With his mind and body back under control, Seth checked out Mara again. Checked, not checked out. He needed his brain under control.
Chaos Machine had her phone out, probably texting Kimi.
Amber sat at the table nearby, watching the animals.
Gray appeared at Seth’s side. He hadn’t even noticed his friend crossing the room.
Gray’s grin held all kinds of questions. He kept his voice low, but Seth could hear the laughter. “You definitely had an interesting morning. You seem a little flushed. Think you’re coming down with something?”
He glared at his buddy, which only made his grin widen.
Seth glanced at the women again. Okay, he glanced at Mara, who still sat on the floor. “Shut it, Claus.”
Gray chuckled softly. “Will do. I thought I’d seen sparks flying between you two.”
“How’s Amber feeling these days?”
Another chuckle told him that his buddy knew he was distracting him, and he would let him. “She’s still a little queasy some mornings, although she’s hoping she’s near the end of that. I’m going to make her tea.”
“I worked with a pregnant sous-chef once. She said crackers and dry toast helped. Whole wheat was best for her. Bananas and rice, too. I’ll make up a batch of rice and put it in a container in the fridge. That way, you’ll have access to something bland if she can’t keep other things down. She kept the crackers by her bed and ate a few before getting up. Said it helped.” Damn, he needed to shut up.
Gray slapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks, man. I’ll try that, too.”
Thankfully, that turned the attention away from him and Chaos Machine.
It was an appropriate nickname. His system had devolved into chaos at the first touch of her lips. She was bold and bright.
He wanted to kiss her again.
Instead, he chopped onions, carrots, and celery with gusto.
He left the ingredients on the cutting board for now. If Amber’s stomach was delicate this morning, the aroma of roasting vegetables might make it worse. He didn’t need to start the soup yet.
Mara looked up with a smile. “Kimi said she could look at Fritter this morning. She’s heading out on calls in the afternoon.”
He nodded. “I’ll drive you once I’ve finished the prep here.”
Gray chuckled behind him as he took the kettle off the stove. Seth gritted his teeth and came up with a plausible reason for Mara not to drive herself. “It’ll be easier if you can hold him on the way. Don’t want him bouncing around the vehicle and distracting you from the road.”
Yeah, that didn’t sound any less obvious.
Mara flushed as she smiled. “Thanks. That sounds perfect. I’ll just throw together some dough for rolls. It can rise while we’re gone.”
Gray grinned. “Rolls and focaccia. It’s going to be a delicious meal.” Which meant he knew Mara hadn’t started the bread prep.
Mara blinked as she rose from the floor. She’d been absorbed in the cat and hadn’t noticed what Seth was doing earlier. Her eyes roved the counter, and then she smiled. “We thought it would be good to have options.”
Gray laughed outright at that one. “Options are good.” Then his asshole friend took mugs of tea over to where Amber sat at the table.
After another glance at the animals, Mara washed her hands at the sink. As soon as she moved close to him, his body reacted.
“Thanks for starting the focaccia. Do you think I blew our cover story?”
She’d kept her voice low, but her smile told him she wasn’t particularly worried about a cover story.
He grinned. “Options are good. We want to test out as many recipes as possible before the guests arrive on the weekend.”
She grinned and grabbed another bowl for her dough.
