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"Excellent in bed, too," Elara added, batting her eyelids at me.
I had a dark impulse to tug the cord of her apron, rip off those pesky clothes and fuck her while she put the finishing touches on the caramel tart.
"Amazing chef, good father," I continued.
"Modest."
"Oh, that's right! I forgot! I am modest."
I scooped a spoonful of Chantilly cream—don't ask me how I know what that is—into a piping bag and passed it to Elara.
"And you know how to handle your cream like a pro,” she said. “Now, I should really wait for this to cool completely, but I'm gonna have to push my luck." With expert precision, she dotted rosettes around the tart's edge before carefully transferring it to the fridge. "Great. We got away with it. Okay, is that it? Anything else to do?"
Elara scooted over to a whiteboard we'd installed. There was a list of tasks, almost all of which had been checked off.
Make caramel tarts.
Dust icing on apple pie.
Fill cannolis.
Bake sourdough.
Take out the croissants!!!.
Vegan brownies.
Gluten-free brownies.
BROWNIES BROWNIES BROWNIES.
Don’t forget cream on caramel tart.
"I think we're done!" she said, ticking off the final item. "Now, we just wait for the hungry masses."
Right on cue, pounding sounded from the front of the store. Elara frowned. "We don't open for an hour . . .”
"Hmm," I said. "I've got a feeling I know who it is."
I had a hunch. Heading to the door, I found Ethan and the girls, their faces smushed against the glass—which I had spent hours polishing the day before—doing their best to look like a group of starving pigs.
"We want cupcakes!" Lexi, Rhea, and Ava chanted in unison.
“Sorry,” called Ethan, “I couldn’t hold them off any longer!”
Elara unlocked the door and knelt down, letting the girls hug her senseless. "My helpers are finally here!"
Along with the girls and Ethan, Anthony bounded into the bakery. Elara gave him a big hug, and did her best to get him settled in the corner, on a pillow she'd prepared for him.
"We don't actually have to help, do we?" Lexi asked warily.
"Only with quality control," Elara assured her.
“Thanks for watching the girls, man,” I told my brother.
“Don’t sweat it,” he said. “I know we made that dumb bet, but I’m genuinely happy to help you out. I’d have done it for you even without a bet.”
“Well, let me know anytime you want me to return the favor. I know the girls would love to have Ava over for a sleepover.”
