I sat and stared down at the muffin.
“They’re scrumptious with a little butter, too.” She slid the butter dish and knife toward me.
“Right.” I caught them. “Thanks.”
“I always forget just how fast your reflexes are,” she said, her emerald eyes meeting my gaze for all of a second before jerking it away. “Not that I think about your reflexes, of course. Or you. Or…anything.” A blush worked its way up her neck. “I mean, you’re a professional athlete, of course you have fast reflexes,” she ended in a mutter, shaking her head.
A smile tugged at the edges of my lips. At least I wasn’t the only one thrown for a loop around here. “It’s awkward right?” I split the still-warm muffin in half and slathered a pat of butter between the two pieces. “Living together,” I continued when she looked puzzled.
“Oh, that.” She nodded, then started scooping more batter into a set of silicone muffin tins that weren’t mine. “I mean, it’s only been a couple of days, so…” She shrugged, then paused, glancing up at me. “Thank you for letting me stay. I really didn’t want Mila to ask, but staying here means that we can save enough for a deposit on a small gallery.” Her nose wrinkled. “I mean, Mila hopes it will be a big gallery, but I’m more of the realist between us. We have to start small.”
“Mila’s always shot for the stars. And don’t thank me again. Seriously. I’m happy to help you guys, especially if it means she doesn’t have to go to our father for start-up money.” My stomach soured at the thought of Dad tainting something Mila loved. “And you both know I’d be willing to help you. It’s not like I can’t afford to invest.” I took a bite of the muffin and barely bit back a groan. “Holy shit, Evangeline, these are amazing.”
She grinned and pushed her glasses up her nose. “Thanks. Baking is my favorite hobby. They’re my mother’s recipe.”
“Well, they’re ridiculous.” I took another bite, and my stomach settled.
“And thanks for the offer to invest. Mila and I are really trying to do this on our own. We both have some money saved up, and I’ve been taking weddings and family shots the last couple of years to add to that account.”
“Well, my offer stands, but I think it’s badass that you guys are doing it on your own.” I noted her camera bag on the far counter. It was worn and had long since seen better days. Hell, I vaguely remembered it from helping her move into the dorms her freshman year of undergrad. A smile played across my face.
“What has you smiling?” She finished filling the tray.
“I was thinking of all those books tumbling onto the floor while we were moving you in.” I polished off my muffin. “And yet the girl who loves the books is the more practical one in the business partnership.”
She scoffed. “Just because I enjoy a little escapism doesn’t mean that I don’t have my feet on the ground in the real world.” The timer beeped and she took out a tray of muffins before putting the other one in.
“I thought it was cute.” I shrugged and reached across the expanse of the island, snatching another muffin from the cooling rack.
Evie noticed but she didn’t say a word as she moved the hot muffins to the cooling rack. “Yeah, well every girl on our floor thought you were cute, so I guess that’s fair.”
I laughed. “Hey, it’s not my fault that you two chose to go to the same college where I was playing.” We’d only had a year at the same school, but I’d steered clear of Mila’s dorm floor at her request. “How is your masters coming, anyway?”
“Actually…” She paused and took a steadying breath.
My attention jumped from my muffin to her, and saw she was chewing on her bottom lip. “Evie?”
“I was hoping for a little help.” She swallowed, then lifted her chin. “I have to do a whole unit this semester about capturing movement, and my professor just signed off on my proposal for studying the photography of the human body in motion.” A corner of her mouth rose into a smirk. “And I mean, it was a great proposal. I worked on it for weeks, so I knew he’d say yes, especially since he’s a hockey fan—”
“Hockey fan, huh?” She was babbling, which was something she only did when he got nervous.
“Well yeah. Watching you guys skate is…beautiful. Think of how all your muscles work together while you’re on the ice, how each one strains at different points in your stride, how they tell the story of how you’re going to move next. Absolutely beautiful.” She gave a breathy little sigh and ran the edge of her tongue over her lower lip.