Harrison: ARLO
The shitheadwas lucky he was a two-hour flight away, otherwise, Harrison would be leaving Nova Scotia to kick his ass.
With his face burning, he threw the phone on the side table so he didn’t have to look at it anymore. Arlo had a chokehold waiting for him next time they saw each other.
Jett gasped, and glass shattered, disturbing any semblance of peace Harrison had left. He couldn’t do this—he was going fucking crazy.
He stood, and Jett began cursing and stuttering, pointing at him to keep him from coming over to inspect the damage.
“No! I got this.” Jett grabbed the broom and brandished it like a weapon. “I don’t need your help.”
Harrison ignored him. “When you start breaking my shit, you do. How are you such a mess, Fraser?”
He didn’t wait for the answer. He joined Jett in the kitchen and looked at the floor where the shattered remnants of a glass lay. What a fucking mess, and that was just the floor. One look at the counter told him that Jett had pulled every cooking utensil out of the cupboards. Hell, Harrison had no idea he owned so many pots.
“I’ll clean it,” said Jett. His cheeks were burning, and there were tears in his eyes. “I got distracted and knocked it off the counter with my elbow. I didn’t mean to.”
Harrison sighed. “Jett, I’ve seen you chirp, cuss and throw fists on the ice. Why the hell are you crying over broken glass?”
Jett’s bottom lip wobbled, and Harrison refused to be distracted by how plush and perfect it was because now was not the time. He had to save his kitchen before it hit the point of no return.
He put his hands on Jett’s shoulders and moved him away from the glass. “You’re not going to move from this spot until I say,” said Harrison. “Do you understand?”
The hazy expression that he liked entered Jett’s eyes, and he nodded.
“Good,” said Harrison, and he pried the broom from Jett’s hands and went to the front door to put on his rubber slides to protect his feet.
He took extra care sweeping the floor, but the glass had broken into large pieces, so it was easy to get all of it. When Harrison was sure it was safe, he put away the broom and went to work on the rest of the kitchen.
He closed all the open cupboards,allof them, and began filling the dishwasher with used and unused dishes. He had no idea what Jett had been making other than potatoes, and even those weren’t far along in the cooking process.
That was an understatement because they were in the sink to be washed, and that was as far as he got.
When everything was reorganized again, Harrison turned his attention back to the creator of the chaos and raised an eyebrow. “What the fuck were you doing to make all that noise when nothing has been cooked?”
Jett didn’t answer, but he gave Harrison a heartbroken frown that tugged on his heartstrings.
Alright. He couldn’t do this.
“Come over here and cut the potatoes. Can you do that while I…find something to go with them?”
“Yeah, sure.” Jett took the knife Harrison was holding out for him, ducking his head when he was given a stern frown. “I can cut potatoes. Jesus.”
“I won’t hold my breath,” said Harrison. He gave Jett a playful shove and left him to fend for himself so he could check the fridge.
Potatoes. Chicken? Chicken could work.
He no sooner stuck his head inside the fridge when Jett shouted, and the knife clattered to the floor. Harrison swerved around, eyes widening at the sight of blood streaming down Jett’s wrist and dripping into the sink over the potatoes.
“Fraser! Seriously?!”
“I’m sorry!” Jett hollered back. “I got distracted when you bent over, and then I cut my damn finger off.”
Harrison grabbed his hand to inspect it, but Jett still possessed all his fingers. He wasn’t sure about brain cells, but he was leaning toward no.
“Only you would injure yourself while checking out someone’s ass,” said Harrison, and he bent to lift Jett by his thighs and onto the counter before he could run. “There’s karma in this scenario, I’m sure.”
The extra height put Jett in the perfect position for them to see eye to eye, and Harrison became lost in golden lashes and soft, pink lips. During his scolding, he hadn’t realized he was standing between Jett’s spread legsand caging him against the counter with his arms until Fraser’s silence became too loud to ignore.
