“Oh my, I haven’t had a man do my dishes since—” She stopped shy of saying my uncle’s name. “Forget wine, I’m bringing brandy. Aprons are hanging by the sink.”
“Guess we’re the cleanup crew.” Archer winked at me.
“Don’t worry, I’ll only snap one photo of you elbow-deep in suds for the office.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” His eyes narrowed.
My giggles lasted right up until he tied on an apron and somehow made it look sexy. From the living room, Brier and I sipped brandy with a perfect line of sight into the kitchen. Archer’s rear filled out his Levi’s unfairly well. Westley’s ass did fine work in black slacks.
“You’re welcome,” Brier whispered, sipping her brandy.
“You’re too much,” I whispered back.
“Consider it an early birthday present. You can pull that apron bow at the back of Archer and unwrap him.” She elbowed me, even though my birthday wasn’t until Christmas.
I rolled my eyes. “You know that Archer and I can’t be anything more than friends right now.”
“Then bereallygood friends.”
She wasn’t going to stop matchmaking. I wasn’t complaining.
When the last dish was stacked, Brier offered brandy to the men. Archer reached for his jacket instead.
“This was amazing, but I should head out. Thank you for dinner. Best home-cooked meal I’ve had in ages.” He kissed Brier’s cheek. She slipped a leash into my hand.
“Walk him out, Penny. Goldie needs a post-dinner stroll, anyway.” She winked.
Prior to tonight, I had no idea my aunt was this mischievous.
Archer patted his stomach. “After all that, I could use a walk, too.”
We stepped into the night. Street lamps glazed the brownstones. Archer fell in beside me, one hand in his pocket, the other brushing Goldie’s head when she trotted between us.
“I’ll bet you’ve never had an employee’s aunt cook for you before,” I said, still half-apologizing.
“First time. Relax—I enjoyed every minute. I’ll just call my trainer tomorrow to punish me for the calories. If I were truly upset, I’d make you endure his militant circuits too.”
“I’ll run extra with the dogs tomorrow at the daycare.”
“Doesn’t sound like a bad way to spend a weekend. I’m surprised you’re still working there, though, with your workload and long hours at Bellamy.”
“Aunt Brier plans to hire more help, but she’s very, er, Westley-focused right now.”
“I don’t want you burning out. I’ll talk to her and help her hire.”
“It’ll be fine.” I appreciated his concern but diverted attention as we stepped into the next block. “My favorite house is the one there with the oculus window.”
We slowed past. The round, deep-set window with ornate iron in front of it always intrigued me. What secrets did it hold inside?
“Most people never notice the details.” He pointed out a few other things as well.
I listened intently, in awe of him. “This reminds me of that night long ago, when you first made me appreciate the art of a great building.”
He glanced over. “I like knowing I had an impact on you.”
“What about you—how’d you choose this work?”
“Money. At first,” he said as we looped back home. “Our father was all about the money. I wanted a career that made a lot of it. I liked numbers, straight lines, and codes. Brooks was passionate, more artistic; that’s why he shifted to teaching.”
