"We should bring some of your clothes over here," I said from my vantage point on the bed, admiring the sight of her curvy figure walking around my bedroom, every so often bending over to pick up an article of clothing.
"I can't just move into your brothers' house," she said, horrified.
"Hey, this is partially my house," I sniffed. "It's owned by a trust, and I sit on the board."
Hazel looked at the ripped shirt in her hands. "What am I going to wear? I can't go home like this!"
"You're leaving now?" I asked, sitting up. "What about breakfast?"
"We just had it."
"What about second breakfast?" I asked, swinging my legs over the bed and walking over to her to wrap my arms around her, running my hands over her naked body. "I can make you some of those phallic pancakes."
"I'd like to see you try!" She laughed. "You'd splash batter over everything."
"Hazel, I'm offended. All my batter remains firmly in the condom."
She rolled her eyes. "You're the worst."
I handed her one of my shirts, and she pulled on the pants she had worn when she came over yesterday morning. I smirked to myself as she dressed.
She turned, eyebrow raised. "Do I even want to know what you're thinking?"
"We've had sex twice in two days now," I said with a grin. "We should make it every day for the rest of our lives."
A broad smile bloomed on her face. I couldn't help but scoop her up in my arms to kiss her, swinging us around slowly.
"Come on. I'll make you breakfast," I said. I took Hazel downstairs through the back staircase that led into the kitchen. Josie was there, staring into the fridge.
"This is awkward," Hazel said after a moment.
"I am the queen of awkward," Josie replied.
"I'm making breakfast," I said proudly.
Josie looked a little worried.
"How about," Hazel said, "I cook, and you help? Do people here like eggs benedict?"
Hazel had the militant precision of a woman who had spent years working in food service. Even Josie was impressed.
"You and Chloe should hang out. She's putting a store in Harrogate."
"Uh-huh," Hazel said as she snapped the ends off the asparagus and coated them in olive oil, salt, and pepper. "Her store is going in right next to mine."
"You're going to be neighbors!" Josie said in excitement.
"Yeah, neighbors." Hazel filled a pan with English muffins and toasted them in the oven. She checked on them periodically as she made poached eggs in several large pots of boiling water. A literal vat of hollandaise sauce was on the counter, and I stood at a griddle, babysitting the Canadian bacon because, in the words of Hazel, it was literally impossible to screw up.
"I'm a little put out," Josie said.
"Sorry," Hazel said. "I don't mean to take over your space."
"I didn't mean it like that," Josie said. "I just—" She looked around the kitchen. "It's like a military operation."
"I'm used to cooking for a large number of people," Hazel explained. The asparagus went into the oven at high heat.
"So am I, but I'mneverthis organized," Josie said, making pitchers of mimosas.
