Page 78 of Chess Not Checkers
Saylor’s door flings open. She squints at Marigold, one of her lavender under-eye patches halfway down her face. Her matching pajamas feature soft purple clouds.
“Is there a fire?” Saylor rasps, not sounding like her usual peppy self.
“No, Jasmine is making pumpkin chocolate chip muffins for Shepherd,” Marigold says as if that’s more dire than the building going up in flames.
Saylor’s sleepy squint turns into a wide-eyed stare.
“It’s not that big of a deal,” I say, but Saylor is already squealing and running to Aurora’s door.
“No,” I hear Aurora say, but Saylor keeps knocking and yelling about marriage muffins.
“Please don’t make a big deal out of this,” I say as they all join me in the kitchen.
Aurora is wearing an oversized shirt that features the princess who shares her name. I look at it, then at her face.
She grimaces. “My mom bought it for me.”
I nod in understanding. “I’m sorry they woke you; I tried to tell them not to.”
Aurora shrugs. “It’s big news.”
I laugh. “They’re just muffins.”
“No way,” Marigold scoffs. “You bake something new every week, but the first time you repeat justhappensto be the muffins we designated as marriage muffins?”
I throw my hands in the air. “Okay, fine, I really like Shepherd. I want to be around him all the time, and when I thought of making him something, these came to mind.”
“Is he marriage-candidate material?” Saylor asks with a wide grin, leaning on the kitchen counter.
“What do you mean by that? Because if you mean is he kind and thoughtful and a gentleman? Then yes. Or are you asking if I could see myself marrying him one day?”
It’s too fast to be thinking of him in that way, but if I let myself daydream a little too long…
The girls must see something in my expression that gives me away because Saylor squeals and shakes Marigold. Aurora smiles at the exchange, her sleepy eyes slightly upturned.
“Do you love him?” Marigold asks when Saylor stops rattling her.
I look down at the cooling muffins. Do I love Shepherd? He challenges me and gets on my last nerve sometimes, but…he also checked on me when I got hurt and taught me chess, made me laugh, remembered my favorite candy, and fed me chocolate bonbons after I cried in his lap.
I tug on a wrinkled corner of my apron, the one covering up his jersey. My lips lift into a smile. “I think I do,” I confess.
Saylor squeals again, Marigold laughs, and Aurora smiles a little bigger than normal. It’s in the middle of this cozy celebration that someone knocks on our apartment door.
“Who’s knocking at this time?” I ask with a frown.
“You don’t think I was too loud, do you? I hope we aren’t in trouble,” Saylor panics.
“I’ll go see,” I say, and head to the door.
I look through the peephole and gasp. On the other side is the man I just admitted I was in love with. I quickly unlock and fling open the door.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
Shepherd holds up a carrier with two coffee cups but keeps his other hand tucked behind his back. “I know we’re going to have a long day, so I thought we could have coffee together before you had to go to the parade.”
My smile widens. “That sounds perfect. I actually have something to go with those coffees too.”
“Yeah?” His eyes rove over me. A decadent heat curls through me at the look in his eyes. “Is that my jersey?”
