Page 57 of Cash

“Gotcha.”

Brick finished with the flour and then measured out the sugar, baking soda, and salt. He glanced back at Jules. “Could you put the butter in the microwave? It’s got to be melted.”

“Can do.” Jules finished his glass. “How much?”

“One tablespoon.”

“That ain’t a lot.”

“This recipe is only gonna make, like, six pastries.”

Jules snorted on his way to the fridge. “I think we’re gonna need more than that.”

Brick chuckled. “How about you try them first and see if you like them before we go crazy?”

“Hmmph.” Jules cut off a tab of butter and stuck it in a little bowl. He carried it over to the microwave to zap it. “I’m pretty damn certain I’m gonna like ’em.”

“We’ll see. Red bean is sometimes a divisive flavor. This is sweetened at least.” Brick smirked. “I think you’re gonna be a Nutella guy.” He finished mixing what he could while waiting for the butter to melt. He got ready to prep the bungeoppang pan, grateful that Jules’s fancy townhouse had a gas stove.

The pan worked the same way as old waffle irons did except instead of a gridded pattern, it had two detailed fish molds.

Brick opened the pan and set one side directly on the stove to preheat. He got the burner going, and then sprayed the inside of the molds with nonstick spray.

The microwave dinged.

“Here’s your butter.” Jules carried it over without seeming to be affected by what had to be a very hot bowl.

“Careful! Don’t burn yourself.” Brick opted to grab an oven mitt to take the bowl and mix it into the batter.

“Nah, I’m fine. Tough paws.” Jules flexed his fingers, teasing over the back of Brick’s neck.

“Hey, that tickles!” Brick squirmed, laughing as he tried to finish stirring without any of the batter sloshing over the side of the bowl. “Quit it! Trying to work here. This is important.”

“Mmm. Yeah, it is.” Jules slid his hands down Brick’s back, rubbing here and there as he went. He stopped at Brick’s hips and stepped up behind him, resting his head on Brick’s shoulder to watch. “So very important.”

The close proximity made Brick shiver, but he stayed focused on what he was doing. “Okay, we gotta go this way now.” He nodded at the stove, trying to wiggle away from Jules with the bowl.

“All right. Show me what we’re doing, baby boy.” Jules let him go with a smile.

“Can you bring the red bean paste and Nutella over here? We’re gonna need them. Oh, and three spoons, please.”

“Three?”

“Yup. Three. Oh, oh, and a plate.”

“Sure thing.”

Brick waited until Jules brought over the requested items, and he said, “Okay, here we go. We pour the batter in, add the toppings, pour more batter, wait about two minutes, close the pan, flip it, wait another two minutes, and then it’s done! Got it?”

“What?” Jules blinked.

“Just watch and learn, Daddy.” Brick winked, grabbing one of the spoons to pour batter to fill each mold about halfway. He used the remaining spoons to dollop in Nutella in one mold and the red bean paste in the other. He added more batter on top to conceal the toppings. “Now we just wait.”

“And then flip?” Jules rested his chin back down on Brick’s shoulder.

“You got it.”

“Smells good.” Jules rubbed Brick’s sides, pressing in close.

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