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“Darn.” He grinned and shrugged. “So, what’ll it be then, handsome? Can I interest you in one of my cream-filled holes?”
I shook my head at his innuendo. “I’ll take a chocolate with sprinkles for the kid and a coffee for me.” I paused. “With half and half.”
Miles looked up from the doughnut case, eyes sparkling. “Come on, Hunter, say what you mean.”
My lips quirked. “With, you know, a little dairy…”
He waved a hand. “Dairy, as in…”
“You’re really going to make me say it, aren’t you?”
Miles continued to work, slipping the doughnut into a bag with the logo on the side—a doughnut with frosting dripping off it and a mouth with its tongue extended—while grinning mischievously at me. A couple of people were already lined up behind me, but he didn’t seem to mind that he was slowing down traffic in his own shop.
“Ugh, fine. Cream, okay? I want some cream!”
“Did you hear that?” he cried out so loudly everyone in the shop heard. “This gorgeous man wants my cream! Finally!”
Jake popped his head out the door to the kitchen. “Just give the man his coffee, babe. You’re gonna make him late.”
The total lack of jealousy did him credit. But then, the smile Miles flashed at Jake was ten shades warmer than the one he’d teased me with. These two were madly in love.
My heart twisted, a familiar ache of longing and loss spreading through me. I thought I’d had that once.
Toby scarfed his chocolate doughnut on the way to school, and I made him submit to a cleansing with wet wipes before I let him out of the car. “Don’t forget you’re starting the after-school program today, okay? Be good for Mr. Fletcher.”
“I know, Dad! Don’t forget to fix the hot water!”
“I know, son!” I called back, grinning as he rolled his eyes at me.
I tried to project confidence, but I’d never actually replaced a water heater before, so I watched a few YouTube tutorials on it while at work, then swung by Garrett Rafferty’s place to borrow a pickup to more easily transport it.
Garrett met me outside with the keys when I arrived, dressed casually in jeans and a flannel shirt. He always seemed like such a strange choice for my brother, who loved fashion and makeup, but they seemed happy.
“Thanks, man.”
“No problem,” Garrett said easily, his voice softer than you would expect from a man his size. He was as tall and broad as me, with muscles more work-honed than gym-built like mine, and his serious demeanor made me expect a gruffness that never appeared. “Do you need a hand with it?”
I hesitated, tempted by the offer. Garrett was a knowledgeable guy, and I’d never done this before. But I doubted my brother would appreciate me dragging his boyfriend into a job on his day off.
“Nah, you two probably have plans.”
“Well, yeah, Kev’s trying to bake me another pie, so you’d be doing me a favor,” he joked.
“I heard that!” Kevin called from the porch. “I’ve been collecting pie-making tips from every granny in town, so if you leave, it’s your loss!”
Garrett winced. “I was just trying to make Hunter feel better about missing out, baby! You know I love anything you make.”
“Uh-oh,” I joked, “you’ve brought out the diva.”
Kevin came over, wearing tights and an oversized fuchsia sweater, and struck a dramatic pose, flinging his arm over his head. “I resemble that remark.”
“And I love it,” Garrett said, wrapping an arm around his waist and pressing a kiss to his cheek. Obviously he was angling for some bonus points after dissing Kev’s baking skills.
It seemed to be working because Kevin glowed under the affection.
“I better get going so you two can enjoy your day off,” I said.
As much as I would love some help, it wouldn’t be fair of me to ask Kevin for anything, not when he’d shouldered all the responsibility for our parents while I was in Minneapolis.
