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Wes did so and returned to the island, where they’d already dumped the mix plus the oil and water into a clear glass mixing bowl.
“Go ahead and add the eggs. I’ll get the pan.”
As Avery grabbed a baking pan from the drawer beneath the stove, Wes cracked open the first egg, then the second.
Avery returned in time to catch his technique. “Wow, one handed. I’m impressed.”
“Don’t let that fool you. I subsisted on scrambled eggs for many years.”
“Hmmm, you pulled off that nice Italian supper, and now I catch you cracking eggs like a celebrity chef. I’m starting to think you’re a hustler.”
He gave a droll laugh. “Must’ve picked that vibe up from my dad.”
Avery raised an eyebrow as she handed him a large spoon. “He was a hustler?”
“He could’ve sold mosquitos to a backpacker—and he would’ve if he hadn’t been so lazy. Such as it was, he made do with home-improvement scams.”
“Oh no.”
“Sad thing was, he could’ve actually done the work if he’d wanted to. It was just easier to rip off people.”
“How’d he manage that?”
“Oh, he’d go door to door and give people bids on whatever they needed done. He’d take a deposit, then never come back.” Sometimes he even brought Wes along so they felt sorry for him—single dad, trying to eke out a living.
“People just trusted him that easily?”
“He was pretty slick. And he always wore a shirt and hat with the logo of a well-known home-improvement company.”
Wes wished he hadn’t started this conversation. It was humiliating to admit how he’d grown up, and he and Avery were having a good time. “Mind if we change the subject? Talking about my dad’s kind of a downer.”
“Of course not.” Avery sprayed the pan and set it out for himto pour the batter into. “I just have one more question . . . and it’s a very serious one. Your response will likely determine whether or not you’re invited to stay for brownies.”
He lifted his gaze from his task, raising his brows. “So much on the line... you’re making me nervous.”
“I only ask that you’re honest.” Avery swiped the side of the bowl with her finger and stuck it in her mouth. “Do you prefer corners or inside pieces?”
A few minutes later the batter was in the oven, and Wes and Avery settled at the island with the mixing bowl between them. Boots was perched in the living room window.
Wes watched as she handed him a rubber spatula, already wielding one of her own. “What’s wrong with the spoon we used to mix it with? Other than the fact you’ve already licked it clean.”
“Amateur.” Avery tilted a smile at him. “You can get every last bit of batter with one of these babies.”
“You take your brownies very seriously. And don’t think I didn’t notice—you didn’t exactly scrape all the batter into the pan.”
“Well, everybody knows the batter is the best part.” She scooped up a gooey blob of chocolate and sucked it off the spatula, eyes closing in apparent rapture. “Never gets old.”
His lips twitched as he took a small scoop of batter. “Should I leave you two alone?”
“You were forewarned. And I’m only letting you stay because you prefer the inside pieces. That’s why Katie and I work so well together.”
“I see how you are.” It was kind of adorable—and sexy—theway she savored every bite. “How exactly did you and Katie meet?”
“We were in undergrad together at Duke. We bonded over our dislike for a certain English professor, and things progressed from there. Unfortunately, we lost touch after we graduated—she stayed in Asheville and I went off to med school. But when I started the clinic, I thought of her. She’d just lost her brother and liked the idea of moving to a smaller community.”
“That’s too bad about her brother. She’s dating Cooper now?”
“Engaged.” She tossed him a saucy smile. “Funny story there. Genius that I am, I’d actually set her up with Gavin. They were an item for a while.”
