"It's all about the butter temperature," I reply. "I'll text you the recipe."
"You two and your baking talk." Beth shakes her head, but she's grinning. "I'm going to end up fifty pounds heavier by the end of summer."
"I have a few ideas of how we can work off the calories," Aiden teases, kissing Beth’s cheek with a snarl.
She giggles and pushes him away playfully. I watch them together—the easy way she leans into him, the softness in his expression when he looks at her. This is the guy the crew described as a shameless player before Beth came along. The one who supposedly had a different woman every week.
Now he's making pot roast and gazing at Beth like she’s the only woman he could ever want.
Love changes people. I know that better than anyone.
"Bro, are those Sloane's rolls?" Jasper appears out of nowhere, reaching for the basket with grabby hands. "I call dibs on?—"
"Dinner first." Ike's voice stops him short.
Jasper eyes dart to Ike, then to me, then back to Ike. For a second, I think he might try it anyway—Jasper's not exactly known for impulse control—but apparently even he knows better than to test the Captain.
"Fine." He withdraws his hand, pouting like a little boy denied a treat. "But I'm taking at least three when it's time."
I press my lips together to keep from laughing. This is one of my favorite things about watching Ike with his crew, the effortless authority, the dry humor, the way they all respect him, but aren't afraid of him.
He does seem different now than he was when we first met. So much lighter and quicker to smile.
I like to think I had something to do with that.
"Need any help?" I ask Beth, following her toward the counter where she's finishing up a massive green salad.
"I think we're almost set. Oh, but can you grab the dressing from the fridge? Chevy moved it somewhere and I can't find it."
"Wasn't me!" Chevy calls from across the room, where he's loading beers into the cooler. He flashes me that magazine-cover smile as I pass. "Hey, Sloane. Looking good, as always."
"Back at ya, Chev. Flattery will get you everywhere."
"That's what I keep telling people." He gestures toward Ike with his beer bottle. "You know, I still can't believe you lit a fire under the Captain. The man was basically a monk before you showed up."
"You think?" I hide a smile, as I find the dressing wedged behind a container of leftover pasta and hold it up triumphantly. "I’m pleading the fifth on that one. There’s a lot about your Captain you don’t know."
Ike points a finger at me in warning, then grins playfully.
“You keep hinting about that,” Chevy replies. “But I guess I’ll just have to take your word for it. Besides, you two are as disgustingly romantic as the others.” He gestures around to Aiden and Beth, and Perry and Raina across the way.
"You're just jealous," Ike says.
"Absolutely I am." He winks, but there's something genuine underneath the charm. Chevy jokes around a lot, but I've learned he's more of a romantic than he lets on.
"One day, Sloane,” he continues. “One day I'll find someone who looks at me the way you two look at each other."
"Of course you will," I tell him confidently.
In the corner, Lance is quietly setting out chips and a bowl of onion dip. Raina's beside him, carrying extra chairs, and whatever she just said has Lance's neck flushing red all the way to his ears.
I catch Raina's eye and we share a knowing grin. Lance is adorable. The man is six-foot-six of solid muscle and blushes like a teenager whenever a woman pays him a compliment.
Then Raina’s gaze falls on her boyfriend. "Perry, I swear to god, if you move the dessert one more time?—"
"I'm optimizing the serving flow. The hot fudge needs to be accessible from multiple angles, and the ice cream should be positioned near the?—"
"It's ice cream, sweety. Not everything needs a tactical formation."
