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Smiling he said, “Hey. So you’re the person behind this suspiciously fancy meal?”
Laughing she said, “No. I gave him the recipes and just supervised for the most part. He really did the work.”
Deacon poured them both some wine, grabbed Chris a beer, and they moved to the living room to sit down. Chatting for a few minutes, Sara asked, “So, who’s coming tonight?”
“A couple of Chloe’s friends from work that I know, and this guy she’s been seeing. He’s kind of a jackass, but she seems to like him well enough.”
Seeing a look flicker over Chris’s face, she raised an eyebrow. Interesting, she thought. It seems that Chris likes Deacon’s little sister. Idly, she wondered if Deacon had any idea.
Within the next thirty minutes, everyone had showed up, including Chloe. She seemed genuinely pleased to see Sara, so it felt a little less like she had crashed her birthday party.
They all sat down to dinner, which ended up being pretty amazing. Deacon had made the pork chop recipe, creamed spinach, and a fresh garden salad.
Dessert was the pièce de résistance. With Sara’s help, he’d made chocolate pot de crème garnished with fresh raspberry, mint, and homemade whipped cream.
Chloe kept thanking Sara profusely. She told her no less than ten times that Deacon had done most of the work. Finally believing her, Chloe had given Deacon a hug and declared him the best big brother of all time.
After Chloe had opened her gifts, Sara went into the kitchen to start some coffee. Chloe’s date was really starting to annoy her. Deacon got up, following her into the kitchen to help. Before the door to the kitchen could swing closed, he had her pressed up against the refrigerator, his mouth devouring hers.
A moment later, Chris laughed and said, “Sorry to interrupt your coffee making, but I’m going to head out. Thanks for the excellent dinner. I’m sure I’ll see you both soon.”
Sara was a little embarrassed but she laughed at his use of air quotes when he spoke about the coffee they had been making.
Deacon said, “You’re sure?”
Chris grimaced and said, “I’ve got a little bit of a headache. I’ve had it all day.”
Sara gave him a sympathetic glance and said, “Hope you feel better. It was nice to see you.”
Letting Deacon walk Chris out, she actually made the coffee. Chloe walked into the kitchen and said, “Sorry. I wanted to sneak a second to talk to you?”
Blinking, Sara said, “Sure. What’s up?”
Chloe said, “Thanks for helping Deacon with dinner. I doubt he’d have pulled it off without your help. He’s not terrible in the kitchen, but…everything was great.”
Smiling, Sara said, “Oh. It’s no problem. I thought it was a really sweet idea. I’m glad I could help.”
Chloe looked at her seriously for a moment and said, “He really likes you, ya know. Please don’t hurt him.”
Blinking again, not really sure what to say, Sara was grateful when Deacon came back into the kitchen.
Looking at them, he asked, “What’s up?”
“Girl talk,” Sara said, waving her hand dismissively.
Deacon looked skeptically at her, apparently not convinced, but didn’t say anything.
Grabbing a couple of the cups of coffee, he took them out into the living room. Grabbing two of the remaining cups, the sugar and the cream, Sara and Chloe followed.
Within the next hour, the party broke up, Chloe and her date being the last to leave. As soon as he shut the door, he said, “So, what were you and Chloe really talking about in the kitchen? You’re a horrible liar, Sara.”
Grimacing, she said, “I think I was being warned not to hurt you, but you interrupted.”
Shaking his head, he said, “Sorry about that. She means well.”
Nodding, Sara said, “I get it. It’s fine. By the way, did you realize Chris likes your sister?”
Deacon looked at her a moment and said, “Every once in a while I’ve gotten that impression but I thought I was imagining it. You think so?”
