He nods again—Parker does alotof nodding—and we eat in silence for a bit, both of us enjoying the meal.
“What are you baking?” he asks out of the blue, eyes moving toward the tray on the stove. “It smells really good.”
“Cupcakes for my friend Ollie’s birthday. Strawberry cake, strawberry icing, strawberry garnish. You can have one if you stick around.”
“Is Ollie your boyfriend?” he blurts out and then ducks his head to hide his reddening cheeks.
I wipe at my face with a napkin to cover my snicker. “Nah, just a friend. A co-worker, actually. What about you? Got a girlfriend? I bet the girls are lining up at school to date you.”
“They’re not,” he says drily.
“I find that hard to believe.” He shrugs, tugging at his sweatshirt sleeve. “So, how long have you known Landon, anyway? How’d you guys get started with this arrangement?”
His eyes flick back to me. “A few years.”
“How’d you meet?” I’m aware that I’m prying, but I don’t really care. I’m definitely not going to get this information out of Landon.
“At the skatepark.”
I blink at him, waiting for him to elaborate as my mind tries to picture Landon landing an ollie or a kickflip or dropping into a halfpipe or whatever. The images don’t add up.
“Okay,” I say slowly when Parker doesn’t explain further. “Well, is he always such a…” I stop myself from sayingtotal fucking assholeand search for an appropriate word. “Grump?”
Parker snorts, catching on thatgrumpis not at all what I wanted to say. “Yeah, pretty much. He’s a good guy, though.”
My brows hike up to my hairline, and I want to ask him why he thinks that. Why he thinks Dr. Landon Blair is anything but elitist and rude. But I don’t, because even after everything, that wouldn’t be right.
We finish our sandwiches in silence, and I start the process of making the strawberry icing, grabbing the reduction I prepped yesterday from the fridge. I beat together butter and sugar before adding in the thick liquid and some cream, mixing until it’s the perfect, fluffy consistency.
“Wow,” Parker says, as I scoop the frosting into a piping bag. He’s been quietly watching me work the whole time. “You’re like…a professional.”
I give him a sheepish smile. “Nah. I just watch a lot of YouTube videos and then mimic what they do.”
Parker nods like that makes sense. “That’s what I did to learn how to skateboard.”
Genuinely interested, I open my mouth to ask more about his hobbies when I hear it. The garage door.
He’s home early.
Shit, I think to myself, glancing at Parker, but it’s too late to shoo him away or clean up the mess from the icing. Landon’s just going to have to accept it. Okay, I doubt he’ll accept it. More likeI’mgoing to have to accept his reaction, and I brace myself for the inevitable.
Landon steps through the door in his usual work attire, takes one look at the kitchen, and scowls.
“Hi there!” I chirp. “You’re home early. How was your day? Would you like a turkey sandwich? I just made one for Parker. He did a great job with the lawn out there. It should win awards, or at least get you some brownie points with the HOA. You guys have an HOA, don’t you?”
Landon doesn’t answer, only glares at me, and I know what he’s thinking. He told me to stay away from Parker, and here I am, doing the exact opposite.
He doesn’t even answer the question, his gaze swiveling straight to the boy.
“Did your grandma drop you off?” he asks evenly. Parker nods, eyes shifting between us. “I can drive you home.”
“Okay.”
Sorry, I mouth to Parker, gesturing to the cupcakes.
When Landon says, “I’ll meet you out front,” Parker wastes no time escaping the awkwardness, scurrying out of the room without a backward glance. I can’t say I blame him.
And then…and then Landon’s gaze snaps back to me. I pretend not to be rattled by the intensity of it, but boy, is it uncomfortable. Those dark eyes stare straight into my soul, and judging by the irked expression on Landon’s face, they’re unimpressed by whatever they see.
