Tell me what to do?
You’ll actually attempt to make it?
Well… I mean… I’ll try.
Great, let’s call the Lake Spark fire department while we're at it.
See? This isn’t so bad… talking.
It’s texting.
So agreeable.
You almost had me sending the secret recipe. I mean, you love secrets.
Igrowl at our text conversation from earlier today. He never responded after that, but it doesn’t matter, because here I am in Piper’s kitchen whisking a cheese sauce. I faltered halfway through the text conversation, got in my car half an hour later, and drove up to Lake Spark.
“Remind me again why you are here instead of the house next door?” Piper throws a thumb over her shoulder as she twirls on the stool at the kitchen island in her home.
“That would mean extra time with his eyes on me, and I’m just going to drop this off and get right back into my car.” I whisk with more aggression.
Piper snorts a laugh. “You drove all the way up here to deliver macaroni and cheese, don’t tell me you don’t want to hear him out.”
I grab a casserole dish. “You know what he did.” There is scorn in my voice.
She shakes her head in astonishment at me. “I see it more as he tricked you, not exactly lied. He was able to do that because you let him lead the way, and you didn’t seem that bothered about the video.”
“Because he was taking care of it.”
“And you felt safe enough for him to do so, there was trust already there.”
“It’s not about the video,” I acknowledge and pour cooked pasta into the oven dish. “It’s the concept of lying.”
Piper slams her hands down on the counter. “Yet here you are because I think you want to hear him out and are using macaroni and cheese as an excuse.”
“Hadley is probably starving because Spencer is incapable of cooking,” I justify and point a wooden spoon at Piper.
“Fine, since you are doing this all in the name of the kiddo, I’ll deliver the macaroni and cheese.” She’s testing me.
I shrug my shoulder and stare at my creation. “I mean, I should do it. I need to explain the re-heating instructions.”
“Really? So youwillsee him and talk?”
Growling a sound as I grab the box of crackers, I admit defeat. “I’ll give him exactly thirty seconds.”
“You can do a lot in thirty seconds,” she deadpans.
I throw her a warning glare and begin to crumble crackers over the top.
“Are you actually adding cheesy crackers to the dish?” Piper seems mortified.
“Yes, it adds texture and flavor.”
Piper seems to shudder with slight disgust, and she attempts to reach across the counter to grab my hand, but we're too far apart. “April, you’ve been happy. At least talk, I know you want to, otherwise you wouldn’t have gotten in your car at the speed of light.”
“I want to be stubborn, thank you very much.” Placing the dish into the oven, I set the timer and then wipe my hands together in accomplishment.
“You’re both bickering, not fighting. I understand where you are coming from, but it’s not about what happened, it’s about where you end up.”
