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“Oh, well done.”
I carried the bowl over with a dessert spoon. “Now, carefully spoon the mixture into each one until they’re half full.”
“I know. I bake with Mrs. Berry. But not chocolate cakes. Stupid things like banana bread.” Olympia took the spoon from me and got started.
“Hey, I like banana bread.”
“Bananas don’t go in bread. That’s stupid.”
Alex frowned. “You don’t say that to Mrs. Berry, do you?”
“Of course not, Papa. I tell her it’s very yummy but I’m not hungry.” She stuck her tongue out of the side of her mouth as she meticulously spooned the batter into each case. She was surprisingly good at it—not a lot of it ended up on the tray itself, and I was impressed by her precision.
“Done!” She threw her arms up in the air, and the spoon caught the lip on the mixing bowl. Olympia gasped as the bowl flew up and coated her dress with the dark brown mixture. She jumped back with a shout, and I could only stare as Alex reached for the bowl to catch it but missed.
The bowl hit the floor, cracking along one side, and the remainder of the mixture flew across the tiles and splattered onto the cupboard doors.
“Oh, no,” Olympia whispered.
Alex pinched the bridge of his nose. “Olympia! Just when I thought it couldn’t get any messier in here.”
Her eyes widened, and she dropped her chin and looked at the floor.
“Hey,” I said, bending over and resting my hand on her arm. “But that’s why I said to be careful, isn’t it?”
She nodded, still looking at the floor.
Alex took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Go and get changed, please, and come back down to help us clean up the mess.”
“Okay,” she replied in a small voice, turning away.
“Hey.” Alex stopped her before she went past him. “I’m not angry, all right? But it’s another lesson for you in slowing down a little bit.”
She peered up at him. “Yes, Papa.”
“Addy will put those in the oven, and we’ll start cleaning, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Go get changed.” He patted her shoulder and watched her as she trotted off out of the kitchen.
Then he blew out another long breath.
“It’s just batter,” I replied. “It’s not like it’ll stain.”
He looked over at me with a wry smile. “How does this not bother you? It’s carelessness.”
“She’s not my child.” I laughed. “But that’s it. She’s a child. She won’t do it again, though.”
“I feel horrid making her clean it up.”
“Why? She has to tidy her room. Tidy the mud when she doesn’t take off her wellies. Pick up her clothes. Put her dishes in the sink.” I shrugged and picked up the trays. “Would you open the oven, please?”
He did that for me, and I slid the trays in. I shut the door and stood up right after, and I was right in front of him.
My mouth went dry. “I didn’t get a chance to thank you for bringing me a pot of tea this morning. Thank you.”
His lips twisted to one side as he met my eyes. “It’s fine. I figured you might be avoiding me, so I wanted to break the ice somehow.”
“Um.” I momentarily broke eye contact. “Maybe a little bit.”
“Adelaide, I don’t want things to be awkward between us,” he said in a low voice. “If you want to write off yesterday as a mistake and pretend nothing happened, we can do that.”
No.
I didn’t want to.
I wasn’t sure I could live here and pretend it didn’t happen.
Not now I knew how it actually felt to be with him.
“No,” I said quietly. “I don’t want to do that.”
“Thank God. I’m not sure I could.”
I brought a hand to my mouth to cover a laugh. “Then what now? I know you aren’t in the market for anything serious, and I don’t think I am, either. Besides, I go home at the end of the month.”
He looked at me for a moment before he nodded. “Yes, of course. On all counts.” He paused. “I don’t see why we can’t just enjoy each other’s company while time allows.”
“Like… no strings?” I raised my eyebrows. “You don’t strike me as the type for such a proposition, Your Grace.”
He half-grinned, and a playful twinkle brightened his eyes. “Hey, we can all step outside our comfort zone a little.” He reached out and pulled me closer to him, reaching up between us and cupping my chin. “I don’t see any harm in making an exception just…” He pressed his lips to mine. “This…” And again. “Once.” And again.
I melted into his touch, sliding my hands up the front of his body. His kiss was literally the thing my dreams were made of, and my entire body came to life when his teeth gently nipped my lower lip.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
“Someone’s coming!” I quickly stepped back, putting some space between us, and turned on the tap so I could pretend I was filling the sink to clean up.
