Again, I nearly choked. Death by donut. It wouldn’t be the worst way to go, but it’d certainly be the most embarrassing.
“Don’t die on me, little treasure.” Rowan chuckled and leaned forward, patting my back.
“He’s whittling?” I asked between short coughs. It was Lake’s favorite hobby. He made all sorts of things—wooden charms, figurines, and chess pieces for when he and Duke played together.
“Uh-huh.” The humor fled Rowan’s eyes as something more serious came over him. “How’re the lungs?”
“Working well enough,” I said, forcing a smile. Miles looked over at me from his place at the stove, brow raised. I cleared my throat. “So. How was work last night? Catch any bad guys?”
“That’s spy business,” he responded, smirk returning. Pretty sure it’d become a permanent fixture on his face someday. “You should be more concerned about yourself.”
“I’m fine.” I waved my hand. “Never felt better.”
Another glance from Miles.
Rowan caught it. He then narrowed his eyes at me. “I’ll be watching you, little treasure. One cough or wince, and I’m strapping you to a chair until closing time.”
Not long ago, I’d had a fantasy of him doing exactly that—strapping me down and straddling me. Masked and delicious with his dagger out and a devilish gleam in his topaz eyes. Him joining the Secret Order had unlocked a kink I never knew I had.
Did that make me a dark romance slut?
“That won’t be necessary,” I said with an elevated heart rate. “I’ll take breaks as needed.”
“You better.”
Miles tried to stifle a laugh.
The lemon macarons sold out before lunch, and we rushed around to bake more. Lake had joined us downstairs and made more raspberry tea, then sat beside Rowan at the table. They both watched me, often beating me to the oven to pull out pastries and carry platters to the counter.
“Um. Mister Evan?” Miles called from the pantry.
“Yeah?” I went over to him. And instantly started laughing. My coffee mug from earlier, the one I’d lost, sat on a shelf near a bag of flour. “Well, that solves that mystery.”
Clearly, my body wasn’t the only thing not back to its usual function. My mind was scattered too. With a laugh, I exited the pantry and got back to work.
A light thump came from the back porch. The door opened, and the unique scent that wafted in told me exactly who it was before even seeing him.
“Cal!” I padded over and met him beneath the archway. “Home early again, huh? When will you and Maddox stop being so silly? I’m safe here at the cottage.”
He softly smiled. “Although my worry over you is partly why I’m here… I’ve also brought someone.”
“Who?”
That’s when the door was pushed open wider, and I was attacked by a pretty brunette. She threw her arms around me and swayed me from side to side.
“Penny?” I returned her hold, both shocked and excited. She was Callum’s sister. The two of us had vibed from the second we met. Her high spirit and bubbly personality complemented mine. “I thought you were away on a quest.”
She was a member of the Adventurers’ Guild and regularly accepted bounties and quests, traveling with her party. Made a decent living doing it too.
“It was delayed due to the storm,” she said, drawing back. Her wide, toothy smile told me she was excited to see me too. “We’re leaving tomorrow morning instead. But I wanted to come see you first. The offer still stands for you to join me.”
“Absolutely not,” both Callum and Rowan said at the same time. They then looked at each other, a scowl not far behind.
I hugged her again. “I’m glad you came over. Are you hungry?”
“Oh, a muffin would be great.”
“You really are Cal’s sister.” I grabbed her hand and led her into the kitchen, shaking my head.
