Page 104 of A Taste of Vanilla

He doesn’t agree with that. Instead, the silence grows even more heavy.

For a moment, neither of us moves.

Then Marley calls, “I swear to God, if you two are bonding over muffins, I’m calling Dad and telling him Warren has premarital feelings.”

His face goes flat. “Our father does not care.”

“He would if I made it weird enough.”

Warren looks at me like this is somehow my fault, and I smile weakly.

With a final huff, the large man standing in my kitchen looks around. “I’ll leave,” he says quietly, more like he’sreminding himself of something he has to do rather than informing me.

Something in me sinks.

Marley appears. “You need to come back later though.”

I blink. “Why?”

Marley takes a bite of croissant. “Because I asked him to stop by here and help with your oven. It’s possessed.”

I turn to her. “She’s not possessed.”

“It’s uneven,” Warren says.

“That’s not possession.”

Marley takes another bite. “I also may have mentioned that your production system is chaos.”

I stare at her.

She smiles around the pastry. “Friendship includes honesty.”

“Friendship includes betrayal, apparently.”

“You slept with my brother. We’re even.”

I bite my lip. “Fair.”

Warren looks between us, then back at the oven.

“I can look at it later.”

“No,” is all I can manage.

Marley rolls her eyes. “Yes, come by at the end of the day.”

“No,” I repeat.

Warren looks at me. “You don’t have to accept help.”

I throw my hands up. “Good.”

“But the oven is still uneven.”

I glare at him, heat growing in my belly. “Stop seducing me with appliance criticism.”

Silence.