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I unlock the front door and fumble for the light, cursing Tom for not leaving it on when he went to bed. Lily hesitantly follows me into the kitchen and perches herself on a stool. I quickly busy myself, grabbing ingredients for Mum’s special pancake recipe: flour, sugar, eggs, vanilla Greek yoghurt, vanilla extract, blueberries, and chocolate chips. I place them in front of her before pulling out a mixing bowl and a whisk.
“Blueberriesandchocolate chips?” she asks, brows lifting.
“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”
She swipes a handful of chocolate chips from the bag and drops them in her mouth. Her eyes close, and she tips her head back, a small moan escaping her lips. “Chocolate is my kryptonite.”
Fucking hell.This woman is going to be the death of me. I clear my throat and get to work, methodically measuring out the recipe that is burned into my memory.
Lily watches intently, occasionally reaching over to swipe more chocolate chips. Eventually, she breaks the silence. “Are you going to tell me the story behind pancakes at midnight?”
“Mum would make them for me whenever something bad happened. If I failed a test, hurt myself riding my bike, or if I couldn’t nail a trick on the waves. I figured tonight called for pancakes.”
She smiles. “Your mum sounds like a pretty great woman.”
“She was.”
Lily’s eyes widen as the smile slips from her lips. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”
I shrug off her sympathy. “It’s fine. She was the best. Baking was her passion, so if anything ever went wrong, she was there to cheer you up with muffins, pancakes, or brownies. Her brownies were delicious.”
“Well, thank you. I appreciate the pancake gesture.”
“You’re welcome.”
I finish whisking the batter, finally happy with the consistency, and move over to the heated pan on the stove. Lily slips off her stool and comes to stand next to me as I pour the first batch. She’s so petite, dwarfed by my six-foot-three frame. She’s not close enough to touch, but I can still feel the heat radiating off her body.
“Are you going to tell me what happened to you?” I ask, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye.
She tenses. “It’s… I’d prefer to just forget about it.”
I concentrate on flipping the pancakes, taking no pleasure in the golden-brown perfection in front of me. Lily has to be no older than me. What kind of situation has she got herself in that would result in those kinds of injuries?
“What about your parents? Do they know where you are? Have you called them to tell them you’re okay?”
“It’s fine. Can we just drop it?” Her tone is quiet but firm. She looks up at me with her warm honey eyes. “Please?”
“Yeah, sure.” I place the first batch of pancakes on aplate in front of her. “Go on. Try one.”
If I thought the sounds that she made earlier when she stole the chocolate were delicious, then the sounds she makes now as she takes her first bite of a pancake are absolutely sinful.
“Holy shit, Hercules. You really know how to cook.”
I burst out laughing at the ridiculous nickname. “Hercules?”
She grins up at me. “Yeah, you know from the Disney movie?”
“I’m aware who Hercules is. Why are you calling me that?”
“You’ve rescued me on more than one occasion now.”
I can’t help the smirk that tugs the corners of my lips. “So that makes you Meg, then?”
“Yep. You know the movie?” Her grin widens when I nod. She picks up another pancake, nibbling on it. “It was my favourite movie growing up.”
“Mine, too,” I tell her. “My friend, Ivy, used to make us watch it all the time. It was her favourite as well.”
“I guess we have something in common.”
