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Chapter 12: Lilah
We hit the side door of Olive Branch Bakery and a wave of delicious air hits us from the kitchen. The mixed-up aroma of sourdough baguettes, sugary cupcakes, buttery pastries and fresh coffee wash over me. I swear to god, even the air has calories in the bakery.
We scrub up, put on our chef coats and aprons, and get to work. The bakery is Olive's baby. She's the one who went to culinary school, and she's the one who runs day-to-day operations. Part of me loves working with her and not having to be in charge. I'd rather be the number two (or three) and have the freedom to do whatever else I want.
We have a light prep list of sugar flowers, baking a few cakes and whipping up a metric shit-ton of vanilla buttercream. We've been working ahead to make sure the bakery is fully stocked now that tourist season is creeping up on us.
Olive is hyper-focused for most of the morning, but once we get to the sugar flowers, she starts to relax a little. We tag-team them: I roll out the gum paste and cut the petals, Olive ruffles the edges and builds the flowers on their wires, hanging them to dry on the little rack in front of us.
We work quietly, and I can tell Olive is turning something over and over in her head. She drops a flower and swears as she throws it in the trash. She clears her throat. "In the spirit of honesty, I feel like I should tell you to give this Ben guy a chance."
I give her a quelling look. "He's all emotion-y. If it was just sex, I would have jumped his bones already, but he wants to date. He keeps trying to get to know me."
"Oh, heaven forbid!" Olive mocks me. "You know that I don't think most guys are worth the time or energy they require. But... I can tell you like him. You always assume things will go to shit, but maybe this guy is worth giving a shot. Not all men are deadbeats like Dad."
I snort derisively. "I know that. I just think it's stupid to date my neighbor. How can I avoid him when things go wrong?"
"Aha! See! You're doing it right now! Maybe just this once you can try dating someone without planning for the worst."
I want to be mad at my sister. I want to argue with her and tell her she's wrong, but there's a tiny niggling thought in the back of my brain when I think about the way Ben touched me. He kissed me like I was the air he needed to breathe. I can still feel his massive hand sliding up my bare thigh.
If I hadn't bolted out of his house, I could have spent the morning exploring his abs with my tongue instead of dealing with car trouble. But then I remember the way he made me tremble with need; the desperation he brought out in me. Ultimately, isn't that what makes him dangerous? Everything about him is addictive, and I have the distinct feeling that he would be nearly impossible to walk away from.
Olive waves a hand in front of my face. "Oh my god, don't fantasize about him right now! We were having a conversation!"
"I'm not!"
"You're a terrible liar. Anyway, Brooks and I want you to invite Ben to dinner at your house next week. You're already making us dinner, what's one more person?"
"Excuse me? You invited yourselves over for a housewarming dinner and I agreed to cook for the two of you, but I did not agree to host a double date in my new house. You can't just demand I invite Ben."
"It's more of a request than a demand," Olive says with a grin.
"No." I tell her. "Hard pass." I will not voluntarily create a situation where I have to fight down my unbearable sexual attraction to Ben while my sister and future brother-in-law watch.
"Lilah," a soft voice comes from the front of the kitchen. Allison, the barista, is poking her head around the corner. "Lukas is up front." She disappears and I sigh with relief as I strip off my gloves and toss them in the trash. I hate being without my Jeep.
Lukas is hanging out in the dining room of the cafe. It's late afternoon and the tables are mostly empty. I expect the big smiles Lukas usually has for me, but he's got a tight, worried look on his face and he's fidgeting with my keys. He tries to smile, but it just makes him look more pinched than before.
"That is not a good face," I try to tease him. I'm used to that look on Asher. He's the worrier, not Lukas.
"Hey Ladybug, can you come outside with me? I need you to look at this real quick."
Now I'm really worried. My brothers only use my nice nickname when something is really wrong. I follow him out front where he already has the hood up on my car.
"Look at this," he says, pointing at the battery posts and the cables connecting to them.
I put my hands on my hips and look at the battery like I know anything about cars. One of the benefits of having two mechanics for brothers is that I've never actually needed to learn anything about cars. I'm sure I'm capable and could learn but they've been happy to do every oil change, brake job and car repair I've needed. It also serves to fulfill Asher's need to look out for the rest of us. Who am I to take that away from him?
"Yes, I see," I say seriously. "Unless I'm mistaken, that appears to be a car battery."
Lukas rolls his eyes. "Don't be a smart ass," he says and points at the cables again. "Look right here. I replaced these last year because the old ones were corroded. Remember?" I nod, because it sounds familiar. "Did you mess with these cables at all?" he asks.
I am super confused. "No... we didn't even attach the jumper cables. It started up before we connected anything. Why?"
Lukas runs a hand through his long hair, his brows drawn together so hard it looks uncomfortable.
"You're stressing me out," I tell him. I give him a smack on the chest just to make my point.
