Also, perhaps I needed to check my wiring. I’d never had a problem with electricity in this building, but it always paid to be careful.
Barnaby straightened slowly, still coughing but breathing normally. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I always do this, I ruin everything—”
“You’re fine.” Brok squeezed his shoulders, firm and reassuring. “You’re okay. That’s what matters. Just slow down next time.”
“I ruined the whole tasting.” Misery colored every word, making him sound younger than he was.
“You didn’t ruin anything.” Brok guided him back onto the stool with careful hands, treating him like something precious that might break if handled too roughly. “Sit down. Drink some water. Slow sips. We’re not ina hurry.”
He handed over the water glass, then watched Barnaby take a small drink with complete focus. His jaw was tight, shoulders still tense even though the crisis had passed.
I watched him hover over Barnaby and noticed things I hadn’t paid attention to before. He loomed over Barnaby, but not in a suffocating way. Almost… protective.
Amidst all the chaos of Barnaby’s diet, I hadn’t really understood his reasoning. But now I did.
“You really take care of him.” The words came out before I could stop them.
Brok’s hand stilled on Barnaby’s back. “He’s my brother.”
“I know. But still… It’s nice to see.”
It was. Before, he’d been a hot bodybuilder and I’d wanted to prove him wrong and help Barnaby. Now… Well, I couldn’t help but feel there was something more to him than just that. Than… looks.
Brok’s ears went red again, the color spreading down his neck. He pulled his hand back from Barnaby’s shoulder like he’d been caught doing something embarrassing instead of something kind. “Someone has to make sure he doesn’t choke on his own enthusiasm.”
“Hey,” Barnaby protested weakly, but he was smiling now. “I have some self-preservation instincts. Just not very many. And they don’t work particularly well around chocolate.”
“Clearly not.”
“He’s lucky to have you looking out for him.” I meant it completely, every word.
Barnaby nodded, and he looked almost as enthusiastic as he did about my truffles. “I am. Very lucky.”
The sound of a phone echoed in the kitchen, shattering the moment. Brok reached into his pocket and glanced at the screen.
I didn’t know why, but I found it rather strange to see him hold a device. It looked almost dwarfed in his massive hand, as if he would crush it then and there.
He stepped toward the back door, phone already pressed to his ear. “What?”
I couldn’t hear the other end of the conversation, but I watched his shoulders tense with annoyance rather than alarm. His jaw tightened. He rubbed his free hand over his face in obvious frustration. “When?” A pause while he listened, his frown deepening with each passing second. “I’m busy. You know that.”
The person on the other end of the line said something else. Brok grimaced. “Fine. I’ll see what I can do.”
He ended the call, and the phone disappeared back into his pocket. “I’m sorry, Hazel, but we need to go. Work meeting.”
“Now?” Barnaby looked genuinely disappointed, his gaze drifting longingly toward the box of remaining power bites. “But we just got here. Can’t we stay a little longer? I wantedto—”
Brok shot him a look, and Barnaby’s mouth snapped shut. Clearly, he didn’t want his brother to get in trouble at work.
I didn’t, either, but that didn’t mean I was willing to let today’s meeting go to waste. I grabbed a bakery box from under the counter and quickly filled it with a dozen power bites, my hands moving on autopilot. “Here. Take these with you.”
Barnaby smiled at me, his big eyes barely visible from behind his cocoa-stained glasses. Brok just bowed, an almost too-formal gesture that made my stomach flutter. “Thank you, Hazel. I’ll be in touch about picking up more.”
With that, he took the box, already herding Barnaby toward the door. Then they were gone, disappearing into the darkness outside. Through the window, I watched them head down the sidewalk toward wherever they’d parked.
All the while, I couldn’t stop thinking about that gap between who Brok tried to be and who he actually was. The stubborn trainer who’d spent an hour rejecting perfectly good desserts for crimes like ‘tasting too good’. The terrified brother who’d moved faster than physics should allow, just to save his helpless sibling.
With every moment that passed, Brok became even more interesting. And despite my best attempt to stay professional, I couldn’t keep myself from wanting him.
