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Bree let out a long, low sigh.
Gwenn continued, “Rob fucked us all up the day he walked out on us. I sure as hell thought I would never trust a man. Shit. I’ve just spent months in the desert, counting on the guys on my team to have my back. Do you know how hard it’s been to trust those macho assholes?”
Bree offered a flash of a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I don’t know how you did it. I would’ve been scared out of my mind.”
Gwenn unfastened her seatbelt and redid her ponytail. “I was, sis. Fuck. I’m still scared of waking up in the middle of the night, reliving those same nightmares, over and over again.”
Bree unfastened her seatbelt and leaned in to hug her sister. “I’m here for you.”
“I know. You’re already doing so much for me. And I’m here for you, too. That’s why I’m telling you to ignore our mother.”
Gwenn placed a hand over Bree’s heart.
“Listen to your heart. I know you still love G.I. Joe.”
Bree giggled, and Gwenn let her hand fall down.
“I do,” Bree said.
“Well, there you go. Come on, sis. Show the rest of us Ryan girls how it’s done.”
Bree nodded. “I’ll give it a shot.”
“Okay, so I need to put this in the oven for how long?” Declan slid a lamb shoulder dish into his oven and closed the door.
“About an hour. Just check it after forty-five minutes, see how it goes. And when it’s done, let it rest for fifteen minutes and remove the twine. Did you toss the potatoes around the garlic and rosemary? Oh, and thyme?”
Declan smiled. He held the phone between his shoulder and ear while he rasped the carrots. “Yes, Emm. I’ve done exactly what you’ve told me to do. Was just checking for the time. I don’t want to ruin it now.”
“I wonder who you’re making this for. It better be for a certain Kindergarten teacher I know.”
Bree’s always been close with his Moore cousins and especially his aunt Shauni. It was no surprise Emmy rooted for Bree. He wanted to shout it from the rooftops, but Bree still kept her distance out of fear of having her heart broken again. But eventually, she would give in.
“I can’t tell you anything, Emm. But let’s hope that after tonight, I can reveal who my mystery guest is.”
“Okay,” Emmy said,, and she quickly added, “I would never blab about you or Bree, Cuz. Take your time. Your secret is safe with me.”
Emmy was making it damn hard for him to not just tell her.
“Goodbye, Emm. And… thank you.”
“Have fun!” Emmy singsonged before the line disconnected.
Declan whistled some tune while washing his hands in the sink. He smiled at the memory of a soaking wet Bree last week in her kitchen. They vibed like it had always been this way.
He jolted when his doorbell rang. After drying his hands, he walked over to his front door.
“Hey, Dec. I’ll be out of your hair in a minute, just wanted to bring this over to you.”
Declan took a step back to open the door further for his cousin Keenan, who carried a cheese platter with a stylish bell jar on top. In the kitchen, Declan peered inside and spotted a colorful array of meat, cheeses, nuts and grapes.
“I know Bree’s coming over, and I wanted to give you some small bites to share. There’s some prosciutto and salami in there. Also, a slice of Brie, a bit of goat cheese and my favorite, bleu cheese. It’s strong, but when you both grab a bite, at least you’ll both stink.”
Declan clasped his hand around Keenan’s shoulder and squeezed. “Thanks, Cuz. You didn’t have to do this.”
Keenan shrugged. “I know. But I wanted to help. I know how busy you are. You never cook whenever you’re home alone. Tommy’s mom always loved this shit. So I figured, if dinner would suck, at least you got this covered.”
Declan chuckled. “Thanks for your vote of confidence.”
