card game with Kiki.
His mother leaned in the doorway and worried at her necklace. “You know, there are other options, Liam.”
“I know, Ma. An opportunity to work with someone like Jason Morse doesn’t come around all that often.”
Aubrey approached, her smile faltering slightly at thebusiness talk. “Are you ready to go? I’m dead on my feet, and you have to get back to Elevation.”
His mother waved him off. “Go, go, you two. You’ve had a long day. We can continue this conversation later.”
The last thing he wanted was to have his mother as a business partner, but it was an option. A plan Z, maybe.
Liam walked hand-in-hand with Aubrey to the van and marveled at how incredible this new normal was.
twenty-seven
Aubrey gazedaround Petit Chou with an odd sort of wistfulness. The competition was coming to an end.
“You all right, Aubs?” Tom asked.
“I just remembered that we have to make a dish for Port Fortune’s Night Out? I’d forgotten I’d signed up for us to bring a dish.”
Tom tipped a flowing mirror glaze over a chocolate cake. “We should make something simple, but delectable. It’ll be the pièce de résistance when you win this thing, don’t you think?”
“You’re right.”
