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Shaking my head to clear the morbid thoughts, I concentrated on mixing the dough. The cookies had been one of the first things my mom had taught me to bake, and they’d always helped me wind down after an emotionally stressful day, which I’d had a lot of over the past year. By now, my roommates were used to me baking at four a.m., though I’d decided not to wait until then to bake this time. I hoped it wouldn’t be a problem for Scott. Could anyone ever dislike waking up to fresh cookies?
I poured the batter on the baking tray, topping them with more chocolate chips to make them extra chocolaty before sticking the tray into the oven. While the cookies baked, I cleaned up the mess I’d made.
“Is Luke baking again?” a voice I recognized called from the living room before a smiling head popped around the doorway.
“Hey, Brady!” I called, waving the spatula I’d been washing in greeting.
“Luke! I heard you’re leaving us. Whatever will I do without you around, honey pie?” Brady pouted as if to show me just how much he’d miss me.
Brady was a small man—almost a foot shorter than me—and his blond hair was short on the sides and falling to his forehead on the top, currently dyed baby pink at the tips. He was a whiz with makeup, which showed in the artfully applied mascara that brought out the green of his eyes. Simply put, Brady was a gorgeous man. I respected him a lot for everything he did for the charity and the way he ran his café, though he looked way younger than the twenty-seven he actually was because of his playful nature and that ever-present smile. He had a brightness about him that had charmed me from the moment I’d met him, especially since I’d been in such a dark place myself. Rather than staying a safe distance away, though, he’d helped me pull myself out of that darkness. Honestly, I believed he was my best friend but I’d never dare tell Angie that. It was a shame we weren’t each other’s type because Brady was definitely a guy I could trust. Not that I wanted to date anyone anytime soon.No, siree, that ship had long sailed.
I narrowed my eyes at him as I finished cleaning up and leaned against the counter. “Be honest. You’re going to miss my baking more than me, aren’t you?” He'd offered me a job at his coffee shop when I first came to Voice Out, but I'd declined because of how busy—not to mention full of strangers—it usually was.
Brady gasped, pressing a palm to his chest as his eyes twinkled in amusement. “You wound me. Of course, I’ll miss you more than your double chocolate, absolutely delicious cookies.”
I grinned at him, shaking my head. “That sounds legit. Will you be staying awhile? The cookies will be ready in half an hour.”
Brady gave me a thumbs up. “I’ll go check on Aanya and Jenny, see how they’re doing.”
“Sure thing.” As part of his volunteer duties, Brady had to check in on us once in a while to make sure we were all doing well since all of us had some or the other shit to deal with. It had been a year since I’d escaped my version of hell, and I felt like I was finally at a place where I could stand up on my own without needing the help of Mama D’s community. Though that didn’t mean I wouldn’t miss them, and I was glad they wouldn’t be too far away from my new place. I owed everything to them, and I knew there would still be times when I’d need their support. Mama D had assured me that I could ask her for help at any time, and I believed her.
As I was pulling out the trays and placing them onto the cooling racks, Brady stumbled back into the kitchen, eyes wide and cheeks flushed. I was immediately beside him, grabbing his arm. “What’s wrong?”
“Did you…” He swallowed hard before continuing, “Did you know that Jenny and Aanya are…”
“Dating?” I asked when he didn’t continue.
His cheeks flushed darker, and he managed to roll his eyes before replying, “That looked like way more than dating to me.”
It was then that I understood what he’d been trying to say, and I started laughing at his slightly horrified, slightly aroused look. Poor guy.
“I’ll make sure to tell them to close their door when they’re at it,” I said with a chuckle once I'd managed to stop laughing. “Did they see you?”
Brady shook his head vehemently. “I opened my mouth to call out to them. Then my eyes fell on...on what they were doing, and I whirled around and ran back here.”
“Aw, poor you. Sit down. I’ll make some tea, and then we’ll eat some soft, melted choco-chip cookies.”
Brady brightened as if someone had flipped a switch inside him and clapped his hands, completely forgetting his earlier embarrassment. “Perfect.”
Putting the kettle on, I turned to face him. “Will you visit me at my new place?”
Brady smiled softly at me. “Of course I will. But I’ll visit as friend-Brady, not volunteer-Brady. I don’t think you need him anymore, sweetie pie.”
His words warmed my heart, and I smiled. I knew I was up for this new chapter in my life, but it still felt good to have someone else confirm it. “Thanks. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Well, duh,” was his genius reply. Despite being such a warm and loving person, he lost all cool when the emotions were pointed in his direction. He was adorable.
Shaking my head, I poured the tea in two cups, his with a dash of cream and sugar like he preferred. I plated some still-gooey and warm cookies and took the whole thing to the tiny dining table Brady sat at.
As we ate, we talked about the café. His café was his second baby, the first being his annoyingly cheerful dog, Cherry. He’d discovered Voice Out from one of his part-time employees, and now he only employed kids under the charity’s care and spent all his free time helping Mama D. Back when I’d first met him, I’d asked him why he helped out at the charity when he had nothing to gain, especially since he was already so busy running his café. He’d just smiled at me and told me that he did it because he knew not everyone in the community got acceptance as easily as he had from his parents, and he hoped to give that love and care to kids who hadn’t found the same with their own parents. It was at that moment that I’d realized we were going to be the best of friends.
After we’d finished our tea and almost all of the cookies I'd served, Jenny and Aanya drifted into the kitchen, probably following the warm cookie fragrance.
“Oh, hey, Brady!” Jenny smiled as she spotted Brady, giving him a half hug.
Brady barely stopped himself from choking on his cookie and sputtered, coughing as he tried to dislodge the piece of cookie he’d swallowed.
I bit my lip to keep from smiling and looked at Jenny with a raised brow. “Maybe lock your door next time before you go at it, huh?”
