She turned her head to the side and looked at the spot where Grey had laid the night before, idly wondering why in the hell Grey had not woken her up. Her gaze landed on a folded note sitting proudly on Grey’s pillow, and she smiled as she reached for it. There was a grinning narwhal drawn on the front flap, its pale blue body a perfect complement to its rainbow-colored horn, and Lauren’s smile widened as she opened the note to see what Grey had written on the inside.
Good morning, beautiful. You looked so peaceful sleeping that I just didn’thave the heart to wake you. Don’t worry about breakfast—I took care of it. Cheerios for everybody!
Just kidding… I’m going to make pancakes. There will be a plate keeping warm in the oven for you whenever you’re ready.
~G
Lauren sighed and reread the note, both loving and hating the way her heart fluttered at the words written in Grey’s tidy scrawl. The unease that had settled in her stomach the night before returned as she ran the pad of her index finger over the G at the bottom of the page, and her pulse sped as she remembered the way Grey had looked when she came undone beneath her. Even now, hours later and alone in Grey’s bed, the memory filled her with such affection for the brunette that she knew her decision to give in to her desire for Grey was the only one she could have possibly made.
Though, she was sure, it would end up to be precisely the wrong one when it was time for her to return to her life in New York.
She rolled out of bed and slipped into her clothes from the night before, making sure to take Grey’s note with her as she ducked across the hall to her cabin to shower and dress for the day. Once she was presentable, Lauren made her way up to the salon. She smiled and waved at the twins, who were sprawled across the couch with their tablets playing Minecraft, and nodded hello to Kim, who was sitting at one of the barstools. Grey was standing beside the sink, leaning against the counter and chatting with Kim, and Lauren’s breath caught in her throat at the smileGrey shot her. “Good morning,” she murmured, a light blush creeping up her neck at the feeling of Kim’s eyes on her.
“Hey sleepyhead,” Grey teased.
Lauren rolled her eyes as she brushed past Grey to get to the coffee machine. “Yeah. I know. Sorry about that.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Kim said, brushing off the apology with a wave of her hand. “We managed just fine on our own.”
“Grey makesawesomechocolate chip pancakes!” Max and Peyton chimed in.
Lauren arched a brow and looked at Grey, who was grinning proudly and giving the boys two thumbs up for their support. “Good to know. Maybe I’ll let her wake up early every morning to cook and I’ll just sleep in.”
“Yeah, nice try,” Grey retorted, her eyes twinkling with amusement as she turned back to Lauren. The urge to take Lauren into her arms and kiss her good morning was nearly overwhelming, and she cleared her throat softly as she jammed her hands into her pockets. “Pancakes are the extent of my culinary prowess when it comes to breakfast food.”
“Damn,” Lauren muttered, just loud enough for Grey and Kim to hear. She laughed along with them as she prepped her coffee, busying her hands with the simple task so that she did not reach for Grey. Beyond the fact that she did not know how the Muellers would react to the idea of her and Grey being together, she found the idea of flaunting it to be entirely unprofessional. But that did not stop her fingers from itching to take Grey’s hands into her own.
She wanted something deeper and more meaningful than playful banter. Be it a simple hug that started too tight and melted into something softer, or a kiss that held some small fraction of the tenderness they had shared, she craved some sign that the connection she had felt with Grey the night before had been real.
The subtle darkening of Lauren’s eyes did not escape Grey’s attention, and she nodded minutely, assuring Lauren with a look that she was feeling the same thing. But, no matter how much Grey wished otherwise, now was not the time for the things she really wanted to do, and she instead focused her attention on trying to keep things between them light and playful. “So—” she drawled, tipping her head at the oven where, as promised, a stack of pancakes was being kept warm for Lauren, “—you want to try my awesome pancakes?”
Kim, who had been watching Grey and Lauren with a small, knowing smile curling her lips, laughed. “Yeah, she would,” she muttered before Lauren could answer for herself. Her eyes went wide as Grey and Lauren turned to her, shock clearly written on their faces, and she groaned. “I said that out loud, didn’t I?”
“I…” Lauren frowned and shook her head. “How?”
Kim shrugged and offered the couple a small smile. “Well, I mean, come on. Itispretty obvious. The looks, the touches, the way you both seem to gravitate toward each other…” She chuckled at their matching surprised expressions. “You two just have really great chemistry.”
Lauren bit her lip and became intensely interested in the floor as Grey gaped at their guest. Out of everything she had expected to happen that morning, waking up alone and being called-out on what she and Grey were doing together had not even made the list.
Grey cleared her throat uncomfortably. “Okay…?” she replied, her brows scrunching together and setting deep creases in her forehead.
Kim nodded and leaned back in her chair. “Of course. I mean, I get that some people are assholes—”
The twins, who had been ignoring the adult conversation up until that point, looked up and pointed at their mother with triumphant grins. “Dollar!”
“Shit,” Kim muttered.
“That’s another one!” Peyton pointed out gleefully as he high-fived his brother.
Kim smiled sheepishly at Grey and Lauren. “The boys got in trouble at school for repeating some of my more colorful language, so we made a deal that they have to give me a dollar if I hear them swear, and vice-versa. Little monsters are making out like bandits,” she added under her breath. “I’ll pay you guys later,” she told the boys in a louder voice.
“Yeah!” Max cheered.
“We’re going to the pirate beach today, right?” Peyton added, looking expectantly at Grey.
Grey nodded, grateful for the change in conversation. “Absolutely, buddy.”
“And you’ll show us skull rock?” Peyton pressed.
