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Lauren clears her throat. “So what do you think, Dani?”
I jerk my head back toward her. Oh shit, I totally wasn’t listening.
“I’m sorry, I sort of zoned out. What were you saying?”
Kyler leans in and whispers in my ear, loud enough that everyone can hear, “Don’t worry, I block her out all the time too.”
Lauren focuses on me but lifts her middle finger in her brother’s direction. “I was saying that at the school where I work, we have a bake sale coming up, and I can’t bake for shit, but we hear you’re a goddess in the kitchen.”
My cheeks heat at the compliment. A goddess? I don’t know that I would go that far.
“I don’t think those were the words I used,” Kyler stutters.
“Oh you’re right, those weren’t the exact words. The exact words you used were, ‘She is a freakin’ goddess in the kitchen. Those cupcakes were literally the best thing I’ve ever tasted.’”
Kyler runs his hands over his face in embarrassment, but it earns a smile from me.
“So what do you say? Will you help us out?”
I think it over. Who am I kidding? A reason to bake and help kids? That is a no-brainer. “Of course, I’d love to help. I’ll give you my number and we can go over all the details. I look forward to it.” I turn to Kyler, who is chugging the rest of his beer. “And thank you.”
He seems to relax now that he knows his comment doesn’t bother me. I mean, one might think that would bother me but for some reason coming from him, it doesn’t.
Lauren backs her chair up. “Excuse me, I need to use the ladies’ room.”
Kate scoots her chair back as well and rises along with her sister.
Kyler turns to his sisters. “What, you two can’t go to the bathroom alone?”
Kate laughs. “Of course we can. I just thought you two would like some time alone—that’s all.” She winks and walks away to catch up with her sister. They lace their arms together and look back at the table. They are clearly up to something.
I take a sip of my water as the restaurant suddenly feels hotter.
“Look, I’m sorry about my sisters and their…”
“Directness? Abrasiveness? Lack of a filter?”
“Ha. Well, those are the polite ways to put it. I was going to say asshole behavior.”
I sigh. Does it bother him? Does he think it bothers me? “Oh, they’re fine, Ky. They’re just looking out for their little brother. It’s sweet.”
“It’s not sweet.” He chuckles. “They just love giving me a hard time. Been doing it since I was a kid.”
“Your mom must be a saint for dealing with the three of you.”
He smiles. I know that he cares about his mom a lot, and I’ve learned they have a weekly call every week to catch up—that’s sweet.
“You have no idea.”
“You do remember who my brother is, right? We’re only eleven months apart. I have a little idea as to what growing up in craziness is like.”
“Touché.” Kyler grips the back of his neck and I watch his bicep flex. “In all seriousness though, my mom seriously deserves a gold medal. I couldn’t even imagine raising twins.”
“And throw you into the mix, that poor lady.”
He clutches his chest. “Your words hurt.”
“Aww, poor baby, do you need a shoulder to cry on?” I push my shoulder in his direction. We both laugh at the comfortableness surrounding our conversation. I feel like I could talk to him about anything, even topics I’m not sure I would feel comfortable opening up to Haylee or Zach about.
