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Cocking her head, Brooke frowned at him, as if she wanted to know whether he was taking the piss. He didn’t explain himself. She didn’t need to know how completely Megan had him wrapped around her little finger.
“Glad you agree.”
“Quit it,” Megan muttered, clearly embarrassed. “We’ll let you get back to studying. I’ll see you later, okay?”
“Okeydokey. Bye for now.” Brooke waved them off.
They returned to Sanctuary and Tione went to the kitchen to make a start on dinner while Megan searched for Kat. He’d never say it out loud, but she had such a positive energy about her and it gave him warm fuzzies to see her feeling more confident in her own skin. He could see her slotting so easily into his life that he had to remind himself she may only be around temporarily. Even if she stayed, it would be best for her if he kept his distance.
If only it were that easy.
* * *
After dinner,Megan helped Tione clean up, then waited while he brought his bottles of liquor up from the cabin. Once she had them, she ushered him out, grabbed a slab of fondant from the cupboard, assembled the tools of the trade—a rolling pin, a couple of tiny brushes, a number of knives, a miniature pizza cutter, food dye, edible glitter, sugar paste, and a few other bits and pieces—and set to work preparing a batch of royal icing. Lastly, she made a start on the buttercream, beating butter and confectioner’s sugar together until it had the right texture and the color had paled. She gathered a number of flavorings and dithered over whether to add them herself, or wait and see what the girls wanted to do. She opted for the latter.
While she washed her hands, she debated whether to play background music, and if so, what type. At one of Charles’s events, it would have been a no-brainer. Some variety of upmarket classical music so he could pretend to be sophisticated. But this wasn’t a supper to hobnob with the elite, and she was determined to have fun. In a gesture of defiance, she selected a girl power playlist and connected it to the speakers. If her new friends didn’t approve, they could tell her so. Checking her reflection in the shiny surface of the refrigerator, she was pleased by how much her bruises had faded.
“Not too shabby,” Kat said from the doorway.
Megan flinched, her hand going to her heart. “God, you frightened me.”
The smile dropped off Kat’s face. “Sorry. I thought you heard me coming.”
“I was a little preoccupied,” she admitted, embarrassed at having been caught checking herself out.
But Kat didn’t comment. She came into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. “Do you need a hand with anything?”
“Nope.” She wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans. “Everything is good to go. Would you like a drink?” The question came easily. She was accustomed to plying people with alcohol and food to keep them happy.
“Sure.” Kat looked over the selection. “What have we got?”
“A whole lot of booze, by the looks of it.” They both turned as Brooke entered, wearing a t-shirt that had “talk nerdy to me” written across the chest.
Faith followed, carrying a cardboard box. “Mm.” She stopped and inhaled deeply. “It smells amazing in here. What is that, coconut?” She sniffed again. “Pineapple?”
“Yes, and yes.” Megan crossed to her as she set the box on the counter. “What have you got there?”
Faith grinned, her teeth flashing between crimson lips. “In honor of your cocktail theme, I brought Irish cream and chocolate stout ice creams.”
“Together?” Megan asked, both intrigued and horrified by the prospect.
Laughing, Faith waved a hand in the air. “Lord, no. Separately. Where can I put them?”
Kat opened the freezer, and shifted items around until the box would fit. “Over here.”
They lifted it in, then gathered around the liquor bottles, eyeing them appreciatively.
“Nice collection,” Faith said. “Are these yours, Megan?”
“No, they’re Tione’s. He said he’s had them for years and not drunk them, so we may as well.”
“Really?” The gleam in Brooke’s eyes became speculative. “He hasn’t let anyone else touch his stash. He hardly even lets people through his front door.”
Megan shrugged, unsettled by the observation. She’d certainly spent her fair share of time in the cozy cabin, and hadn’t realized that was out of the ordinary.
“So, what’s the plan?” Kat asked.
“First, cocktails. Mix and match however you like. Then I thought we’d decorate the cupcakes I made earlier. I have a bunch of different things we can use.” She gestured to the frosting, fondant, and other tools on the counter. “We can be creative.”
