My shoulders relaxed, realizing we weren’t going to be alone much longer. Finn’s jaw tightened when he saw his friends, which I found strange. He was usually as relieved as I was to have them interrupt our alone time. I forgot about his change in demeanor as soon as Lincoln greeted me by taking my sponge. He grabbed my hand, urging me to spin around once. I laughed at the impromptu dance session when he dipped me. Henrik looked equally impressed and offered applause as he told us he was making us pancakes.
“You shouldn’t be up this early, sunshine. Let alone cleaning.” Lincoln chucked the sponge into the sink. It made a sad smack when it hit the steel.
“It’s kind of my job,” I reminded him with a smile.
“Take a break. This place is in pretty good shape,” Henrik insisted while unloading the pancake supplies from the refrigerator. He was cooking them from scratch. My stomach grumbled in excitement.
“We shouldn’t get in her way,” Finn said, voice firm with warning.
“We’re not. We’re helping by entertaining.” Lincoln picked up a barstool for me and placed it next to where Finn stood at the island. I plopped down at Lincoln’s insistence. “It’s Murder Mystery Saturday. Remember?”
My forehead wrinkled. Finn shook his head like he didn’t want to hear another word.
“Murder Mystery Saturday?” I asked.
Finn brought a stool to sit beside me. He took up so much space that I could feel the heat of his body against my arm. And to think, he’d been even closer than this last night. He’d been touching me last night.
I kept my eyes trained on Lincoln and Henrik, doing my best to ignore the cartwheels in my stomach. Why did he have to be shirtless for this long? Didn’t his parents ever teach him manners? And why was he sticking around? He never stuck around for long when his friends gave him a decent excuse to leave.
“Lincoln fancies himself a mystery writer,” Henrik explained as he organized his ingredients. “Most of us weren’t allowed to watch TV in the mornings as kids. So, instead of Saturday cartoons, we got Murder Mystery Saturdays. Lincoln was always the host. Kids in our neighborhood ate it up.”
“You’re going to love this,” Lincoln insisted as he lifted himself onto the counter and pulled out his phone. “Should I wait for Sammy?”
“Just wake him,” Henrik said.
Finn shook his head. “Let him rest. He needs it.”
Lincoln snorted. “Oh, I’m sure he does.”
“And miss bacon with a side of nonsense?” Sam leaned against the kitchen’s entrance. Like Finn, he was shirtless. Unlike Finn, he wore an untied bathrobe that covered most of his upper body.
“Never.” Sam retrieved a vape from his pocket. The air smelt of weed as he shuffled past Finn and me, asking Henrik to put him to work.
“Alright, are we playing teams, or is everyone a part of the same precinct this time?” Lincoln questioned with an excited grin.
“Wait, I’m confused.” I held up my hands for him to pause. “I thought you were telling a ghost story or something.”
“Nope. Murder Saturday is where I describe a fictional murder or disappearance. I give you all the clues and you guys have to solve it before we finish eating,” Lincoln explained. “It’s like dinner theatre but for breakfast.”
Sam blew out a small cloud of smoke. “If we don’t solve it, he gets to ask for a favor from the losers.”
“Which is why I never lose,” Henrik explained. “You should be on my team, Naomi.”
I laughed when he winked.
“Hey, don’t try to charm your way into getting a new member. It’s not fair,” Sam protested. “Let her decide on her own that the superior team would be my team because I have the most experience.”
This earned him a snort from Finn.
“What do we get if we win?” I asked.
“Same thing. A favor from whoever you choose.” Sam smiled, looking as if he had something devious planned. “They can’t refuse.”
“You don’t have to play.” Finn’s voice made me tear my gaze away from the guys. There was a surprising gentleness in his tone. “It’s a silly game.”
Sam chuckled. “Says the guy who took extensive notes last time we played.”
“It’s wise to keep track,” Finn said. “Lincoln likes to lie, and he’s barely good at it.”
