My cell phone buzzed and vibrated on the counter. It couldn’t be much earlier than six in the morning, but phone etiquette was tossed out the window since working directly for Lon. I glancedat the screen, set the coffee cup on the counter, and answered the phone while adjusting the heat for the bacon.
“Good morning.”
“Hey, Dash,” Penny said. Lon’s pretty, smart as a whip assistant sounded ready to tackle the day this Sunday morning. Lon and Penny had worked side-by-side for more years than I knew. She technically worked for me as well, but what did you call an assistant who regularly had the answers before you knew to ask the question? I’d learned a lot from her as well.
“Hey,” I said, wedging the cell between my shoulder and chin while popping open the biscuit container and arranging the dough on the sheet pan.
“Lon’s curious if you genuinely intend to take the day off, and if so, are you prepared for court tomorrow morning?” she asked, referencing the case Lon dumped on me last week.
“Yes to both questions. If Beau has plans for today, you might catch me for a couple of hours this afternoon.”
“Lon wants me to emphasize that this is your vacation for this year.”
I chuckled, fully aware of his seriousness. “Got it.”
“This part’s from me: Taking off to be with your guy? I’m really proud of you,” she said. “He’s awfully patient with you.” I turned the bacon, appreciating her words and all her help with birthdays, anniversaries, and holiday gifts. She spoke Beau’s love language so well, making me look great during those events.
“Yeah. He needs some love and convincing to stay with me. I’m having to refresh my breakfast-making skills. I probably should’ve ordered in. I feel like I’m fucking this up.”
The laughter she gave was definitely humor at my expense. “Concentrate, I’ll let Lon know. Bye.”
I tossed the phone on the counter and flipped the bacon pieces sizzling in the pan. Once I felt confident that we were on the way to perfectly cooked bacon, I started cracking open theeggs. Beau liked them scrambled, or at least he used to. The whisking part of the eggs took a minute before I dumped them into another skillet.
“What’re you doing?” Beau asked huskily, startling the shit out of me at a crucial moment of keeping the eggs moving in the pan while flexing my ambidextrous skills to remove the bacon. Even with everything I had going, I managed to push the Keurig start button to begin Beau’s morning cup of coffee.
“I took the day off with the hope of spending it with you. My plan was to surprise you with breakfast in bed. But my culinary skills are rusty. We’ll see how it turns out,” I said, only then remembering the cheese. Dammit.
“Let me help. I’m in here all the time,” Beau said, giving a long jaw-cracking yawn. I didn’t deny his help. The biscuits weren’t even in the oven yet. He took care of that oversight first thing.
“This is your coffee.”
Beau reached around, placing a kiss on my cheek. “Is the milk out to make gravy?”
“Yes, but that might be a more significant challenge than I’m ready for.”
Beau’s mom had spent time with us years ago, teaching Beau and I how to make the homemade country gravy that Beau enjoyed. I hadn’t made it since.
“Let me.” Like a pro, he went through the steps, eyeing how much flour and milk to use rather than using any measuring device. I picked up my cup and leaned against the counter, sipping and watching Beau work. Of course, I noticed a difference in our relationship. Neither one of us depended on the other to get through the days. I attributed that to growth and maturity. But right now, I sensed our old bond sliding back in place.
I chided myself for not making more time for my guy since he was better than all the ice cream in the world. I smiled andsipped my coffee as I decided to take more ice cream breaks too. Ice cream on top of Beau’s sculpted body… Now, that was a treat that deserved all my attention. My gaze locked on his profile. With age and relationship time under our belts, Beau had grown more reserved, quieter. It took effort to extract his thoughts. He’d always been my toughest challenge.
“Do you have plans today?”
“No, not exactly. I had fishing in mind, but the weather isn’t great for it.” While he spoke, he continued stirring the gravy, never glancing at me. I wasn’t thrilled about that. “But we can go anywhere. I’m in.”
His enthusiasm bordered coma levels. “With as thrilled as you are, I must be lagging in my partner duties,” I said teasingly, taking another longer drink of my coffee and scooting closer to Beau.
“I’m barely awake and making the most delicious peppered country gravy you’ll ever eat in your life. Get the pepper grinder and keep grinding until I tell you to stop. Hurry, it’s beginning to thicken up.” Following his instruction, I felt like I added more pepper than there was gravy before Beau told me to stop. He removed the sauce from the heat and continued stirring. “I think the biscuits are done. Can you pull them out?”
We had switched roles. I’d been making breakfast for him. Now, he was preparing mine. I opened the oven door to see Beau’s sniffer was on point and pulled the sheet pan out. He held out a plate for me, and filled his own, right down to tearing the biscuits apart to top with a good helping of the pepper gravy.
“Where’re we eating?” Beau asked, grabbing the silverware then picking up his coffee cup.
“I thought we’d eat in bed, but how about by the window to watch the sunrise?”
“Perfect.” A few years ago, Beau purchased a small dinette and placed it by the large windows. I envisioned him sittingthere for any meal eaten in the house. He placed his plate and coffee down and went back to the kitchen to pour two small orange juices.
For the first few minutes, we sat in awkward silence. Him staring at me through the bites, then vice versa until I finally said, “I need to treat you better.”
