AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Gleaming, professional-grade stainless steel appliances and flawless slabs of marble countertops. A large island with a prep sink on one side and a row of stools on the other dominated the middle of the space. Wide cabinets went up to the ceilings, and lower cabinets with drawers to the floor lined nearly every wall save for a small sunken eat-in table.
If she were going to sit down and design her dream kitchen, this one would be pretty close to perfect. She might tweak the layout a bit, put in a baker’s pantry where the shelves lined the far wall and add a double oven instead of the beautiful French range that sat behind the island.
She salivated over getting to bake in this kitchen and wondered what Aidan would say about building or renovating something like this wherever they ended up. Assuming they ended up anywhere.
His reaction when she’d asked him where they were going to live had twisted something sharp inside her. Something that told her if he’d been honest with her instead of quickly and expertly deflecting the question, she wouldn’t have liked his answer.
“You okay?” Evie asked, watching Viv with her hand on the fridge door.
“I…yes. Sorry. This kitchen is incredible.”
Evie glanced around the space and sent Viv a sheepish smile. “That’s what Libby always says. But since all I’m really capable of are pancakes and bacon, it’s kind of lost on me. You’re welcome to use it whenever you want.”
“Really?” Viv breathed.
Evie chuckled, pulling covered dishes from the fridge and setting them on the counter. “Really. The staff has Wednesdays and Sundays off, so those will be your best days. Libby usually cooks dinner those nights. Or we order out.”
“What did I do?” Libby strolled in with a book in her hand and hopped up on one of the stools, reaching into the bowl in the center of the island for a plum and taking a bite.
“I was just telling Viv she could use the kitchen whenever she wanted and that you usually cook when Marta and Rachel are off.”
“Someone to share cooking duties with. Excellent.”
“Well,” Viv leaned her hip against the counter. “I’m not much of a cook, to my grandmother’s great disappointment. But I can bake all day long and not get tired of it. Breads, cakes, cookies, desserts, you name it.”
“Brogan will love that. For a man as ripped as he is, he has such a sweet tooth.” Libby’s gaze slid to Evie. “Little early for lunch, isn’t it?”
“Viv missed breakfast. I’m going to heat up the frittata and sausage Marta made. Want some? Since you also missed breakfast, but I imagine for better reasons.”
Libby’s cheeks flushed pink, and she shifted to toss the pit of her plum in the trash. “I could eat after burning all those calories.”
Viv laughed, sliding onto a stool as Evie pulled down a couple of plates from the cabinet. “Is breakfast served every morning?”
“Did Aidan not tell you?” Libby asked.
Evie made a disappointed noise in her throat as she added food to the plates and put them in the microwave. “It’s not like you have a set schedule by any means, but Glenmore House is…an institution,” she decided. “And it runs like one. Breakfast is served from eight to ten in the dining room. Dinner is at seven unless someone says otherwise.”
“And I can go anywhere except the west wing?” Viv asked, and Evie laughed.
“The east wing. That’s where what they call the King’s Suite is.”
“That’s her giant bedroom and its various attached rooms,” Libby whispered loudly.
Viv accepted the plate of warmed food Evie passed across the island, and her mouth watered. It smelled divine. “This house is a fucking palace. How do you not get lost?”
Evie smiled. “I’ll draw you a map.”
“Have you heard from Cait yet?” Libby wondered, forking up a bite of egg.
Sighing, Evie leaned back against the opposite counter and worried the hem of her sweater. “Yeah. This morning. They’re coming home.”
“That’s good, isn’t it?” Viv asked, looking from Evie to Libby. She knew Cait and her son Evan had been staying with Cait’s parents somewhere in New York since Finn had been killed.
“It is. I’m just trying to figure out what to do.”
“Do about what?” Viv took a bite of frittata and sighed at the explosion of flavors on her tongue. A lightly toasted slice of ciabatta would go perfectly with this. “Do you not want her to come home?”
“I do. I miss her like a limb some days. I’m just worried that…”
