Molly pushed through the kitchen door, then held it for Kaya and me. We were the first ones here and the competitive part of my soul rejoiced.
“We won!” I cheered.
“What did we win?” Molly asked, sounding totally confused.
Kaya got me. “We beat the boys.”
Molly set her bags down on one of the gleaming countertops. “Was it a race?”
Kaya and I mumbled noncommittal maybes while we unpacked our sacks laden with the best produce money could buy. Wyatt and Killian tumbled in a few minutes later.
“Damn,” Wyatt groaned.
Killian set paper sacks next to Molly’s. “I told you we shouldn’t have stopped for those burritos.”
“Were we racing?” Molly clarified more sternly.
Poor, poor Molly. She wasn’t a chef, so she didn’t get it. Even though she technically worked in the restaurant business as part of Ezra’s EFB Enterprises, she was the only person in her department. She didn’t have anyone to prove herself to or beat.
The rest of us were pretty much in a life long race to see who was better than everyone else. Sure, we were all good friends and loved each other fiercely. We also wanted to win. We would always want to win.
It was who we were.
Ezra pushed through the doorway a minute later, Vann and Vera following close behind.
“I told you those burritos were a mistake,” Ezra said to Killian.
“Not you too,” Molly murmured, staring at her fiancé in horror.
My brother looked at his bride to be with the most clueless expression I’d ever seen. “What?”
She shook her head at him.
We had picked stations naturally. Killian and Vera next to each other, with Ezra close to Killian. Wyatt and Kaya close together, with me not far off. Molly and Vann stood in the middle of the room, not having a clue what to do with all this food.
“I didn’t think you were coming till later,” Vera said to Vann, her gaze darting to me for a split second.
He shrugged and hopped up onto one of the counters, pushing the stack of one hundred quail eggs to the side. “I didn’t have anything else to do. Thought I’d see if you needed help.”
“But you don’t know how to cook,” Vera reminded him.
He shrugged again, but never looked at me. I wondered why he was here too. But then again, Molly was hanging out all day and she couldn’t cook worth a damn.
Actually, it was worse than that. She was a total disaster in the kitchen. We were playing it risky just by letting her in the building.
“I can chop or whatever,” Vann said, defending himself. “Or time things.” He rubbed a hand along his smooth jaw and added. “I’m also adequate at pouring liquid into measuring cups.”
“Oh, I can do that too!” Molly added. “I can also chop. And time things.”
“We have ourselves a couple of sous chefs, y’all.” Vann finally looked at me, his gray eyes sparking with laughter and familiarity and something warm. God, he was especially good looking today in only a gray t-shirt and dark red shorts.
He saluted me. “We’re here to serve.”
Without looking away, I announced, “Then I call Vann.”
“Wait just a second,” Killian crowed from the other end of the kitchen. “Shouldn’t Vera get first pick? It’s her wedding day.”
Busted. “Oh, it’s just that… I thought since Molly is the maid of honor and all… you know…”
